SEATTLE — From computers to science, Paul Allen led a life focused on innovation. It’s a commitment that continues even after he succumbed to his long battle with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
"Paul was cared for his entire cancer experience at Swedish Cancer Institute, and at the time of his passing, he gave a gift of gratitude to Swedish and a charge, and the charge was really profound and simple at the same time. It was to change the experience for every patient. And so when you really boil it down, research is the way that we improve the tools we have to treat and our knowledge of how best to use the tools, so we focused the gift on research,” said Douglas Kieper, Director of the Paul G. Allen Research Center.
The Paul G. Allen Research Center will not only enable patients at Providence Swedish to get the most contemporary treatments possible, but it will also allow their in-house physician researchers to accomplish more.
Allen’s $20 million endowment has become the foundation of a facility equipped with state-of-the-art technology, specialized staff, and resources that will bring innovative treatment ideas one step closer to reality in all phases of cancer care.
"I think we're really in a golden era of hematology, where we have the ability to do things that people couldn't have dreamed of 20 years ago, and we want to be part of that. We want to be part of that journey, and we want to be leaders in that journey," Hematologist Dr. Swathi Namburi said.
The research center will also enable the work of Providence Swedish investigators to share their discoveries with multiple external collaborators.
"We know that we're not going to cure cancer working alone, and we're not going to make things better working alone. And that collaboration extends both within these walls and also outside our institution,” said Oncologist and Researcher Dr. Kelly G. Paulson. “We have a lot of wonderful and productive collaborations. We're friendly physicians and scientists working together, and I’m really glad to be at a place that understands the need for team science."
Investigation and communication — the Paul G. Allen Research Center hopes that one man's wish becomes a gift that benefits us all.
"To be a part of something that's not focused on 'Can we sell a drug? Can we do this?' It's really focused entirely on how do we go about improving patient care." Kieper said.
Sponsored by Providence Swedish