Boston’s Largest Hospital Fundraising Campaign Transforms
Patient Care, Innovative Research, Medical Education, and Campus Facilities
Boston—October 26, 2020—Brigham and Women’s Hospital proudly announces the conclusion of its historic Life.Giving.Breakthroughs. campaign, the largest hospital fundraising campaign in Boston history. Launched in September 2013 with an initial goal of raising $1 billion, the campaign surpassed expectations, raising $1.75 billion—through the generosity of more than 200,000 donors from more than 80 countries—with funds supporting the Brigham’s mission to advance patient care, research, and medical education.
John Fish, chair of the Brigham Board of Trustees and the Life.Giving.Breakthroughs. campaign cabinet, notes, “The Brigham has always been a world class hospital and place of extraordinary care. Our board and campaign cabinet members are thrilled to see our donor community recognize the Brigham through their incredible generosity.”
Brigham President Betsy Nabel, MD, adds, “Our Life.Giving.Breakthroughs. campaign represents a community united in purpose. Together, we pursued innovative, life-changing discoveries, prepared medical leaders for a bold, new future, and made a remarkable difference for our patients and their loved ones.”
Indeed, funds raised for the Brigham’s Life.Giving.Breakthroughs. campaign transformed all facets of the Brigham organization and revitalized the Brigham campus. Thanks to a visionary $50 million gift from Karen and Rob Hale, the Brigham dedicated the new Hale Building for Transformative Medicine at 60 Fenwood Road. One of the most technologically sophisticated patient care and research facilities in the country, the building co-locates researchers and clinicians in neurosciences, orthopaedics, rheumatology, immunology, and musculoskeletal health and includes some of the most powerful and precise technologies in the world—including a 7 Tesla MRI, the first to be installed in a clinical setting in North America.
The evolution of the campus also included the installation of Stoneman Centennial Park at 15 Francis. The Brigham’s Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation Newborn Intensive Care Unit was expanded to nearly double in size, and the Brigham launched a new Center for Child Development. Significant improvements were made to the Cancer Pavilion, Fish Rotunda, and Pike, a throughway that connects the three main buildings of the hospital, and renovation and expansion plans are underway for the Brigham’s Emergency Department. Campaign funding also supported the Inpatient Psychiatry Unit and Infusion Center at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital.
The Life.Giving.Breakthroughs. campaign also made it possible for the Brigham to invest in world-class equipment and technologies to improve patient care—including the first FDA-approved, NICU-dedicated MRI system in the U.S. and the first MRI-guided radiation therapy for cancer patients in New England.
Additionally, campaign funding led to the establishment of four unique research centers, including the Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, the Resnek Family Center for Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Research, and The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation.
Campaign funding also allowed the Brigham to honor 74 hospital leaders with new chair or professorship distinctions—funding that allows these physician and research leaders to pursue innovative care, research, and education programs that improve care for patients and help recruit bold new talent.
Susan Rapple, senior vice president and chief development officer at the Brigham, notes, “These advancements underscore the power of philanthropy and the impact a grateful community can make when they give back to help others.”
Nabel adds, “Together, we made medicine better for patients and loved ones around the world—and that will forever make me proud.”
Brigham Health, a global leader in creating a healthier world, consists of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, the Brigham and Women’s Physicians Organization and many related facilities and programs. With more than 1,000 inpatient beds, approximately 60,000 inpatient stays and 1.7 million outpatient encounters annually, Brigham Health’s 1,200 physicians provide expert care in virtually every medical and surgical specialty to patients locally, regionally and around the world. An international leader in basic, clinical and translational research, Brigham Health has nearly 5,000 scientists, including physician-investigators, renowned biomedical researchers and faculty supported by over $700 million in funding. The Brigham’s medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and now, with 19,000 employees, that rich history is the foundation for its commitment to research, innovation, and community. Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital is a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and dedicated to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. For more information, resources, and to follow us on social media, please visit brighamandwomens.org.
