BATON ROUGE - LSU and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center received a multi-million dollar contribution in support of its cancer treatment efforts, according to a recent news release from Mary Bird Perkins.

The organization said that a $7.8 million estate gift from the late Dr. Charles M. Smith of Sulphur, La., will advance cancer treatment through a longstanding partnership with LSU and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. 

LSU and the Cancer Center work together in their medical and health physics program to improve the quality of patient care locally and worldwide.

Smith (pictured below) was a family medicine practitioner who sought to advance the partnership's efforts.

He developed an appreciation for the critical role of physics and medicine while undergoing lifesaving cancer treatment.

Motivated to ensure access to the same quality of care in his home state of Louisiana, Smith established the Dr. Charles M. Smith Chair in Medical Physics at LSU in 2006.

LSU President William F. Tate IV said, “When Dr. Smith committed this gift to LSU, he shared that his aspiration for the program is that it becomes the best medical physics program in the world."

Tate continued, "His enthusiasm for investing in research while educating and recruiting faculty and students who drive innovation has propelled our collaboration with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center for the last 15 years. This gift ensures that Dr. Smith’s legacy will foster transformative advancements in the diagnosis of disease, cancer therapy and quality treatment.”

At LSU, Smith’s gift will provide funding to a host of programs associated with the College of Science’s Department of Physics & Astronomy.

In addition to this, a portion of Smith’s gift will be dedicated to the university's new Interdisciplinary Science Building. The structure will be designed to unite students, faculty and researchers in a world-class space for scientific inquiry, discovery and collaboration.

To advance cancer treatment locally and enhance patient care worldwide, the late Dr. Charles M. Smith made a transformational $7.8 million gift that supports the longstanding partnership between @LSU & @MaryBirdPerkins. #FierceForTheFuture #CancerResearch https://t.co/IRjjsnkyOY

— LSU Foundation (@LSU_Foundation) August 24, 2021

Smith’s legacy investment in LSU is part of the university’s $1.5 billion Fierce for the Future Campaign, the largest campaign for higher education in the history of Louisiana.

Additional information on the program can be found here: fierceforthefuturecampaign.org.

The LSU-Mary Bird Perkins partnership was forged under the leadership of LSU Professor Emeritus Kenneth Hogstrom and the Cancer Center’s president and CEO, Todd Stevens in 1980. 

To find out more about the Cancer Center, visit marybird.org