UM cancer center receives ‘transformational’ $126 million, school’s single largest gift
The University of Miami has received a $126 million gift for its Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. The gift, given anonymously on Tuesday, is the single largest in UM history, according to the university.
Previous multimillion gifts
Before this $126 million donation, UM received single gifts of $100 million each from the family of Leonard M. Miller to name the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine; the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation to fund cure-focused research taking place at UM’s Diabetes Research Institute; and from Phillip and Patricia Frost to create the Frost Institutes for Science and Engineering.
““The Miller and Frost family and the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, along with several other donors, have each collectively donated much more than the single gifts to the university,” a spokeswoman for the medical school said. “The gift [just] announced ... is the largest gift given in a single amount.”
Given to honor Sylvester Cancer’s director
The unrestricted $126 million gift was given in honor of Dr. Stephen D. Nimer, director of Sylvester and the Oscar de la Renta Endowed Chair in Cancer Research.
“I am truly humbled by the magnitude of this gift,” Nimer said in a statement. “I never expected to experience such immense generosity for simply answering the call to serve those in need.”
The school said the gift was “transformational” and will accelerate “breakthrough advances in finding cures for cancer and expand innovative treatment options for cancer patients.”
“We will use this extraordinarily generous gift to save lives,” Nimer told the Miami Herald in an email. “It accelerates our progress to becoming one of the premier cancer centers in the United States, enabling us to attract even more world leaders in cancer care and research. It allows us to create many more endowed chairs, expand our experimental therapeutics efforts and enhance our cancer facilities, directly benefiting Sylvester cancer patients and their families.”
Donor’s family had faced health challenges
The gift was an anonymous bequest from a member of a family Dr. Nimer had known for decades. The family, the university said, had faced several health challenges — including cancer — and they, along with others “in their immediate networks,” turned to Nimer for guidance and support.
Nimer, who is also a professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology at the Miller School, said the landmark $126 million gift has inspired him.
“I now want to honor this donor. With a gift of this size, it’s our goal to maximize its impact, ensuring that we invest in programs and people who can change outcomes for as many patients as possible. That will mean a legacy that lasts for generations to come,” Nimer said in a statement.
A leukemia and stem cell transplant researcher and clinician, Nimer led the multiyear effort to secure National Cancer Institute-designation in 2019, making Sylvester the only NCI-designated cancer center in South Florida and one of only two in Florida. The other is the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.
UM president’s statement
“Sylvester is a leader in cancer care and research and this tremendous act of generosity will have a profound impact on our work in this field,” University of Miami President Julio Frenk said in a statement. “The gift is an affirmation of the extraordinary vision and leadership of Dr. Stephen D. Nimer and our talented and passionate team of researchers, clinicians, faculty and staff who are changing the way we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.”
According to U News@TheU, a part of the gift will be dedicated to advancing research in cancer epigenetics and Sylvester’s experimental therapeutics program.
“We have already begun leveraging these funds to match gifts from other donors to advance our mission,” Nimer told the Miami Herald.
Sylvester, part of UHealth — the University of Miami Health System and the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine — has more than 300 cancer experts and researchers.
This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 3:31 PM.
