This week’s Weekly Heartbeat is headlined by a historic $175 million gift to Sutter Health and Santa Clara University to launch the San Francisco Bay Area’s first new medical school in over a century, alongside a monumental $100 million donation to Baptist Health South Florida to transform cancer care and research. Other major news includes a $12.5 million gift to University Hospitals from Cleveland Browns owners for rare disease research, a record-breaking $7.1 million giving day at the University of Connecticut, $6 million to the NC Community College System to address healthcare workforce shortages, and a $1 million commitment to UHealth to advance care for complex pulmonary diseases.
Historic $100M to Baptist Health South Florida to Transform Cancer Care and Research
Dr. Herbert “Herbie” Wertheim has directed a historic $100 million gift to Baptist Health South Florida, marking the largest single donation in the health system’s 66-year history. In recognition of this transformational investment, the Miami Cancer Institute will be renamed the Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute. The funds will establish a designated impact fund to expand the health system’s academic partnership with Florida International University, launch a new Center for Cancer Prevention, and support the institute’s pursuit of National Cancer Institute designation. Read more here.
Leveraging AI to Transform Clinician Partnerships in Grateful Patient Fundraising
In healthcare philanthropy, the traditional model of relying on doctors and nurses to identify wealthy prospects is rapidly evolving. To build more sustainable grateful patient programs, hospital foundations are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to alleviate the administrative burden on clinical staff. By utilizing automated data flows to qualify patients for both philanthropic capacity and affinity, fundraisers can approach physicians with proactive, data-backed lists rather than asking them to guess a patient’s wealth. Combining a targeted, proactive fundraising approach with clinician relationship champions, like Erin Stitzel from Accordant and Walt Edwards from Graham-Pelton, allows doctors to focus entirely on patient care while empowering gift officers to serve as the strategic experts in driving meaningful donor cultivation. Read more here.
$175M to Sutter Health and Santa Clara University to Launch Bay Area’s First New Med School in a Century
Sutter Health and Santa Clara University have announced the launch of the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine, the first new medical school in the San Francisco Bay Area in over a century. Funded in part by a historic $175 million gift from philanthropists Mark and Mary Stevens, the collaboration will embed medical students directly within Sutter’s expansive, integrated healthcare system. Grounded in Santa Clara’s tradition of whole-person care and fueled by Silicon Valley innovation, the new medical school aims to address California’s severe physician shortage while training the next generation of doctors to seamlessly integrate AI and advanced technologies into clinical practice. Read more here.
Browns Owners Donate $12.5M to University Hospitals to Advance Rare Disease and Blood Cancer Research
Philanthropists and Cleveland Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have directed a $12.5 million gift to University Hospitals to fuel research and drug development for rare blood cancers and other rare diseases. Inspired by Dee Haslam’s personal diagnosis with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the investment includes $10 million to the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre to support international researchers in their pursuit of new treatments. The remaining $2.5 million will establish an endowed chair in CLL research and an innovation fund at the UH Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland to drive critical advancements in patient care. Read more here.
$6M to NC Community College System to Expand Healthcare Workforce Programs
The NC Community College System has received $6 million in philanthropic commitments from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust and AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina to expand its Boost student success program. To address critical healthcare workforce shortages across the state, the Kenan Charitable Trust is investing $3 million to scale the model at Wake Technical Community College for students pursuing healthcare degrees. Simultaneously, AmeriHealth Caritas is dedicating $3 million to launch a first-of-its-kind pilot providing wraparound financial support, tuition assistance, and career coaching for up to 1,000 students earning short-term credentials, such as nursing assistants and EMTs. Read more here.
Record $7.1M Raised to Support Students and Programs During UConn Gives
The University of Connecticut community rallied to raise a record-breaking $7.1 million during its annual two-day giving event, UConn Gives 2026. Driven by nearly 4,900 donors from all 50 states, the collective generosity will support nearly 500 funds advancing student assistance, academic programs, and innovative research across the university. The community-powered initiative drew significant new engagement, with 27% of contributors making their first-ever gift to UConn, while a record number of volunteer advocates helped propel the event to its most successful year in history. Read more here.
$1M to UHealth to Advance Care for Complex Pulmonary Diseases
Philanthropists Eliza and Hugh Culverhouse Jr. have directed a $1 million gift to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to establish the Culverhouse Bronchiectasis and NTM Endowment. Inspired by Hugh’s life-changing diagnosis and treatment at UHealth after a prolonged battle with a misdiagnosed respiratory illness, the funding aims to shorten the time to diagnosis for others. The endowment will expand specialized clinical infrastructure, advance research to accelerate the development of new therapies, and elevate awareness of rare and complex pulmonary infections such as bronchiectasis and nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections. Read more here.
