VCU's Massey Cancer Center appoints executive director of development

By Andrea Butler
Massey Cancer Center

Richmond, Va. (Nov. 11, 2004) — Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center has named a veteran fund-raising professional as executive director of development, charged with spearheading its $112.5 million capital campaign and its effort to fund the best cancer research, prevention and treatment programs in Virginia.

Rosemary B. LaVista previously served as vice president of development for Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, an academic medical center affiliated with Northwestern University and its Feinberg School of Medicine, where she led a $100 million, five-year campaign.

"Rosemary has a tremendous record of successful development leadership for medical research," said Gordon Ginder, M.D., director of Massey Cancer Center. "As Massey strives to reach an even higher level of excellence in cancer research, her efforts will be key to securing funding for new laboratories and research projects and high-caliber researchers to run them."

Massey currently is designated a “clinical cancer center” by the National Cancer Institute. By expanding its research programs, it aims to achieve “comprehensive” status, the highest designation awarded, which would pave the way for additional federal funding for basic research, prevention and clinical trials.

Massey’s fundraising efforts will support a new, 80,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art cancer research facility downtown; endowed chairs and research funds to recruit 20 new researchers who are leaders in their respective fields; and renovations at the Dalton Oncology Clinic.

LaVista also has served as executive director of Mt. Washington Pediatric Foundation in Baltimore; vice president of development for Lake Forest Hospital in Illinois; and director of development for Victory Memorial Hospital in Illinois. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from the University of Dayton.