Cancer patients traditionally ring a bell in the cancer center at the conclusion of their cancer treatment. Ringing the bell is an emotional and triumphant celebration of all the patient has accomplished - conquering fear, persevering through uncertainty, enduring adversity and hardship, and hanging on to hope with strength and a strong will to live.
When patients ring the bell at the Georgia Cancer Center, they celebrate this tremendous milestone with the knowledge that they have their team at the Georgia Cancer Center to see them through survivorship. Achievement. Support. Advancement. The Augusta University bell tower logo means so much to so many at the university and at the Georgia Cancer Center.
Each day, more than 100 Georgians learn they have cancer. These newly-diagnosed patients want to know how to get on with treatment – and their normal lives – as quickly as possible. At the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University, our patients find the means, motivation and support to fight back. Here, they will join a strong team of healthcare providers who will battle alongside them.
At the Georgia Cancer Center, our mission is to reduce the burden of cancer in the state of Georgia and across the globe through superior care, innovation and education. We work toward this goal one patient at a time. Our greatest success is possible with the support of philanthropic partners who step up to ring the bell of hope.
Jane Barrett
Health Sciences Campus
GCC - M. Bert Storey Research Building
1120 15th Street, CN-2224
Augusta, GA 30912
(706) 721-7398
While more and more people are surviving cancer and Georgia cancer death rates decline every year, the decline is not as rapid nor as deep as we would like it to be. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in our state. One of every five deaths in Georgia is attributable to cancer.
Our scientific research and compassionate care takes aim at those statistics, working to improve the cancer profile of the state. But our patients are far more than statistics and diagnoses. They are individuals and families, hopes and dreams, determination and fear. And they need you.
To accomplish our mission of reducing the burden of cancer in our state, the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University is on a journey to National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation. The long-term path toward this significant goal is paved with great strides in the areas of clinical care, research and prevention.
NCI-designated Cancer Centers meet the most rigorous standards for transdisciplinary, state-of-the art research focused on developing new and better approaches to preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer. NCI Cancer Centers are grant-funded to support deep and diverse scientific innovation for even greater advances in cancer treatment discovery.
Our goals for NCI designation require us to recruit leading cancer researchers and gather crucial support for translational research. We need new cancer scientists from multiple disciplines and research interests, we need to improve our infrastructure, and we need to expand our outreach efforts throughout Georgia. Philanthropic support is essential for reaching this next step in cancer care for Georgia and the surrounding areas.
Advancing Scientific Excellence
The most successful fights against cancer begin in the laboratory. In 2018, we opened the $62.5 million expansion of the M. Bert Storey Research Building on our campus, with significant support from our philanthropic partners.
Becoming a Destination Cancer Center
Ringing a bell of understanding means investing in robust patient care programs that can make the cancer journey more bearable, and, at the same time, build a destination center for cancer care excellence.
Meeting the Needs of Our Population
The Georgia Cancer Center believes in ringing the bell for all. We have developed outreach programs designed to address the specific challenges that our state and the Southeast region face.
Research
The Georgia Cancer Center M. Bert Storey Research Building provides quality research space to promote multidisciplinary collaborations and translational research, which is essential to creating an environment that promotes innovation. Our research approach supports important National Cancer Institute goals ensuring every cancer patient has access to the newest and most innovative clinical trials in the nation.
Education and Training
The Education & Training Office of the Georgia Cancer Center is dedicated to enhancing the development of current and future generations of cancer biomedical professionals with the ultimate goal of reducing the burden of cancer in Georgia and across the globe.
Clinical Research
The Georgia Cancer Center houses a dedicated cancer clinical research unit that oversees the center’s own Phase I-IV trials and manages studies from throughout the medical center offered in conjunction with oncology departments such as radiology and gynecologic oncology.
Community Connections
The Georgia Cancer Center is dedicated to empowering members of our community to become catalysts for change. By fostering positive partnerships, we hope to work with our patients and our community to increase healthy behaviors and reduce the risk of developing cancer. From prevention to survivorship, we strive to be the community’s “go-to” resource for cancer treatment and care.
Patient Care
We can provide information that ranges from educational and prevention sessions to special events; from screenings to research updates; from clinical care to survivorship programs - all with the focus on supporting those being affected by a diagnosis of cancer and finding a cure for this disease.
It is a perfect partnership thanks to a popular breakfast food and a need to support Georgia’s cancer center and the patients receiving treatment for their disease. For two years now, the Georgia Cancer Center has been proud to partner with Covelli Enterprises, which operates Panera Bread franchises across the country, including one each in… Continue Reading Community Catalyst: Covelli Enterprises
A mother may have lost her daughter to an aggressive form of brain cancer, but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped supporting the medical team that gave her family more time to make memories. For this community catalyst, it is all about providing hope for future families facing the same dire diagnosis. “Dr. Ted Johnson took… Continue Reading Community Catalyst: Victoria Scott
A husband and wife are a team that sticks together through good and bad, through the healthy days and the days when a sickness shows up and threatens everything. As a team, Mike and Linda Polatty want to share what they learned through the tough times, and that willingness to share their story and support… Continue Reading Community Catalysts: Mike and Linda Polatty
She has spent her life investing in the community where she lives, both through work, as well as supporting various community events in the Augusta River Region. For Pat Schaffer, it’s a belief she passes on to those employees working under her at Villa Europa on Deans Bridge Road. Continue Reading Community Catalyst: Pat Schaffer
