March 18, 2005

New MGH research center named for generous gift

The legacy of a remarkable person is measured by many standards: the warm memories of loved ones; the impressive collection of career successes; the example set for others. In the case of Richard B. Simches, a legacy already constructed from each of these pieces now will touch the lives of thousands of patients and their families, making an indelible mark on the future of medical research.

Later this spring, the MGH will open the eagerly anticipated research center at Charles River Plaza. Thanks to a generous gift from Simches' wife, Nancy Black Simches, (shown above with her husband) the state-of-the-art facility now will bear her late husband's name: The Richard B. Simches Research Center.

Spanning eight stories on 267,000 square feet, the new building will be home to four thematic centers. The Center for Regenerative Medicine and Technology will concentrate on the use of stem cells to repair or replace damaged tissues and organs. The Center for Computational and Integrative Biology will utilize discoveries in biomedical and computational research to develop new drug therapies. The Center for Human Genetics Research will investigate the genetic roots of disease. And the Center for Systems Biology and Physiologic Genomics will analyze the ways in which the human body's biological and physiological functions work together to affect health and disease. The Simches Center also will provide supplementary space for MGH research in brain tumor study, cancer, pediatric surgery and psychiatry.

The Simches' gift — one of the largest in MGH's history — pays tribute to a man who, even after reaching great heights on the corporate ladder, always put the people around him first. "He was a man of humility," his wife says. "He always had a smile on his face." A Boston native, Simches founded Safety Insurance Company in 1979, building it into the third largest automobile insurer in Massachusetts.

Known as a compassionate and principled boss who cared about his staff, Simches made a point of meeting every person on his payroll — all 500 of them — and committing most of their names to memory. "He was completely dedicated to his dream and to his employees," his wife says.

Simches' respect for the MGH was cemented by the care he received from Tracy T. Batchelor, MD, executive director of the MGH Brain Tumor Center, after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the summer of 1998. Always a devoted philanthropist who supported numerous organizations throughout his lifetime, Simches served as a member of the Corporation of the MGH. According to his wife, even in the midst of his difficult medical battle, Simches was able to enjoy months at his home on Cape Cod and to share special occasions with his family, thanks to his treatment at the hospital. He died September 1, 2001.