Together with Richard Albertini, M.D., Ph.D., and Irwin Krakoff, M.D., the center’s founding director, Dr. Yates helped shape the center around a groundbreaking idea: that people in rural communities deserve access to the same high‑quality cancer care and research as those living near major medical centers. His vision set the UVM Cancer Center on a course defined by innovation, collaboration, and a deep commitment to the region it serves. 

Focused on the unique needs of rural communities, the Yates Fund will strengthen innovative work in cancer education, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.

The new Jerome W. Yates, M.D., M.P.H., Rural Cancer Outreach Fund, created by the J. Walter Juckett Cancer Research Foundation, extends that legacy into the future. It honors the decades‑long partnership between Yates and philanthropist J. Walter Juckett—a collaboration that built a critical cancer research infrastructure and has invested more than $23.7 million in advancing the UVM Cancer Center’s mission. With $7.5 million pledged over the next five years—plus $1.25 million dedicated to launching this fund in Yates’s name—this initiative will catalyze the next generation of breakthroughs. 

Focused on the unique needs of rural communities, the Yates Fund will strengthen innovative work in cancer education, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. It will also expand research that deepens understanding of rural cancer care, ensuring that new discoveries emerging from the UVM Cancer Center reflect the lived experiences of the region’s patients and providers.

By building on the pioneering foundation Yates helped create, this fund doesn’t just honor the past—it also seeds discoveries that will shape the future of cancer care for Vermont, northern New York, and beyond.