Under Armour gives Hopkins $10M for women’s health center

Under Armour Inc. is donating $10 million to the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center to create a center for women’s breast health, the company announced Thursday.

The gift is the largest donation yet by the Baltimore-based athletic products company, officials said.

The money will be used to construct the Under Armour LiveWell Center, which will be located on the top floor of the planned Skip Viragh Outpatient Cancer Building, which Hopkins announced earlier this week.

The center will offer “advanced clinical care, education and community services,” in a comfortable environment, Under Armour officials said. Additionally, the center’s programs will be made available to women across the globe via social media and other online platforms in an effort to influence international approaches to breast health, officials said.

The Viragh Building, which will have eight to 10 floors, is scheduled to open in 2017 and will serve as the primary entry point for cancer patients who come to Hopkins. It will be added to Hopkins’ medical campus in East Baltimore at the corner of Fayette Street and Broadway.

Under Armour’s donation is part of the company’s Power in Pink Campaign, which aims to boost awareness of women’s breast health issues and promote exercise.

“Under Armour is deeply honored to partner with Johns Hopkins, a pioneering organization in the advancement of health and innovation,” Under Armour Founder and CEO Kevin Plank said in a statement. “It is our mission with the Under Armour LiveWell Center to bring the best minds, technologies and resources in the world together for breast cancer awareness and prevention.”