PITTSBURGH, PA — Allegheny Health Network has received a $25 million gift, the largest donation in the hospital conglomerate's history, for cancer-related initiatives.
The gift comes from James Fitterling, a cancer survivor and the executive chairman of the board of directors of materials science company Dow and the Michigan-based company's chief executive officer from 2018-2026.
Allegheny Health Network is rechristening the AHN Cancer Center and its several dozen satellite centers as the AHN James R. Fetterling Cancer Center.
"My hope is that this gift will help accelerate research and discovery so that more patients have access to innovative treatment options and the best chance of a successful outcome," Fitterling said in an statement.
Fitterling was successfully treated two decades ago for stage IV appendiceal cancer. His doctor then was current AHN Cancer Center Director Dr. David L. Bartlett, who joined the network in 2020.
Bartlett said of the gift: "(Fitterling's) incredible generosity will give our physicians and researchers the resources to pursue bold new approaches, accelerate discoveries and develop treatments that could change what's possible for patients and families facing cancer."
AHN has ambitious plans for the donation. They include a new endowed chair in oncology, artificial intelligence-related research into specific cancers and how to treat them; five trials for appendix and peritoneal cancer over five years; and development of a potential cancer vaccine T-cell immunotherapy through clinical trials.
The AHN Cancer Center serves about 11,000 patients a year in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and New York.
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