In 1945, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation was founded by a group of volunteers dedicated to cancer research at UCLA. In the late 1960s, scientists, clinicians, and volunteers at UCLA came together to develop a cancer center that would become renowned for excellence in research, education, and patient care.

In 1976, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center founded; the cancer center at UCLA was designated “comprehensive” by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).