 
The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center’s prominence in cancer research, education and treatment arises from more than six decades of diligence and discovery. An integral part of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Hospital and Clinics, the UW Carbone Cancer Center (UWCCC) has been at the forefront of cancer treatment and research, participating in many “firsts” for the national and international cancer community.
1940
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research is established as the first basic science cancer center at an academic institution in the United States and one of the first in the world. Harold Rusch, MD serves as Director.
1946
The McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research receives its first multi-investigator NCI block grant and has 54 years of continuous support as a basic science cancer center until consolidation with the UWCCC in 2000.
1947
The University and Medical School grants departmental status to the McArdle faculty thus forming the Department of Oncology.
1947, 1959, 1964, 1974 and 1981
Funds are obtained through the NCI to expand the basic and clinical cancer research facilities at the University thus laying the foundation for today’s NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.
1951
Dr. Charles Heidelberger synthesizes the drug 5-fluorouracil and its application in the clinic.
Dr. Van Potter elaborates on the biochemical basis for the clinical development of multi-drug chemotherapy.
1955
The right to grant advanced M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Experimental Oncology is awarded by the University and Medical School.
1960's
Drs. James and Elizabeth Miller demonstrate that the metabolic activation of most chemical carcinogens to reactive electrophiles is required for their carcinogenic activity.
1970
Dr. Howard Temin discovers reverse transcriptase and its role in the life cycle of retroviruses, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1975 with Drs. David Baltimore and Renato Dulbecco.
Dr. Rusch was appointed to the National Panel of Consultants on the Conquest of Cancer
(known as the Senator Yarborough Committee). The report of this distinguished committee formed the basis for the Bill that President Nixon signed into law creating the National Cancer Act. Among a number of new initiatives to support a greater effort to conquer cancer was the authorization to establish fifteen new comprehensive cancer centers.
1972
Dr. Henry Pitot accepts the Director of the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research.
Dr. Rusch becomes Director of the Clinical Cancer Center.
1973
The University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center (UWCCC) is established as one of six new Comprehensive Cancer Centers by the National Cancer Institute, the lead federal agency for cancer research. Dr. Rusch is named UWCCC Director.
1975
The University and Medical School’s academic Department of Human Oncology is established as the nucleus of UWCCC. Dr. Rusch becomes the first Chair of the department.
1977
Paul P. Carbone, MD succeeds Dr. Rusch as Chair of the Department of Human Oncology.
1978-1997
Paul P. Carbone, MD serves as Director of the UWCCC. During this period, Dr. Carbone also served as Chair of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, and with the help of key UWCCC members had a great deal of influence on national clinical trials.
1989
UWCCC begins regional cancer affiliates with hospitals throughout Wisconsin.
1991
Dr. Norman Drinkwater succeeds Dr. Pitot as the third Chair of Oncology and Director of the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer
Research.
Dr. David DeMets becomes Chair of the new Biostatistics department developing a program heavily focused on cancer research.
1994
University of Wisconsin-Madison decides to consolidate its two outstanding cancer centers.
1997–2002
John Niederhuber, MD serves as Director of the UWCCC. Among his major accomplishments was the merger of the UWCCC with the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research – forming eight research programs. These research programs optimize intra- and inter-programmatic research and facilitate efforts to apply discoveries to improving the care of our cancer patients.
Dr. Niederhuber went on to become the Chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board, NCI's Deputy Director for Translational and Clinical Sciences and is now the Acting Director of the National Cancer Institute.
1998
The Wisconsin Oncology Network is established to include community hospitals in UWCCC clinical trials.
1999
After extensive planning, the UWCCC and McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research begin to function as a single Comprehensive Cancer Center. Eight scientific research groups are formed and the UWCCC research faculty is significantly expanded.
2001-2006
UWCCC successfully competed for many multi-investigator grants including a
National Cooperative Drug Discovery Group in Cancer; a planning grant to develop
an Aging and Cancer Program;
establishment of a Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research;
coordination of a Biochemical Prevention Clinical Trial Network; an O’Brien Center grant to study Prostate
Growth Regulation; a Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center; a Bioengineering Research
Partnership for the Biomolecular Analysis of Liquid Crystals; and a DOD Prostate Cancer Research Program
Clinical Consortium award.
2004
George Wilding, MD named Director of UWCCC. UWCCC moves towards a direction emphasizing multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary interactions, focusing on the translation of basic research findings to clinical testing and application.
External research and training support for UWCCC surpasses $135 million.
2005
Ground is broken on UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s Interdisciplinary Research Complex (IRC). The IRC will prominently feature translational cancer research at the UWCCC.
UWCCC adds two new regional cancer affiliates to its network, expanding our partnerships to eight in the Wisconsin/Illinois area. These regional affiliates extend UWCCC's quality patient care and access to clinical trials to hospitals in Beloit, Manitowoc, Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Appleton, Oshkosh, Johnson Creek and Freeport, IL.
2006
The Cancer Center is renamed the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, recognizing the contributions of former UWCCC director Paul P. Carbone, MD who came to Wisconsin in 1976 and led the cancer center for 18 years. The Cancer Center's central research tower is named the Harold P. Rusch Translational Research Tower, after Harold Rusch, MD, the first director of the McArdle Lab and later led the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center.
2008
Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) focusing on translational
research opened September 2008. |
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