The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation has awarded a grant to the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center to establish the UChicago Medicine Ralph Lauren Center, reflecting a joint commitment to bridging gaps in cancer health and expanding cancer care in the city’s vulnerable communities.
The UChicago Medicine Ralph Lauren Center will offer cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support services at two of the academic health system’s locations, serving patients and the communities on the city’s South Side and in the South Suburbs.
The first site will be at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial in Harvey and will launch in 2026. The other will be at the health system’s main campus on the South Side within the new cancer pavilion, scheduled to open as the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion in April 2027.
“We are honored that The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation selected UChicago Medicine to open the first Ralph Lauren Center in the Midwest and the fourth in the U.S.,” said Dr. Kunle Odunsi, director of the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. “The award speaks to our shared mission to improving access to cancer care in the community.”
The grant is part of a $25 million commitment by The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation to expand or establish five Ralph Lauren-named centers in communities across the United States. The funding is designed to benefit organizations that have an NCI cancer center designation, which recognizes their innovative research, leading-edge treatments, education and community-outreach programs. UChicago Medicine has been home to such a designated center since 1973.
“Over the last 30 years, our mission to support communities around the world in the fight against cancer has grown into something greater than I could have ever imagined. From New York to Washington, Los Angeles and now Chicago, we are making a real impact on this disease, helping to raise awareness, improve outcomes and provide support — all thanks to the tireless work of the dedicated caregivers at our cancer centers,” said Ralph Lauren, executive chairman and chief creative officer of Ralph Lauren Corporation and chair of The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation.
Lee to serve as program director
Dr. Nita Lee, associate director of community outreach and engagement at UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, will serve as program director of the UChicago Medicine Ralph Lauren Center at both locations.
To launch the program, she will work closely with UChicago Medicine’s Urban Health Initiative, led by Chief Community Health Transformation Officer Catina Latham, and Ingalls Memorial oncology team, led by Director Dr. James Wallace.
Cancer is a leading cause of death in Chicago’s South Side and South Suburbs, where social determinants of health lead to higher cancer burdens.
