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.

Today, the UH Cancer Center directly employs 300 faculty and staff, with another 200 affiliate members through the Hawaiʻi Cancer Consortium.