$2 million gift from the Nicholas R. Conway, DO, and Betty Sha Family names infusion center terrace at UCI Health ― Irvine
The infusion center and the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building open in 2024
August 01, 2023
An artist's rendering of the Nicholas R. Conway, DO, and 888 Betty
L. Sha Foundation Infusion Terrace at UCI Health — Irvine.
Irvine, Calif. ― UCI Health is pleased to announce a generous $2 million donation from the Nicholas R. Conway, DO, and Betty Sha Family, which will significantly contribute to the development of the $1.3 billion UCI Health – Irvine medical campus.
In acknowledgment of this gift, the outdoor infusion center terrace at the new Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building will proudly carry the name of the Nicholas R. Conway, DO, and 888 Betty L. Sha Foundation Infusion Terrace.
Set to open in 2024, the infusion center, located on the fourth floor of the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building, will offer a serene, healing environment. There, a skilled team will provide the most advanced and personalized care to patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment and non-chemotherapy infusions.
The terrace, adjacent to the infusion center, will feature three pods, each offering a sweeping view of the San Joaquin Marsh Reserve's expansive natural landscape.
Dr. Nicholas Conway, a respected alum of the California College of Medicine class of 1962, now UCI School of Medicine, dedicated nearly four decades to his private family medicine practice in California before retiring in 1988. Fond of his practice and proud of his education, Conway generously donated nearly $200,000 to internal medicine education at the UCI School of Medicine and his other alma mater, Des Moines University. He passed a short time later in 2021.
Guiding Conway's philanthropic efforts was his daughter and attorney-in-fact, Betty Sha, a successful professional in the mortgage industry and a business finance graduate from San Francisco State University.
“UCI Health is a leader in world-class cancer treatment and care,” said Sha. “I am proud to support this vital healthcare institution in Orange County and to honor my father and our family’s legacy with this gift.”
“UCI Health is immensely grateful for this generous gift from the Nicholas R. Conway, DO, and Betty Sha Family,” said UCI Health CEO Chad T. Lefteris. “This significant donation strengthens our commitment to delivering exceptional, patient-centered care and serves as a lasting testament to Dr. Conway's legacy in the medical field.”
As the sole academic health system in Orange County, UCI Health consistently strives to enhance access to innovative clinical care, lifesaving research and world-class healthcare services.
The 888 Betty L. Sha Foundation, named in honor of Betty L. Sha, has an established history of supporting health and wellness initiatives in alignment with its mission statement: “To thrive in my journey through life and learn life's lessons along the way. To be kind to others and myself. To create innovative healthcare solutions that improve the lives of others. To help as many people as possible throughout the world.”
This latest gift reflects their continued dedication to fostering cutting-edge research and superior patient care.
“We are deeply inspired by this philanthropic gesture,” Lefteris concludes. “It renews our commitment to improving the health of our Orange County community and beyond.”
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About UCI Health
UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system in Orange County. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif. The 459-bed, acute care hospital, listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 23 consecutive years, provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
About UCI Health — Irvine
UCI Health — Irvine, a new medical complex under construction at the north end of the UC Irvine campus, will bring unparalleled expertise and the finest evidence-based care that only an academic medical system can offer to the communities of coastal and south Orange County.
As part of UCI Health — which includes the flagship UCI Medical Center in Orange, Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and multiple outpatient care locations — the new 1.2 million-square-foot campus will offer key clinical programs in oncology, digestive health, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics and spine surgery.
The nation’s first all-electric, carbon-neutral medical center, UCI Health — Irvine will be home to:
- The Joe C. Wen & Family UCI Health Center for Advanced Care, a five-story, 168,000-square-foot medical facility offering the full range of multidisciplinary specialty care for children and adults under a single roof, urgent care services, the Center for Children’s Health and the UCI Health Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders — Opening spring 2024
- The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care building, a five-story, 225,000-square-foot tower with 36 private exam rooms, numerous infusion bays and operating rooms — Opening 2024
- A seven-story, 350,000-square-foot, acute care hospital with 144 inpatient beds, 10 operating suites and a 24-hour emergency department with 20 treatment rooms — Opening 2025
