University of Chicago Medicine has announced a $20 million gift from Susan and Tandean Rustandy toward construction of a cancer care and research pavilion.

Scheduled to open in 2027, the pavilion will be the first freestanding facility dedicated to cancer care and research in Illinois. The $815 million project to build the 575,000-square-foot cancer pavilion will advance the University of Chicago’s and UChicago Medicine’s goals for cancer prevention, health equity, and survivorship. The gift will help UChicago Medicine’s clinicians, physician-scientists, and researchers collaborate on and find novel treatments, including new cellular therapies that work against more types of cancers and radiotheranostics, which attack cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact.

“Susan and I are honored to contribute to the University of Chicago’s mission and initiatives to pursue globally impactful solutions to seemingly unsolvable challenges,” said Tandean Rustandy, who serves on the boards of both the university and the medical center. “We believe in the power of collaborative efforts to effect transformative change, and the new cancer pavilion holds immense potential to impact not only the local community, but also the broader landscape of patient care globally.”

“The new cancer pavilion will bring together more than 200 of my colleagues—all of us working across disciplines—to reduce the burden of cancer on patients and families, as well as the communities we serve,” said UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center director Kunle Odunsi. “We are building a cancer program of the future and are very grateful for Susan and Tandean Rustandy’s support and dedication to helping us prevent, diagnose, study, treat, and, ultimately, save more lives.”

(Photo credit: University of Chicago)