Richard and Melanie Gonzmart Gift Advances Cancer Care for Adolescents and Young Adults at TGH Cancer Institute

The Richard and Melanie Gonzmart Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Program addresses the special needs of TGH cancer patients ages 15 and up.

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tampa General Hospital Foundation announced today that it has received a $1 million gift from Richard and Melanie Gonzmart in support of the TGH Cancer Institute's Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer (AYA) Program. 

Now named the Richard and Melanie Gonzmart Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Program, the program helps young patients from age 15 and up who require elevated services and a holistic approach to treatment.

"Tampa General Hospital has a record of providing world-class academic health care to adolescents and young adults facing a life-changing cancer diagnosis," said John Couris, president and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center | Tampa General Hospital. "Richard and Melanie Gonzmart are trusted partners who will help us continue to provide hope and excellent outcomes for these patients."

"This transformative gift will help us elevate and innovate the care needed for vulnerable adolescent and young adult patients, a population that for many years the oncology field did not pay much attention," said Dr. Eduardo M. Sotomayor, vice president and executive director of the TGH Cancer Institute. "It makes it possible to diagnose and provide a state-of-the-art care specifically designed for this particular patient population that has quite different needs than other cancer patients."

The AYA program, which is led by medical oncologist Dr. Victoria Rizk, addresses everything from diagnosis to barriers to care such as childcare expenses, fertility preservation and transportation issues.

"Patients diagnosed with cancer at a young age face a unique set of challenges that older individuals may not experience," Rizk said. "Our role is to identify and anticipate these needs through psychology, genetics, nutritional guidance and a dedicated nurse navigator to guide each patient and support them through every step of their journey."

The fourth-generation caretaker of the 1905 Family of Restaurants, Richard Gonzmart has invested in cancer research for many years and is a former board member of Florida Health Science Center. He was inspired by the loss of a childhood friend when he was just 12 and is awed by how academic medicine has evolved to save so many lives now. 

"My 20 years of investing in children's cancer research has been the best investment I've ever made in my life," Gonzmart said. "Seeing a child who was once given no hope and then seeing that same child 15 or 20 years later, alive, thriving and working — some even in the health care field — is truly amazing. It feels good in a way that words can hardly convey. None of us are as strong as all of us, and together with the TGH AYA Program, we will find a cure."

"Richard and Melanie Gonzmart are inspirational philanthropists who are dedicated to bettering our community in many ways, one of which is driven by their passion to fight childhood cancer," said Frann Leppla, executive vice president and TGH Foundation president. "We are tremendously grateful for their partnership in innovating care for the young patients at our TGH Cancer Institute."

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL 

Tampa General Hospital, the Tampa Bay region's only academic health system, is a 1,530-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning across Florida. As the only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class care. The system's hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Hospitals, with six medical specialties ranking among the top 50 in the nation and five additional medical specialties ranked among the top 10% best hospital programs in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. Tampa General's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by three prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2025 America's Best Large Employers, ranked as the Tampa Bay region's #1 employer in the health care category for the fifth year in a row, and among the top five in the state of Florida, in the 2025 Best Employers by State and the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women.

Tampa General is the area's safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2024, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $289.1 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It was the nation's No. 1 adult solid organ transplant center in 2024 and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General's footprint includes TGH North, which consists of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties; 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices; TGH Family Care Center Kennedy; two TGH outpatient centers; TGH Virtual Health; and 19 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care, powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Danielle Caci
Public Relations Manager
(813) 844-4666
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SOURCE Tampa General Hospital