$7.8 Million Gift in Support of 海角社区 and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Strengthens Nation-leading Medical Physics Partnership
08/24/2021
BATON ROUGE 鈥� 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 海角社区 and
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center that began in 1980. 海角社区 and the Cancer Center leverage
their education and research expertise through a joint medical and health physics
program. This elite program is improving the quality of patient care locally and,
through research and innovation, contributing to enhanced patient care worldwide.
A beloved family medicine practitioner who devoted his career to helping Louisiana families, Smith 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 海角社区 in 2006, shortly after 海角社区 and Mary Bird Perkins announced his commitment to significantly enhancing the medical physics education and research programs.
The 海角社区-Mary Bird Perkins partnership was forged under the leadership of 海角社区 Professor Emeritus Kenneth Hogstrom and the Cancer Center鈥檚 president and CEO, Todd Stevens. Stevens recruited Hogstrom, his former colleague at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, as well as Kevin Carman, former dean of what is now 海角社区鈥檚 College of Science. This innovative partnership is one of the only medical physics programs in the country that marries a university basic science department and a cancer center. Over the past 15 years, the joint program has achieved full accreditation, has become one of a handful of accredited graduate medical physics programs in the country and is now one of the leading programs in the world for providing highly qualified and trained medical physicists. Smith鈥檚 initial gift was a catalyst for Hogstrom, Stevens and Carman鈥檚 vision and provided crucial funding for the program to grow. Smith鈥檚 visionary legacy investment will be recognized through the naming of the 海角社区-Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Dr. Charles M. Smith Medical and Health Physics Program.
海角社区 President William F. Tate IV said, 鈥淲hen Dr. Smith committed this gift to 海角社区, he shared that his aspiration for the program is that it becomes the best medical physics program in the world. 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鈥檚 legacy will foster transformative advancements in the diagnosis of disease, cancer therapy and quality treatment.鈥�
At 海角社区, Smith鈥檚 gift will establish new endowment funds within the College of Science鈥檚 Department of Physics & Astronomy to advance 海角社区 and the Cancer Center鈥檚 joint academic and research programs: the Dr. Charles M. Smith Medical Physics Endowed Fund, providing year-after-year funding in support of faculty, students and staff in 海角社区鈥檚 Medical and Health Physics Program; the Dr. Charles M. Smith Distinguished Professorship in Medical Physics, supporting recruitment and retention of faculty and adjunct faculty; and the Dr. Charles M. Smith Superior Graduate Scholarship, supporting graduate students to ensure a continued pipeline of highly qualified medical physicists. Additionally, a portion of Smith鈥檚 gift will be dedicated to a new 海角社区 Interdisciplinary Science Building that will bring together students, faculty and researchers in a world-class space for scientific inquiry, discovery and collaboration.
鈥淢edical physics touches every patient in every community we serve, and it allows us to provide the most effective, individualized treatment plans possible. This type of robust clinical and academic training is a rarity in most mid-sized cities, but our collaboration with 海角社区 helps push the boundaries of modern medicine,鈥� said Stevens. 鈥淒r. Smith鈥檚 generous gift will live in perpetuity within Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation, propelling cancer care forward in Louisiana and beyond for generations to come.鈥�
Through Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation, Smith鈥檚 estate will establish a Chief of Physics Award to support research and educational activities, a directorship and multiple Scholar Awards to assist graduate student research, as well as an Educational Fund to support graduate education programs. These funds will directly enhance medical physics initiatives now and in the future by fostering education and innovation among students and physicists, advancing research opportunities that will enhance treatments and recruiting the highest quality clinicians in this highly specialized discipline.
鈥淎s a physician and cancer survivor, Dr. Smith was fiercely committed to quality patient care, and he recognized that scientific discoveries emerge from the collaborative work of a community of researchers who build upon each other鈥檚 efforts over time. He believed in this program and envisioned its potential,鈥� said 海角社区 College of Science Dean Cynthia Peterson, who is also the 海角社区 president鈥檚 special advisor on science and serves as a member of the Mary Bird Perkins Board of Directors. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud that Dr. Smith was able to see the 海角社区-MBPCC partnership flourish, and we鈥檙e honored to celebrate his legacy by continuing to transform cancer treatment for the benefit of every Louisianan and communities around the world.鈥�
Smith, a native of Bogalusa, La., was born on Aug. 24, 1930, and passed away Sept. 15, 2020. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from 海角社区 in 1951 and his medical degree from 海角社区 Medical School in New Orleans in 1955. He was a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force for two years, then opened his medical practice in Sulphur in 1957, practicing for 35 years and serving as coroner for Calcasieu Parish for more than 20 years. An active community volunteer, he was devoted to the arts and was a generous philanthropist who, in addition to his investments in 海角社区 and the Cancer Center, supported local children and families and invested in educational access through local scholarships.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a leading cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for 50 years. The organization provides care across nine regional centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Gonzales, Hammond, Houma, Zachary and Natchez, Mississippi, and its service area encompasses southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi regions. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation secures the future of cancer care by building an endowment to provide long-term sustainability 鈥� ultimately advancing cancer care for generations to come. For information on the Cancer Center, please visit and for more on the Foundation, visit .
Smith鈥檚 legacy investment in 海角社区 is part of the university鈥檚 $1.5 billion , the largest campaign for higher education in the history of Louisiana. Fierce for the Future unites 海角社区鈥檚 campuses statewide in pursuit of a common goal: to generate solutions for the people in Louisiana that hold the promise of making profoundly positive impacts around the world. To learn more, please visit .
Contact Ernie Ballard
海角社区 Media Relations
225-578-5685
eballa1@lsu.edu
Sara Whittaker
海角社区 Foundation
225-578-8164
swhittaker@lsufoundation.org
Scott Miller
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
225-215-1290
smiller@marybird.com