The University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute receives a transformative $20 million gift from the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Foundation to advance lifelong brain health at every stage of life.
This visionary investment will accelerate cutting edge research and expand specialized care in memory disorders, strengthen the institute's learning health system, and propel efforts toward earning the prestigious Institute on Aging's designation as an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC).
With this latest contribution, the Gardner Family Foundation's philanthropic support for UC's neuroscience institute will exceed $50 million since its inaugural 2007 gift.
The Gardner Family Foundation has long been a leading supporter of advancing neurological care for the region, previously giving more than $25 million to the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute to grow research in the areas of Parkinson's disease and movement disorders, and to support a state-of-the-art outpatient facility. Their most recent $5.25 million gift in 2023 supported the upgrade of the UC Health Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit and other areas of neurological care within the UC Medical Center.
Since 1994, the Gardner Family Foundation has given generously to causes across the region, reflecting Jim and Joan Gardner's passion for helping others.
"It was my grandparents' vision to provide patients in our community who suffer from neurological diseases with the best care, from the best people, in the best place," said Kyle Johns, James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Foundation trustee. "The neuroscience institute has been wonderful stewards of our foundation's past support, and our recent philanthropic investment reflects our continued belief in their mission. This gift is aimed at achieving bold goals - earning ADRC status, becoming the first adult neuroscience institute in the U.S. to implement a learning health system, and ultimately reaching top-five national recognition. These milestones will elevate brain health care in our community, attract leading researchers, and launch innovative, life-saving discoveries that will improve the lives of patients and families for generations to come."
"We are so grateful to the Gardner Family Foundation and their continued support of the vision for neuroscience excellence here in Cincinnati," said Cory Shaw, president and CEO of UC Health. "Their generosity and long-standing partnership are driving clinical advancements and breakthroughs in neurological research, care and education."
The Gardner Family Foundation's investment will accelerate a first-of-its-kind learning health system at UC's neuroscience institute - an innovative approach that turns everyday patient experiences and clinical data into faster discoveries and better treatments. By combining real-world patient information with the latest research and the expertise of the entire care team, the learning health system will create a powerful cycle of learning. The result: new insights that can be applied more quickly and directly to improve care, advance research and enhance outcomes for patients and families.
"A learning health system is revolutionary because it captures information from patients and families and informs us of the outcomes that patients want and matter to them," Brett Kissela, MD, MS, director of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute. "By measuring outcomes, we will accelerate changes, providing the best process of care. Insight from patients is invaluable because they are the ones directly experiencing a disease or disorder."
The institute's vision is to become one of the top research centers in the nation focused on neurodegenerative diseases and achieve the National Institute on Aging's designation as an ADRC. Joining this elite network of just 35 centers nationwide would open powerful opportunities to share data, collaborate on groundbreaking studies, and accelerate discoveries. The UC Memory Care and Brain Health Center experts are already pioneering new approaches to neurodegenerative diseases by focusing on brain health at every stage of life, with emphasis on stroke risk factors and their impact on dementia (including vascular cognitive impairment).
"We are deeply grateful to the Gardner Family Foundation for their extraordinary commitment to advancing brain health," said Gregory C. Postel, MD, FACR, dean of the College of Medicine, Christian R. Holmes professor, executive vice president for health affairs at UC and chair of the UC Health Board of Directors. "This is a pivotal moment for neuroscience in Cincinnati, made possible by their visionary support. Their generosity brings us significantly closer to achieving ADRC designation-an elite distinction held by the nation's top neuroscience institutes. This investment strengthens our research enterprise, enhances the care we provide every day, and ushers in a new era of innovation and hope for the countless patients and families we are privileged to serve."
Philanthropy also plays a crucial role with the Cincinnati Cohort Biomarker Program (CCBP). This ambitious, large-scale research study is tackling diseases of brain aging through a personalized medicine approach, beginning with Parkinson's and now further expanding into Alzheimer's disease. This study is working to match a patient's biology to drug therapies already available to slow or stop disease progression. The Gardner Family Foundation gift will further fuel the CCBP's lab and expand efforts around Alzheimer's disease.
The UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute is recognized for its expertise, with 15 specialty areas, attracting patients from 40 states and other countries in search of our knowledge and comprehensive care. Its faculty are revolutionizing neurological care worldwide through publications in premier medical journals, and its research teams are leading the way in breakthroughs that will improve brain health care today and for future generations.
Featured image at top: UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute. Photo/Mark Herboth Photography LLC.
