In 1987, the University of Virginia Cancer Center (UVA), now known as the UVA Health Cancer Center,  received its National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation. The University of Virginia Cancer Center was founded in Charlottesville in 1984.

The Center’s vision is a collaborative approach to basic and translational research coupled with the delivery of multi-specialty, patient-centered care. It is one of only two NCI-designated cancer centers in Virginia. The other being Massey Cancer Center in Richmond.