Gov. Hogan pledges $216M toward cancer research, treatment
Gov. Larry Hogan wants Maryland to spend $216 million toward cancer research and treatment — much of it in Baltimore — as part of what he’s calling the “Maryland Cancer Moonshot Initiative.”
Hogan, a cancer survivor, announced Wednesday that this money is included in his budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Under his plan, $100 million would go to the University of Maryland Medical System to expand the Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center in downtown Baltimore. The center serves about 3,000 new patients each year, Hogan said in a news release.
The other investments include:
$67 million for a new cancer center at the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center in Prince George’s County
$25 million for cancer research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University, both in Baltimore
$20.5 million for the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund
$2.5 million for the BioHub Maryland Initiative, which seeks to grow the state’s life sciences and biotech industries
$1 million for pediatric cancer research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine
“The reality is that cancer is a disease that has touched nearly every one of us, through family or loved ones,” Hogan said in a statement. “On the day I found out I was cancer-free, I pledged that as long as I am governor and long after, I will stand with all those who are fighting this terrible disease. That is why today, I am announcing the Maryland Cancer Moonshot, to dramatically accelerate all of our efforts to detect, prevent, treat, and find a cure for cancer, so that more lives can be saved. This is a watershed moment in the fight against cancer in our state and the region.”
Dr. Mohan Suntha, president and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System, called the fight against cancer deeply personal to him as a member of the radiation oncology faculty at the university’s medical school. The system’s Greenebaum Cancer Center brings “cutting edge clinical care, clinical trials and innovation to Marylanders,” he said.
“It is these types of partnerships with the state that propel us to provide care that has a life changing impact,” Suntha said in a statement.