Medical Center

Cancer Center Honors Jack Rowe ’70M (MD)

Laboratories in the new Wilmot Cancer Center dedicated to translating cutting-edge research into new treatments will be named in honor of former Aetna CEO John (Jack) Rowe ’70M (MD), in recognition of his $5 million gift to the center’s capital campaign.

It is the largest single gift from a living alumnus of the School of Medicine and Dentistry and one of the largest private donations to a Medical Center program in its 86-year history.

“My own family, like many others, has experienced the fear and triumph of a diagnosis of cancer,” says Rowe. “Advances in diagnosis and therapy have made survival with cancer an expectation for many types of cancer. Our gift will enable research in novel areas such as cancer immunology that hold promise for all cancer patients.

The center is raising $42.5 million to build a new facility that will double clinical and research space, consolidate outpatient cancer care and research laboratories in a single location, recruit additional scientists, and build translational research programs to find cures.

Rowe’s donation brings the five-year campaign total to more than $30 million.

“This tremendous gift is a testament to the confidence that our alumni have in the quality clinical and research programs at the Medical Center and the Wilmot Cancer Center,” says President Joel Seligman. “Jack Rowe’s gift furthers the University’s commitment to provide the highest quality cancer care and research. I am most grateful for his inspirational gift.”

Rowe was president and CEO of Aetna from 2000 to 2006. Before joining Aetna, he was president and chief executive officer of Mount Sinai New York University Health. Internationally recognized for his research and health policy efforts for the care of the elderly, Rowe was a founding director of Harvard Medical School’s Division on Aging.

The Wilmot Cancer Center has adopted an ambitious plan to capture the National Cancer Institute’s designation as one of the country’s top cancer centers.

A key element of the plan is the construction of a state-of-the-art, four-story, 165,000-square-foot facility, which is set to open in spring 2008.