The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation will open its first Midwest cancer center through a new grant to the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, expanding the foundation’s effort to establish or expand five Ralph Lauren-named centers across the United States.
The new UChicago Medicine Ralph Lauren Center will serve a catchment area of more than 900,000 people in Chicago’s South Side and Southland communities, aiming to improve access to cancer screening, comprehensive treatment, and support services. It will be the fourth Ralph Lauren-named center in the U.S. and will operate across two locations, supported by a mobile medical unit that brings education, personalized navigation, and screening-related services closer to community members and partner organizations.
The first site is expected to open in 2026 within the outpatient cancer facility at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, Illinois. A second site will be housed in UChicago Medicine’s AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion in Hyde Park, a new freestanding cancer care and research facility slated to open in April 2027. The Hyde Park hub is expected to connect patients across the UChicago Medicine network to services inside the pavilion, including the Carole Bransky Breast Center, a rapid assessment clinic for immunocompromised patients, cancer imaging, expanded inpatient accommodations with family spaces, and additional consultation, exam, and infusion therapy capacity.
UChicago Medicine said the center will focus on cancers that significantly affect the South Side and Southland communities—breast, cervical, lung, colorectal, and prostate—while addressing gaps across the care continuum. The program is expected to emphasize patient navigation and prevention strategies, with supportive services such as transportation, nutrition, financial counseling, and integrative therapies, alongside efforts to improve early detection, connect patients to treatment, and support survivorship.
Nita Lee, an associate director for community outreach and engagement at the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, will serve as program director. Ralph Lauren and UChicago Medicine leaders positioned the initiative as part of a multi-decade philanthropic commitment tied to the company’s Pink Pony campaign and the Pink Pony Fund, which supports cancer-related programs globally. The foundation previously announced a $25 million commitment in 2022 to help expand or establish five Ralph Lauren-named cancer centers at National Cancer Institute-designated institutions, and said the new Chicago center follows prior launches in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and an earlier center in Harlem.
KEY QUOTES:
“Over the last 30 years, our mission to support communities around the world in the fight against cancer has grown into something greater than I could have ever imagined. From New York, to Washington, Los Angeles and now Chicago, we are making a real impact on this disease, helping to raise awareness, improve outcomes and provide support — all thanks to the tireless work of the dedicated caregivers at our cancer centers. The University of Chicago Medicine’s new, state-of-the-art center will change lives by making high-quality care more available to those who need it most throughout the Chicago community.”
Ralph Lauren, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Ralph Lauren Corporation, and Chair, The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation
“The UChicago Medicine Ralph Lauren Center allows us to build a truly integrated ecosystem of cancer care — one that brings together patient navigation, individualized prevention strategies and seamless access to treatment and supportive services. By supporting patients at every stage, from early detection through treatment and survivorship, we can improve outcomes while addressing the disparities that persist in the communities we serve.”
Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, Director, UChicago Medicine’s NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center
