History of WRI

Just prior to the start of the new millennia, Congressman John Murtha, Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, was approached by a concerned group of military spouses and his wife Joyce, regarding the state of the military's women's health care capabilities and breast care in particular.  Coupled with a close friend diagnosed with breast cancer who described to him the impersonal, disjointed treatment she received, the Congressman felt that something needed to be done and has ever since supported funding for this cause.

The Clinical Breast Care Project at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, is an initiative that helps lead the way in the fight against breast disorders and cancer. The project utilizes a multidisciplinary approach and integrates prevention, screening, diagnostics, treatment and continuing care, but is further unique in the incorporation of advances in risk reduction, biomedical informatics, tissue banking and translational research.

The relationship between Windber and Walter Reed expanded rapidly, resulting in the creation of the Windber Research Institute, one of the world's leading genetic research labs, and the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center at Windber Medical Center, dedicated to improving and advancing clinical care for women.

From 2000 to 2004, the scientists and staff of the Windber Research Institute worked in a confined space, with nine people in a double-wide trailer and thirty more in a space originally built for ten, but during that time the staff was able to begin to build the basics for a proteomic and genomic lab with a comprehensive collection of donated human breast tissue.

In August 2005, the Windber Research Institute moved to the location on the former site of St. Mary's Hungarian Roman Catholic Church. The Windber Research Institute preserved the arch of St. Mary's Church in an effort to honor the support from the Windber community.