In the wake of unprecedented wildfires in Southern California, many of you have reached out with concern for our City of Hope® community. We are so grateful for your kindness and care.
There is a lot of uncertainty that comes with such upheaval. Many of our employees and patients are still navigating the heartbreaking aftermath of the fires in their personal lives. Even in times like these, your support reminds me that our City of Hope family is strong and resilient. We never waver in our dedication to our patients and our mission. Despite our challenges, I know that there is good news on the horizon.
Our City of Hope community has been part of an enormous amount of change in the past few years, driven by the hard work of our leaders, clinical teams, scientists, staff and supporters. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished: transforming City of Hope from a highly respected, regional hospital into a unique, national cancer research and treatment system with academic medicine at its core.
Our ability to evolve, to be nimble and to pursue bold ideas in service to our patients is made possible because of you. And let me be the first to tell you — we are poised for even more success in 2025.
- Our CEO Robert Stone was named among Modern Healthcare's 100 Most Influential Leaders. Robert was recognized for his exceptional leadership in guiding City of Hope to national prominence as a beacon of pioneering research and exceptional cancer care. It is a well-deserved recognition.
- Hope Plaza, our new outpatient facility in Duarte, opened earlier this month. Outside of its walls, patients are also finding peace in the newly opened Ted Schwartz Family Hope & Healing Park.
- New breakthroughs are on the horizon thanks to research support from business leaders like Tom Grable, City of Hope’s Construction Industries Alliance 2024 Spirit of Life® Award recipient.
- Our new Orange County hospital will open in late 2025, completing an Orange County campus that features some of the most advanced clinical and research facilities in the world. Donor support has been critical to our expansion in the region.
- Our cancer centers in Phoenix, Atlanta and Chicago are now fully integrated into the City of Hope system, with leaders and physicians in place to deliver our discoveries and care to even more patients this coming year — including expanded access to our extensive clinical trials.
- Philanthropy has helped us recruit and support talented leaders and clinicians across our system. For example, longtime Translational Genomics Research Institute supporter Nancy Hanley Eriksson made a gift to establish The Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D., Chair in Cancer Research in honor of her late husband Lee T. Hanley and the pioneering work of Dr. Von Hoff.
- An estate gift from the Aileen and Gilbert Chuck Charitable Trust is helping City of Hope train the next generation of providers in therapies and techniques that will save lives no matter where they choose to practice.
The point is: We have an incredible opportunity ahead of us and a strong foundation to build on. Our mission is not growth. Our mission is to help more people and deliver more hope to patients in need.
On behalf of our patients and their families, thank you for everything you have done to get us to where we are today. Donors and volunteers are the heart of our story: past, present and future.
Please stay safe, watch out for one another and let’s keep hope alive for all those who depend on us.
With gratitude,
Kristin J. Bertell
Chief Philanthropy Officer
