Walker Foundation Pledges $1 Million to UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute — Funds Will Support New Radiation Oncology Center

By Andrew Vogler

LITTLE ROCK — The Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation pledged $1 Million to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

“We are humbled by the decades-long support of the Walker Foundation — a relationship that has helped elevate UAMS in becoming a first-class provider of care in our region,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “Willard and Pat Walker’s generosity was inspiring, and, as seen with the Radiation Oncology Center, their legacy of philanthropy continues to benefit many Arkansans.”

The UAMS Radiation Oncology Center, a $65 million, 58,000-square-foot structure at 3900 W. Capitol Ave. in Little Rock, was built to accommodate three new linear accelerators that customize radiation delivery based on the type and stage of a patient’s cancer. It is the only cancer center in Arkansas to offer Ethos Adaptive Therapy, a unique form of X-ray radiation that adapts to daily changes in a tumor’s shape and position over the course of treatment.

Walker Foundation Pledges $1 Million to UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute — Funds Will Support New Radiation Oncology Center

UAMS Opens New Radiation Oncology Center; Proton Therapy Coming Soon

By Marty Trieschmann

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute opened a new Radiation Oncology Center today with expanded capabilities to provide advanced radiation treatments for children and adults with cancer, including the state’s first Proton Center.

The $65 million, 58,000-square-foot structure at 3900 W. Capitol Ave. in Little Rock was built to accommodate three new linear accelerators that customize radiation delivery based the type and stage of a patient’s cancer.

“The opening of this facility marks an unprecedented commitment to the future of cancer treatment in Arkansas and the region,” said UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA. “The innovative therapies and advanced technology available here place UAMS among the top centers worldwide at the forefront of cancer treatment.”

https://news.uams.edu/2023/07/18/uams-opens-new-radiation-oncology-center-proton-therapy-coming-soon/

The new and expanded UAMS Radiation Oncology Center will open to patients on July 24.

Cyclotron for State’s First Proton Center Arrives at UAMS

By Marty Trieschmann

Completion of a $65 million expanded University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Radiation Oncology Center that will house Arkansas’ first Proton Center marked an important milestone Oct. 20 with the arrival and installation of the Proton Center’s cyclotron, a type of particle accelerator that serves as a key piece of equipment.

“UAMS is proud to partner with Arkansas Children’s, Baptist Health and Proton International to bring this groundbreaking technology to Arkansas,” said UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA. “Arkansans will no longer need to travel out of state to receive this innovative treatment.”

Under construction at 3900 W. Capitol Ave., the Proton Center of Arkansas will offer an advanced form of radiation treatment that uses precisely focused protons to target tumors, rather than photons used in standard X-ray radiation.

https://news.uams.edu/2022/10/20/cyclotron-for-states-first-proton-center-arrives-at-uams/

Workers from Kinco Construction and Proton International carefully position the 55-ton cyclotron before lowering it into an underground vault. When installed, the cyclotron will power the proton energy beam that will deliver highly targeted proton radiation to cancerous tumors. Image by C.M. Smith Aerial Media

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s Radiation Oncology Center Becomes First and Only Center in Arkansas to Earn APEx Accreditation

By Marty Trieschmann

Jan. 20, 2022 | The Radiation Oncology Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received the highest national accreditation from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

The center, which is part of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, is the only radiation oncology center in the state to be granted full accreditation by the Society’s ASTRO Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx®). The accreditation is voluntary and granted by ASTRO for a four-year term ending in November 2025.

Accreditation was awarded after a site visit in November 2021 and a review of the center’s modalities, techniques, equipment, information and treatment planning systems for compliance with APEx safety and quality standards. APEx is the society’s highest honor, recognizing centers that meet the most rigorous standards for safety and performance.

https://news.uams.edu/2022/01/20/winthrop-p-rockefeller-cancer-institutes-radiation-oncology-center-becomes-first-and-only-center-in-arkansas-to-earn-apex-accreditation/

The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute's nationally recognized team of radiation oncologists includes (l to r) Richard Crownover, M.D., Ph.D., Fen Xia, M.D., Ph.D., Adam Wolfe, M.D., Ph.D., Leslie Harrell, D. O. and Gary Lewis, M.D. Not pictured is Sanjay Maraboyina, M.D. Image by Bryan Clifton

UAMS Breaks Ground on New Radiation Oncology Center, Will House First Proton Center in Arkansas

By Linda Satter

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) broke ground today on an expanded Radiation Oncology Center, which will be home to Arkansas’ first Proton Center.

The Radiation Oncology Center, part of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, already offers cutting-edge technologies to provide the latest radiation treatments. It will continue to provide those services, as well as new ones using the expanded capabilities of three new linear accelerators, as it relocates in 2023 to a new 52,249 square-foot-building facing Capitol Avenue, between Pine and Cedar streets.

The new three-story structure, located southeast of the BioVentures building, is being built primarily to accommodate a proton center — one of fewer than 40 that exist nationwide — in partnership with Arkansas Children’s, Baptist Health and Proton International.

https://news.uams.edu/2021/05/25/uams-breaks-ground-on-new-radiation-oncology-center-will-house-first-proton-center-in-arkansas/

Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the UAMS Radiation Oncology Center as UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, looks on. The expanded Radiation Oncology Center will house Arkansas’ first Proton Center, a partnership between UAMS, Baptist Health, Arkansas Children's and Proton International. Image by Evan Lewis