UAB Establishes Estes Endowed Chair in Lung Cancer Research

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has established the James H. Estes Family Endowed Chair for Lung Cancer Research to honor Estes’ generosity, visionary approach to giving and commitment to funding cancer cures. The action was approved by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees at its Nov. 6 meeting.

November 9, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has established the James H. Estes Family Endowed Chair for Lung Cancer Research to honor Estes' generosity, visionary approach to giving and commitment to funding cancer cures. The action was approved by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees at its Nov. 6 meeting.

Estes' goal for this endowed position is for UAB to recruit or retain an exceptional researcher, academician and clinician who will further the lung-cancer research efforts of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and help provide better treatments while searching for a cure.

Estes also has given the Cancer Center a gift to establish the James H. Estes Family Lung Cancer Research Sponsored Support Fund to support lung research efforts. Estes himself is a lung-cancer survivor.

A retired businessman who lives in Tuscaloosa, Estes and his family have generously funded cancer research initiatives at UAB, including the Estes Research Fund for Ovarian Cancer.

In 2006, Estes made another generous donation to help the Cancer Center launch Courage Companions, a free, one-on-one support network that pairs cancer survivors with patients and their caregivers. It is the only one-on-one support program of its kind in Alabama; enrollment is open to any cancer patients being treated throughout the Southeast, especially those getting care at UAB.

Estes will forever be known as an expert on issues relating to elder care, having been the founder of Estes Nursing Home System. A past president of the Alabama Nursing Home Association and appointee to the Alabama Senior Service Board, Estes was a member of the finance committee of the American Nursing Home Association.

About the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center

The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is among the 41 cancer centers in the nation to meet the stringent criteria for the National Cancer Institute's comprehensive designation. The center is a leader in groundbreaking research, reducing cancer disparities and leading-edge patient care.