TQL Foundation Donates $1 Million for Cancer Research

Gift will benefit Proton Therapy Center at Cincinnati Children’s and UC Health and Further Elevate Efforts of the Cincinnati Cancer Center

Monday, November 19, 2018

The TQL Foundation donated $1 million to benefit cancer research at the Proton Therapy Center--the only center in the world with a dedicated research gantry. The center is located at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Liberty Campus. It’s one of the most advanced proton research and cancer treatment centers in the world.

Since its opening in 2016, the center has offered both pediatric and adult pencil beam scanning, the most advanced form of radiation therapy available. Its dedicated research space allows for a “team science” approach among Cincinnati Children’s, UC Health and University of Cincinnati faculty and investigators. Accompanying the gift, Total Quality Logistics (TQL) is sponsoring a holiday card campaign, encouraging the community to send a digital card to a patient at Cincinnati Children’s.

“We are honored to help Cincinnati’s medical experts provide the best cancer care for children and adults through the most advanced cancer therapy,” said Kerry Byrne, TQL President. “Inspired by so many in the TQL family affected by cancer and touched by the work of UC Health and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, perhaps this grant will encourage other business owners to make contributions to improve cancer care for the entire region.”

As effective as traditional radiation, proton beam therapy uses state-of-the-art technology to destroy cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues and organs. This leads to fewer short-term side effects and long-term complications than with traditional radiation therapy.

“This investment in innovative cancer care research will help in generating a new wave of discovery, and we thank the TQL Foundation for their generosity and commitment,” said Michael Fisher, president and CEO of Cincinnati Children’s. “By working together, we are changing the outcome for children and adults with cancer.”

“The novel research at the Proton Therapy Center stretches across multiple divisions and departments at UC Health and Cincinnati Children’s,” said Richard Lofgren, president and CEO of UC Health. “This facility, together with the expertise of our multidisciplinary teams, is giving patients access to a level of cancer care available in only a handful of locations around the world. We are grateful for the partnership of the TQL Foundation in advancing this life-changing work."

“The science underway at the Proton Therapy Center allows our faculty to engage in international collaboration and public-private partnerships to develop the next generation of this already cutting-edge treatment,” said UC President Neville Pinto. “Thanks to the vision of the TQL Foundation, we will accelerate this work.”

TQL’s donation also helps set the stage for the community-wide effort to achieve a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation for the Cincinnati Cancer Center, a collaboration of UC, UC Health and Cincinnati Children’s. NCI designation would mean more research funding dollars, leading to improved outcomes for pediatric and adult cancer patients.

The $120 million Proton Therapy Center opened its $24 million research gantry in 2018, after 18 months of providing patient care.

“We are bringing together physician researchers, radiation oncologists, physicists and engineers who all have different perspectives and ideas,” said John Perentesis, MD, director of the Division of Oncology at Cincinnati Children's. “It is an amazing opportunity for us to think outside the box so that we create better outcomes for our patients.”