How the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion will improve the breast cancer screening experience

Designed around patients’ needs and experiences, the new breast center in the University of Chicago Medicine AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion will bring comprehensive care together in one place, making visits easier, more convenient and more efficient.

When the pavilion opens in April 2027, breast cancer screening services — including mammography, ultrasound, biopsies — will be available in the same area as clinic rooms.

Previously, patients might have to move between floors and check-in desks for multiple appointments, repeatedly changing in and out of exam gowns.

Now, they can change into a gown once and wait in a dedicated amenities lounge. A UChicago Medicine staff member will then escort them to nearby exam rooms for their appointments, just steps away.

“The providers will share a workroom and will come to the patient directly,” said Kathryn Cialkowski, MSN, RN, a UChicago Medicine oncology nurse navigator.

The design brings breast cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment together in one patient-centered location.

“For the first time, it puts all of the people providing care in one place, which supports a multidisciplinary approach — something almost every breast cancer patient requires,” said Mitchell C. Posner, MD, Chief Clinical Officer of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) and the health system’s cancer services line.

A more seamless patient experience

State-of-the-art technology also will enhance care and improve the patient experience.

Patient consultation rooms will be equipped with large television screens, allowing patients to meet with multiple doctors at once or include family members via video. This teleconferencing technology also will be used in the pavilion’s patient rooms and infusion rooms.

“For each patient at each visit, we’re really excited to integrate the multidisciplinary care team and include the patient’s loved ones and care team for the support they need in their cancer care journey,” Cialkowski said.

As in many of the pavilion’s distinctive spaces, floor-to-ceiling windows will fill the first-floor breast center suite with natural light. A special coating on the windows will maintain privacy.

Colorful artwork, including pieces with backlighting for use in a darkened room, will help promote a sense of calm. These design elements are intentional.

“Going through this building, you feel a sense of welcome, a sense of emotional support,” said Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, director of the UCCC. “Every part of the pavilion is designed to provide comfort to patients walking through our doors.”

Opening in April 2027, the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion will be the state’s first freestanding cancer pavilion dedicated to cancer care and research.

New technology, timely screenings in the AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion

The pavilion’s breast center will feature advanced screening tools. Mammography, biopsy and ultrasound machines are being installed and tested in the pavilion.

Among the technologies are AI-assisted breast cancer diagnosis, which can help detect small breast cancer earlier, and whole-breast ultrasounds, which produces 3D images that are automatically processed and stitched together to provide a better view of dense breast tissue.

Patients don’t need to wait until the pavilion opens to get a breast cancer screening. Women age 40 and older, as well as younger women with high-risk factors, can schedule a mammogram today.

UChicago Medicine offers mammograms at offices in:

• Bolingbrook
• Calumet City
• Flossmoor
• Glendale Heights
• Harvey
• Hinsdale
• Orland Park
• Plainfield
• Tinley Park
• Westmont
• Woodridge
• Crown Point, Indiana
• Hyde Park (Chicago)
• River East (Chicago)

The AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion will be the state’s first freestanding cancer pavilion dedicated to cancer care and research.