The University of Louisville James Graham Brown Cancer Center is on the cusp of becoming the region’s first federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. A five-year, $41.5 million capital campaign announced Wednesday will help it get there.

U of L President James R. Ramsey and Brown Cancer Center officials announced the campaign at a news conference.

“Our goal is to contribute to the quality of life and economic progress of our region by growing a nationally recognized cancer center right here in Louisville…a cancer center that is a true source of pride in our community,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey said donors already have contributed more than $11 million during the “quiet phase” of the campaign. Those donors include the family of former U of L trustees Chair Woodford R. Porter, which announced a $250,000 gift in memory of his wife, Harriett Porter, who died of cancer earlier this year.

Ramsey praised the donors and pointed out that more than 1,600 U of L health sciences and hospital employees contributed a total of more than $1.5 million to the campaign.

“That’s a testament of how committed this community, the University of Louisville and U of L Hospital are to the success of the Cancer Center,” Ramsey said.

The National Cancer Institute is selective about granting Comprehensive Cancer Center status. That designation would guarantee federal funding for research and would give Kentucky-area residents access to leading-edge research and clinical trials currently unavailable in the region, said Dr. Donald M. Miller, director of the Brown Cancer Center. NCI requires institutions seeking the designation to conduct basic, clinical and cancer-prevention research; to have a strong body of interactive research bridging all three areas; and to conduct outreach and education for health officials and the general public.

Miller said the center already has surpassed NCI requirements in many of these areas. He said the campaign will enhance the effort by allowing the center to attract and retain established scientists; to bring in and train top young researchers in the field; and to provide the infrastructure and facilities necessary for leading-edge research.

“In short, this campaign is the boost we need to propel the James Graham Brown Cancer Center—and the Louisville community—into the national spotlight,” Miller said.

Campaign Chair Robert Rounsavall said that nearly everyone has been touched by cancer, “perhaps not as a patient, but as a friend, relative or colleague of someone who has been told that he or she has cancer. In those circumstances, we hope for good news on the horizon.

“I believe that this good news is not only on the horizon, but it’s happening right here in our community,” Rounsavall added. “The James Graham Brown Cancer Center is already serving patients with topnotch treatment and care. It is already on the front line of discovering new treatments. And it is already attracting new research dollars to our community and state that will benefit the economy. This campaign will take us further.”