Inova Schar Cancer Institute, a state-of-the-art cancer care destination in the D.C. Metro area, announced a transformational gift of $20 million from Dr. Gary and Tina Mather.

The gift will expand Inova’s new proton therapy treatment program, which will be named the Inova Mather Proton Center in their honor. “We are incredibly grateful to Gary and Tina for their generous support,” said J. Stephen Jones MD, President and CEO, Inova Health System. “Their gift will enable Inova to use this latest technology to treat patients, recruit and retain top talent, engage in groundbreaking research and offer expanded educational opportunities to clinical team members.”

“Tina and I are extremely proud to make this gift to Inova,” Gary said. “I benefited from proton therapy during my cancer treatments earlier this year, but I had to travel to Baltimore, which was a burden. The people at Inova have become part of our family, and being able to support our family and community in such a personal way is very meaningful to both of us.”

The Mathers’ gift was announced at Inova Schar’s celebration of philanthropy dinner held Oct. 17, which recognized the generous donors who have given transformational gifts to develop the world-class cancer institute. Inova honored Milt and Carolyn Peterson and their family for more than 30 years of extraordinary support to Inova’s cancer program.

With a network of locations across Northern Virginia, Inova Schar offers the best of both academic medical centers and community-oriented health systems: a commitment to every patient’s well-being, backed by leading-edge research and advancements in cancer treatment. Inova Schar’s nationally renowned specialists, surgeons, genetic counselors and researchers employ the latest in clinical trials, research and advanced treatments to deliver unmatched treatment tailored to each patient’s needs.