HOPE Breaks Ground
By PJ Vierra, Ph.D.
As shovels turned the arid desert soil, the promise of tomorrow started to bloom.
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, Texas Tech Health El Paso broke ground on the Fox Cancer Center, a multistory, 350,000-square-foot clinical, research and educational destination that will transform cancer care in our Borderplex.
Located at the north entrance to our campus, the future center will bring comprehensive, multidisciplinary care under one roof, streamlining the cancer warrior journey from diagnosis to survivorship. The center is being built in partnership with University Medical Center of El Paso, the primary teaching hospital for Texas Tech Health El Paso.
This groundbreaking marks the end of an era when El Paso families had to choose between staying close to home and accessing the best cancer care. Our state delegation saw what we see every day, which was neighbors boarding planes for Houston when they should be focusing on healing, surrounded by their community. Their support makes it possible for future cancer patients to fight their battles at home."
— Dr. Richard Lange, President, Texas Tech Health El Paso
Key Facts
350,000 Square feet of clinical & research space
$340M Total funding investment
3,275 El Pasoans fight cancer each year
2028 Target opening year
Sept 17, 2025 Groundbreaking ceremony date
700 Supporters attended ceremony
Impact Areas
Multidisciplinary cancer care
Clinical research programs
Medical education facility
Community-focused design
Cultural competency focus
The center addresses a crucial need in our community: ours is one of the largest Texas metro areas without a comprehensive cancer center. Here, 83% of residents identify as Hispanic — a group for whom cancer is the leading cause of death. Currently, 3,275 El Pasoans fight cancer each year.
State Rep. Mary González, whose district includes much of El Paso County, spearheaded the effort to secure state funding for the cancer center;
“Our Borderland community will finally have access to the advanced, life-saving, world-class cancer treatment we deserve right here in El Paso, close to family and our homes. I know this center will bring comfort and healing to countless families for years to come."
When completed, the center will include welcoming spaces for patients and their families. Its research will promote bench-to-bedside discoveries, while providing invaluable educational experiences for future physicians, nurses and dentists training at Texas Tech Health El Paso and University Medical Center of El Paso.
Scheduled to open in 2028, the Fox Cancer Center aims to be a landmark of hope for the community, founded on the firm belief that where there is care, there is courage, and where there is discovery, there is life.
Texas Tech Health El Paso Magazine, Fall 2025
