University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences receives gift of $1M for breast cancer research

The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a $1 million donation from the estate of Linda Garner Riggs, a former Arkansas insurance commissioner who died in November 2017. The money will be used to fund research into triple negative breast cancer.

“This gift will have long-lasting effects on UAMS’ ability to help women living with breast cancer,” Stephanie Gardner, PharmD, EdD, UAMS interim chancellor, said in a statement on the school’s website. “We are grateful to Mrs. Riggs for this transforming gift, which provides vital funds for our ongoing initiative for cancer research.”

“We are honored and humbled that Mrs. Riggs designated the UAMS Cancer Institute as a recipient for this generous gift from her estate,” Peter Emanuel, MD, director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, said in the same statement. “Her foresight and dedication to the importance of cancer research will enable us to expand our efforts at understanding the causes of and improving the treatments for women with triple negative breast cancer and will move us closer to achieving National Cancer Institute designation.”