HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I, December 18, 2025 — The University of Hawaiʻi has secured two major grants from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, each just over $1 million, which will support distinct but complementary health-oriented initiatives. The grants – one to the UH Cancer Center and the other to the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) – reinforce Helmsley’s commitment to strengthening health infrastructure and workforce capacity in Hawaiʻi.
“I believe we face an all-hands-on-deck moment to address critical health needs, especially in underserved regions,” said Walter Panzirer, a trustee for the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “Philanthropy can often act more nimbly than local, state or federal systems, and we are honored to partner with UH to bring advanced care and training tools closer to communities in Hawaiʻi. These grants reflect our belief that geography should never limit one’s access to health and opportunity.”
The Hoʻola Early Phase Clinical Research Center
The UH Cancer Center award will fund essential start-up costs for the groundbreaking new Ho‘ōla Early Phase Clinical Research Center, scheduled to open in March 2026 on the UH campus in Kaka‘ako. With the launch of Ho‘ōla, local residents will have the opportunity to participate in pioneering cancer trials close to home for the first time in state history. Until now, many patients have faced the burden of traveling to the U.S. mainland for early-stage studies, or have not been able to afford going at all. The new Ho‘ōla EPCRC will help maintain the closeness to home and family support that is crucial for cancer patients’ healing, while positioning Hawaiʻi as a hub for advanced oncology research. Approximately 70,000 people in Hawai‘i are living with cancer. The National Cancer Institute-designated UH Cancer Center is in the top 4% of all U.S. cancer centers.
“This support from the Helmsley Trust will help us accelerate the launch of the Ho‘ōla Early Phase Center – a critical step toward expanding access to novel cancer treatments for our communities,” said Dr. Naoto T. Ueno, director of the UH Cancer Center, who is a two-time cancer survivor himself. “This aligns with our mission to save lives in Hawai‘i and in the Pacific, and strengthens our position as a local and national leader in cancer research.”
JABSOM: Advanced Training Equipment for Medical Education Throughout Hawaii
Helmsley’s support will enhance medical education statewide by upgrading simulation and training resources at JABSOM and on the Neighbor Islands. New Anatomage Tables – real-human-based virtual dissection systems – transform the teaching and study of anatomy. These tables essentially make the anatomy lab mobile. Deploying these state-of-the-art tools on the Neighbor Islands ensures JABSOM students and trainees learning in rural areas will have equitable access to education. In addition to the Anatomage tables, portable ultrasounds and advanced procedural models will expand hands-on learning for students, residents and a broad spectrum of healthcare professionals. At JABSOM’s SimTiki Simulation Center, updated and enhanced systems for teaching with technology will strengthen high-fidelity training with advanced ultrasound simulation and for guided procedures, such as thoracentesis and paracentesis. Together, these investments will promote equitable access to cutting-edge education and help prepare a skilled healthcare workforce to serve Hawaiʻi’s rural and island communities.
“The Helmsley Charitable Trust’s investment helps JABSOM continue its commitment to training doctors who are prepared to meet Hawaiʻi’s unique healthcare challenges,” said JABSOM Dean Dr. Sam Shomaker. “Upgrading our simulation equipment strengthens our capacity to teach with precision, safety and compassion.”
Though the two gifts support different functions – clinical trials for one, simulation training for the other – they both align with The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust’s mission to improve healthcare access, innovation and quality in Hawaiʻi and beyond.
“These gifts demonstrate Helmsley’s belief in UH’s ability to deliver both innovation and impact – from pioneering research to hands-on medical training,” said UH Foundation CEO and UH Vice President of Advancement Tim Dolan. “We are deeply grateful for this support, which strengthens Hawaiʻi’s healthcare future from discovery to delivery.”
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FOR UH • FOR HAWAIʻI, the Campaign for the University of Hawaiʻi, is focused on raising funds to support UH priorities on all 10 campuses across the state: student success; research that matters; kuleana to Native Hawaiians and Hawaiʻi; sustainability, resilience and conservation; innovation and entrepreneurship; building Hawaiʻi’s workforce; and engaging our community. Learn more at uhfoundation.org/4UH4HI.
The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. Our mission is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. Learn more at uhfoundation.org.
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has granted more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program funds innovative projects that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas, and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel. To date, this program has awarded more than $850 million to organizations and initiatives in the states of Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and two U.S. Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For more information, visit www.helmsleytrust.org.
