Norman EstesThrough a transformational gift from one of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s most dedicated community partners, the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center will soon have a permanent catalyst for innovation in clinical research.
Norman Estes, president and chief executive officer of NHS Management, LLC, has pledged $5 million to establish the Estes Family Clinical Trials Program at the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center, pending approval by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees.
This landmark investment will strengthen the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center’s nationally recognized clinical trials program and expand access to innovative cancer therapies for patients across Alabama and the Southeast.
“The generosity and vision demonstrated by Norman Estes represent a profound investment in the future of cancer care,” said Barry Sleckman, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center. “This gift will significantly enhance our ability to conduct groundbreaking clinical research, expand access to innovative treatments, and bring new hope to patients and families facing cancer. We are deeply grateful for Mr. Estes’ commitment to advancing our mission of improving cancer outcomes through discovery, innovation and compassionate care.”
The UAB O’Neal Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the state of Alabama and one of only 58 in the nation. One of the primary reasons the center has maintained this status for 54 consecutive years is an unwavering commitment to cutting-edge oncological research.
The UAB O’Neal Cancer Center currently has more than 200 active clinical trials. The center has significantly expanded its clinical trial operational capacity and infrastructure over the past five years, including a near doubling of trial-intensive clinical faculty and an expansion of the center’s clinical trials office.
These advances — combined with operational restructuring, streamlined trial initiation processes, enhanced patient selection methods and targeted recruitment — led to a 50 percent increase in the annual number of cancer patients entering clinical trials from 2020 to 2024. In 2025, the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center accrued 521 patients to cancer clinical trials, a 25 percent increase over the previous year.
The Estes gift will empower O’Neal Cancer Center leadership to sustain this growth and aggressively expand it in promising research areas. In addition to accelerating current clinical trials and supporting future trials in perpetuity, a portion of the gift will be used to renovate the clinical trials office.
NHS Management’s motto is “Our family caring for yours,” and Norman Estes has combined the Estes family tradition of service to the elderly with his unique business acumen to grow NHS’ network from three nursing facilities in 1981 to a total of 47 across the region. He is the past president of the Alabama Nursing Home Association and an active member of the American Health Care Association.
Together with his father, James, Norman Estes previously helped to establish the Edward E. Partridge, M.D., Endowed Chair for Cancer Disparity Research, which has been a vital resource for inaugural holder Mona N. Fouad, M.D., MPH, CEO of Live HealthSmart Alabama, since her appointment in 2020.
The gift to name the Estes Family Clinical Trials Program was announced during the fourth annual O’Neal Iron Strong Awards Luncheon, which honored nine cancer survivors whose participation in clinical trials contributed not only to their own treatment, but also to advancing future cancer therapies for countless others.
“As demand for clinical trials continues to increase and the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center expands its scope in cancer research, this generous gift will create additional opportunities for patients to access promising new therapies while accelerating discoveries that inform and improve cancer outcomes,” said UAB President Ray L. Watts, M.D. “We are truly grateful for the Estes family’s historic investment in the future of cancer treatment, which will improve quality of life for our patients and provide hope for generations to come.”