A new state-of-the-art multidisciplinary cancer building will bring all UK Markey Cancer Center outpatient services under one roof, creating a patient experience unparalleled in the region. With cancer clinics, screening and procedural areas and space for advanced research, the facility — scheduled for completion in 2027— will position Markey to expand the advanced cancer care it delivers to the people of Kentucky.

“The Markey Cancer Center has long been recognized for highquality cancer prevention, early detection and care in Kentucky in the region,” says Mark Evers, M.D., director of the UK Markey Cancer Center. “This new building will allow us to further develop the groundbreaking treatment and research we provide and position Markey as a leader today and well into the future.”

Kentucky has the highest rates of cancer incidence and cancer mortality in the country. Many of those patients come to Markey for treatment and it can be challenging for them to navigate the campus, with some needing to visit as many as four buildings for care.

Luckily, these challenges are being addressed in the design of the new building, which was formally approved by the UK Board of Trustees in December 2022.

The Details

The new Markey Cancer Center building will have a total of nine levels, with eight of those accommodating some form of patient care (the remaining floor hosts the mechanical functions for the building). Cancer specific services will be on: Lower Level, Level 1, Level 4, Level 5, Level 6, and Level 7. Level 2 will be an Ambulatory Surgery and Procedure Center, and Level 3 will host Specialty Clinics.

For Markey providers focused on research and interventional trials, the new building will provide ample space to encourage growth in these areas. There is an ambulatory lab that will serve the building located on Level 2, which is 4,000 square feet, and the Precision Medicine Clinic also includes a lab area. As for research areas, the Precision Medicine Clinic is the primary location in the building to accommodate active research. The Precision Medicine Clinic, along with the Infusion area, encompasses 10,500 square feet. And the Stem Cell Therapy Lab consists of 2,600 square feet.

Hundreds of faculty and staff have been involved in planning for the new facility to ensure the space functions well for patients and those who work in the building. Markey’s Patient Advisory Group has also contributed feedback throughout the planning process, giving advice on parking, wayfinding and more.

Personal Space

UK HealthCare is known for its attention to self-care when it comes to both patients and families, and this ethos is central to the new Markey Cancer Center building as well.

The Arts in HealthCare department has started to identify locations for large-scale art installations in the lobby area to extend a sense of tranquility as patients and guests enter the facility. For those who will be in the building for longer periods of time, a meditation space is being planned on Level 1 that is intended to be a space for calm reflection.

Current plans also include an attached parking garage, a dropoff area at the entrance to make it easy for patients to access the building and a skywalk to connect Markey to the main hospital.