The siblings and their spouses – Allen and Lee Chao, June and Richard Chao, Agnes and J.K. Kung, and Phylis and David Hsia – say that their parents instilled in them the importance of giving back to the community.

“Giving back is something our parents modeled for us from an early age, and which our children are continuing in their honor,” said Phylis Hsia. “Supporting cancer care and research at UC Irvine is a commitment we make as a family – not just to help today’s patients, but for future generations as well.”

“Our family is proud to support initiatives to enhance world-class patient care across UCI Health,” said Richard Chao. “From research and care in cancer to digestive diseases and diabetes, together, we hope to make a lasting legacy for the public good.”

From its opening on July 16, 2024, the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center in Irvine brought new diagnostic technology to Southern California, offering its first advanced photon-counting computed tomography scanning, which provides higher resolutions at a fraction of the time necessary for traditional CT imaging.

That same month, the cancer center celebrated a milestone in its Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program, which treats cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma with infusions of healthy blood stem cells. The program, supported by the Chao family’s generosity, has now provided over 250 stem cell transplants.

More leading-edge therapies are on the way. UC Irvine researchers recently launched a clinical trial exploring a novel approach to potentially extend the benefit of CAR T-cell therapy – one of the center’s treatments options – beyond blood cancers to patients with solid tumors. It is one of over 500 active cancer clinical trials happening at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Cancer, with all its mysteries, does not affect everyone equally. Leveraging Orange County’s robust ethnic diversity, the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center has made efforts to enroll greater numbers of Asians, Latinos and other underrepresented populations in clinical trials. Between 2015 and 2023, one in five of UCI Health’s clinical trial participants were of Asian descent – 20 times the national average.

Sora Tanjasiri, associate director of Cancer Health Disparities and Community Engagement, is helping to recruit 20,000 Americans of various Asian ethnic groups for a $12.5 million study funded by the National Cancer Institute that aims to better understand the health disparities and risk factors at play. The UC Irvine lead for that study, Sunmin Lee, ScD, is also spearheading a federally funded research project to improve colorectal cancer screenings among Asian Americans, the ethnic group with the lowest rate of screening in the country. At the same time, the UC Irvine School of Medicine’s Jacqueline Kim, PhD, is leading an NCI-funded research project to improve quality of life for Mandarin- and Vietnamese-speaking Americans facing metastatic cancers, including the perspectives of both survivors and caregivers. Collectively, their work is grounded in the hope that someday, certain ethnic groups will not have to carry heavier cancer burdens.

As the research continues day in and day out, so does the Chao family’s legacy – one that empowers UCI Health to lead in cancer care and research, uplifts the community, and inspires future generations to continue giving in ways that transform lives.

To learn how you can make a transformational impact like the Chao family, contact Brian Hervey, vice chancellor of University Advancement & Alumni Relations at bhervey@uci.edu or Roland Ho, associate vice chancellor of Strategic Philanthropy at roland.ho@uci.edu.