Richard J Stephenson founded the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in 1988 after the death of his mother, Mary Brown Stephenson, from cancer.  His goal: to deliver a whole-person cancer treatment approach in a nurturing environment—the kind of care he felt his mother deserved but did not receive. Today, CTCA offers integrative care to all patients, combining conventional cancer-fighting tools like surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation with complementary medicine, including nutritional support, mind-body medicine, spiritual support, naturopathic medicine and much more.

In 1991, just a few years after founding CTCA, he founded the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation—known today as The Gateway for Cancer Research—to help further his whole-person cancer treatment goal, by supporting treatment innovators^SM conducting the most promising research.

The Gateway and CTCA function independently, but are partners in the fight for cancer cures. What the two organizations do share is a single-minded focus on saving lives. Researchers are an important piece of the cancer treatment puzzle. But the most crucial focus of cancer research for The Gateway, is the experience of and outcome for each individual patient.

The Gateway is a distinct legal entity from CTCA. While CTCA underwrites our administrative expenses, allowing us to use 99¢ of every dollar received for research, our funding decisions are independent and entirely our own, as they legally must be. CTCA plays no part in deciding which treatment innovators^SM receive grants from The Gateway. In this way, The Gateway for Cancer Research remains secure in the knowledge that our research is always independent and driven by the needs of cancer patients.