In 1981, The University of Hawaii Cancer Center (UH Cancer Center) was founded. The UH Cancer Center’s mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through research, education and patient care and community outreach, focusing on and embracing the unique and diverse ethnic, cultural and environmental characteristics of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.

Under the leadership of the UH Cancer Center, the Hawai’i Cancer Consortium (defined by NCI as an affiliation) was established to support the center’s mission. Members include the major health systems and health care providers in the state, including Adventist Health Castle, Hawai’i Medical Service Association, Hawai’i Pacific Health, Kuakini Medical Center, The Queen’s Health Systems, and the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine. They support the cancer center in its mission to make substantive advances in the areas of cancer research, education, and community outreach.

Tripler Army Medical Center and private practice community oncologists also support the UH Cancer Center as members of a broader clinical trials network. The UH Cancer Center also has a 17-year cancer research partnership with the University of Guam and directs the Hawai’i Minority/Underserved NCI Community Oncology Research Program. Today, the UH Cancer Center directly employs 300 faculty and staff, with another 200 affiliate members through the Hawaiʻi Cancer Consortium.