CLEVELAND – The Coleman family has donated more than $3 million to further advance cancer clinical trials at the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center. In honor of her late husband, Lester, Kathleen Coleman has made a $1.5 million gift commitment to establish the Kathleen A. and Dr. Lester E. Coleman Clinical Research Suite to be built in the future Cancer Hospital at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. This gift is in addition to the $1.5 million Dr. Lester E. Coleman, Jr. Chair in Cancer Research and Therapeutics, established by Mrs. Coleman in 2003.
Dr. Coleman, the former CEO of The Lubrizol Corporation, was a patient at the Ireland Cancer Center and participated in a clinical trial. “Les was grateful for the care he received at the Ireland Cancer Center and enjoyed greater quality of life thanks to the clinical trials program,” said Mrs. Coleman, a member of UH’s National Cancer Leadership Council, a group of volunteers who serve as advocates for the Ireland Cancer Center. “This gift honors his wishes, as a grateful patient and scientist, to support the advancement of clinical trials for patients. It is made with the deepest appreciation to the wonderful physician-scientists of Ireland Cancer Center, who have a profound impact on people’s lives every day.”
Scientific discovery was vital to Dr. Coleman and his leadership at Lubrizol reflected his enduring commitment to research and development. He began his career as a scientist and rose through the executive ranks without forgetting about the crucial role that research played in his industry. After his diagnosis with advanced lung cancer at the age of 69, Dr. Coleman remained steadfast in his determination to help researchers until his death on Oct. 21, 2000.
The Coleman Clinical Research Suite will be part of the future 320,000-square-foot Cancer Hospital, a key component of UH’s Vision 2010 strategic plan. Other Vision 2010 projects include construction of the UH Ahuja Medical Center at Chagrin Highlands, the UH Twinsburg Health Center, a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and a Center for Emergency Medicine at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, as well as development of an Electronic Health Record system.
An integral part of the new Cancer Hospital, which will house the Ireland Cancer Center, the Coleman Suite will be a one-of-a-kind clinical trials center featuring inpatient and outpatient beds for clinical trials, along with a central control room for cell processing and diagnostics.
“Kathy Coleman’s gift to support our clinical trials program and all that she’s done on behalf of Ireland Cancer Center patients and families is deeply appreciated and moving,” says Stanton L. Gerson, MD, Director of the Ireland Cancer Center as well as the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. “The Kathleen A. and Dr. Lester E. Coleman Clinical Research Suite will support a full spectrum of collaborative, patient-centered scientific inquiry, offering a supportive, efficient and comfortable environment.”
Cancer research is a hallmark of the Ireland Cancer Center, which offers patients the latest and most promising treatments, including more than 300 clinical trials. Nearly 30 percent of patients participate in clinical trials – well above the national average of 3-4 percent. The Ireland Cancer Center is part of the prestigious Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, which is designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Ireland is one of only eight cancer centers in the nation to have access to a pipeline of new cancer drugs through the NCI for early-phase clinical trials.
The new Cancer Hospital will triple the square footage that cancer services currently occupy in seven different locations at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. With 120 beds and a capacity for 150, the free-standing hospital will house diagnostic, inpatient and outpatient treatment, surgical and research facilities devoted entirely to cancer. The Coleman Research Suite will be the hub for clinical trials in the building, and will provide a centralized space for bringing the latest therapies to the patient bedside.
Mrs. Coleman previously established the Dr. Lester E. Coleman, Jr. Chair in Cancer Research and Therapeutics in her husband’s memory. The holder of the Coleman chair will occupy a key leadership position in the Cancer Hospital’s clinical trials program.
“The Colemans have done so much to advance cancer care, from Lester’s participation in a clinical trial to Kathy’s generosity and volunteer leadership at University Hospitals,” says Nathan Levitan, MD, Chief Medical Officer at University Hospitals and a lung cancer expert. “Their more than $3 million donation to Vision 2010 and commitment to cancer research will have a lasting impact on cancer patients now and in generations to come. They have brought us closer to achieving our most important mission – to cure cancer, and to get there, we need new innovative treatments.”