Northwestern urology program receives $10 million gift to create a Urologic Cancer Institute

Northwestern Medicine received a $10 million gift to fund the creation of a new multidisciplinary institute dedicated to urologic cancers. The Polsky Urologic Cancer Institute of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Polsky Urologic Cancer Institute) will offer the most comprehensive approach to treating urologic cancers, including prostate, bladder, kidney and testicular cancers. Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s urology program has been ranked No. 1 in Illinois for the last 21 straight years by U.S. News & World Report.

The new Institute was made possible by a commitment of $10 million from the Polsky family. Clean energy entrepreneur Michael Polsky, Founder & CEO of Invenergy, and Tanya Polsky, philanthropist and former finance executive, and their children, are longtime friends to Northwestern Medicine.

“This gift to create a Urologic Cancer Institute at Northwestern Medicine symbolizes my family’s commitment to help others facing cancer come out on the winning side — and to ultimately eradicate the disease. With this gift, we support Northwestern Medicine’s vision to be the world’s leader in diagnosing, advancing research breakthroughs and creating revolutionary treatments for urological cancers,” said Michael Polsky.

Led by Edward “Ted” Schaeffer, MD, Chair of Urology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Professor of Urology at Northwestern University, the institute will provide personalized, integrated and innovative care to individuals with urologic cancers through a disease centric program of research, education and discovery.

“We are extremely excited to partner with the Polsky family in forming this Institute to transform how we treat urologic cancers in Chicago and Worldwide. We believe that a patient-centric program that inspires leading-edge research will transform our field,” said Dr. Edward Schaeffer. “The Polsky Family Urologic Cancer Institute will become a multidisciplinary access point for cancer treatments including surgery, chemo-, radio- and immunotherapy as well a resource for genetic counseling, nutritional guidance and lifestyle management.”

The Polsky Urologic Cancer Institute will bring together a multidisciplinary team of renowned physicians and scientists to leverage their expertise – driving breakthroughs in treatment and accelerating new discoveries. Patients will have access to some of the country’s leading urologic cancer specialists and a wide range of services. The institute is scheduled to open early 2019.

The institute will expand its current location in Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Galter Pavilion, providing patients with streamlined access to specialized treatment, new technologies and one-of-a-kind support programs.

“I am confident that the talent and depth of our multidisciplinary team will fuel the Polsky Urologic Cancer Institute, and its impact for our patients across the spectrum of care,” said Maha Hussain, MD, deputy director of the Lurie Cancer Center, the Genevieve E. Teuton Professor of Medicine, and an internationally renowned clinical researcher and expert in genitourinary oncology.

###

National Cancer Institute estimates that over 165,000 new cases of prostate cancer and 81,000 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed annually. Men have more than a 15% chance of developing a Urologic cancer in their lifetime and, in total, urologic cancers result in more than 10% of all cancer deaths.

To learn more about Northwestern Medicine’s Urology program, visit urology.nm.org. If you would like to make a gift in support of the Urologic Cancer Program, please call Northwestern Memorial Foundation at 312.926.2033 or visit foundation.nm.org. Learn more about the Lurie Cancer Center, visit http://www.cancer.northwestern.edu.