The University of Hawaii’s new President, M.R.C. Greenwood has hit the ground running by placing the development of the new facility for the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii (CRCH) on the fast track. President Greenwood has been holding weekly meetings with the Center’s Director, Dr. Michele Carbone and Brian Minaai, UH Associate Vice President of Capital Improvements and others. Those involved in the project say that President Greenwood has given a new meaning to “fast track.”
The University of Hawaii hopes to be “turning dirt” this summer with an exciting groundbreaking for this National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated research center. The site of the new facility will be adjacent to the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) in Kakaako with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. State funding of $20 million a year through the cigarette tax is more imperative than ever to develop this cancer center for the people of Hawaii. Director Michele Carbone, M.D. told state legislators in an informational session that the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii can serve as the bridge between the east and the west, as it is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. This cancer center’s position is unique nationally and internationally.
Cancer Center Actively Involved in Mesothelioma Research
Dr Carbone & Gary Galiher watching a presentation on mesothelioma research
For over three decades, Galiher DeRobertis Ono has represented clients with mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Our law firm has helped many workers and their families obtain compensation for asbestos-related diseases and has always supported research that is aimed at finding better treatment and a cure for these devastating illnesses caused by asbestos exposure.
The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii is a leader in mesothelioma research and receives more federal grant funding for mesothelioma research than any other research institution in the United States. Drs. Michele Carbone, Haining Yang, Giovanni Gaudino and others are doing cutting edge research to understand how mesothelioma develops in the human body. The new facility being built will positively impact the lives of U.S. Veterans and civilian workers who suffer from diseases like mesothelioma as a result of their asbestos exposure at job sites like Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.
Recent Progress in Kakaako Facility Development
Three local firms have already been selected to design and move the project forward. In its request for proposals for the cancer center project, the University of Hawaii required that the companies involved had prior experience creating research centers in Hawaii.
Kobayashi Group, a residential and commercial land developer, has been selected as the project manager. Kathy Inouye, COO of the Kobayashi Group, presented compelling testimony in a joint informational session of the State House and Senate Higher Education Committees. She told how the Kobayashi Group visited several cancer centers on the mainland and attended all day sessions meeting with architects, developers, administrators and researchers so that the Kobayashi Group could develop the best possible cancer center for the community. In her company’s more than 30 years as a developer in Hawaii, Inouye said she sees this project as probably their most important undertaking, with far-reaching significance to the lives and well-being of the people of our State and beyond.
Wilson Okamoto Corp., who handled planning for the University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, has been chosen to manage the project planning. Its duties will include acquiring entitlements and planning infrastructure. Shimokawa + Nakamura will lead the design team and has worked on other projects for the University of Hawaii.
The next steps of the project will be to find a general contractor and hold public meetings. University of Hawaii President M.R.C. Greenwood says she hopes the completed cancer center will be open by 2013.
Galiher DeRobertis Ono is Committed to Supporting Cancer Research
Gary Galiher at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii
Through our legal work, Galiher DeRobertis Ono collaborates with cancer researchers and institutions, like the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii. Attorney Gary Galiher says he is “elated about the advent of the new cancer research facility because this promises more and better research for the many mesothelioma clients and their families who I’ve come to know over the years.” We are very encouraged by their efforts to develop better treatments for lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis and are committed to supporting their research efforts.
