Celebrating 50 years of Massey

Join VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center in celebrating 50 years of groundbreaking research, cutting-edge care and undeniable impact in the fight against cancer.

Fifty years of research, innovation and impact

2024 is a year of reflection, celebration and inspiration as Massey celebrates all that has been accomplished over the past 50 years. Join us as we honor this important milestone in our history and continue to look toward the future.

Since its early days, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center has been at the forefront of cancer research, fueling innovation and promoting a legacy of patient- and community-centered care. In 1974, the VCU Board of Visitors established a cancer center on the then named Medical College of Virginia campus. In 1975, through a planning grant received from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the nation’s preeminent authority in cancer research, Massey was cemented among the earlier cohorts of NCI-designated cancer centers in the nation.

Today, Massey is among the top 4% of cancer centers in the U.S. In 2023, the NCI honored us with their highest ranking by designating Massey as a comprehensive cancer center. With Massey’s comprehensive status, a new generation of cancer centers emerged where research is driven by the needs of the communities it serves. Massey is recognized as an esteemed center for cancer researchers and oncology health care professionals, a hub for community outreach and survivorship programs for cancer patients, and a vital resource for education through academic and training programs for future medical researchers and physicians.

Celebrate with us at a Massey event during our 50th year

"For 50 years, Massey has been at the forefront of what is now a growing movement towards community engagement in cancer care and research. My predecessors, including and especially Massey’s founding director Walter Lawrence Jr., M.D., as well as many clinicians and researchers who came before me, set Massey on the path to national prominence we are walking now."

– Robert A. Winn, M.D., VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center director

1972 - Artist’s rendition of the proposed cancer research center to be located in the Medical College of Virginia Hospital complex — 1972 - Artist’s rendition of the proposed cancer research center to be located in the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) Hospital complex

1973 Cancer Center Support Grant application submitted by Walter Lawrence Jr., M.D. — 1974 - The MCV/VCU Cancer Center's initial Cancer Center Support Grant application submitted by Walter Lawrence Jr., M.D., in pursuit of National Cancer Institute Designation.

1975 - Richmond Times Dispatch editorial about the National Cancer Institute’s “War on Cancer” and the MCV/VCU Cancer Center’s plans for expansion sets a vision for what would later become VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Late 1970’s - Massey doctors and researchers in the lobby of the North Hospital. — Late 1970’s - MCV/VCU Cancer Center doctors and researchers in the lobby of the North Hospital.

1982 - Massey Cancer Center building nearing completion of construction. — 1982 - The MCV/VCU Cancer Center building nearing completion of construction.

1983 - The MCV/VCU Cancer Center is officially renamed the Massey Cancer Center, in recognition of William E. Massey, Sr., and the Massey Family.

1988 - Massey establishes the first bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit in Virginia. Today, Massey offers the latest FDA-approved CAR-T immunotherapies, clinical trials testing cellular immunotherapies and all forms of stem cell and bone marrow transplantation.

1993 - Christopher E. Desch, M.D., Thomas J. Smith, M.D. and Susan H. Robinson, R.N., M.S., on a trip to the Kilmarnock Outreach site at Rappahannock General Hospital. — 1993 - Thomas J. Smith, M.D., Christopher E. Desch, M.D., and Susan H. Robinson, R.N., M.S., on a trip to the Kilmarnock Outreach site at Rappahannock General Hospital. Massey’s Rural Cancer Outreach Program, formally established in 1989, is the first program of its kind in the nation to deliver expertise and a continuity of care to rural cancer patients.

1995 - Massey announces its participation in the first-ever prostate cancer prevention clinical trial, as one of 22 sites across the U.S.

2004 - Architect’s rendering of the Goodwin Research Laboratory entrance. — 2004 - The Goodwin Research Laboratory, seen here in an architectural rendering, added 80,000-square-feet for laboratory space. The $41 million project was funded through the Campaign for Massey with support from Mr. and Mrs. William H. “Bill” (H.L.D.’05) Goodwin, Jr., and Alice Goodwin.

Summer 2023 - Massey director and Lipman Chair in Oncology Robert A. Winn, M.D., connects with the community during a District Walk.

June 2023 - Massey receives Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute, the highest level of recognition bestowed by the NCI. — Oct. 2023 - Massey receives Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute, the highest level of recognition bestowed by the NCI.

Nov. 2023 - The Healing Space opened in the VCU Health Adult Outpatient Pavilion as a tranquil space for Massey and other patients and their families to find respite and tranquility between cancer outpatient and other services. — Nov. 2023 - The Healing Space opens in the VCU Health Outpatient Pavilion as a tranquil space for Massey and other patients and their families to find respite and tranquility between cancer outpatient and other services.

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