Press Release5 Minute ReadOct | 21 | 2021
Mass General Hospital receives transformational gifts and launches historic fundraising campaign
David F. M. Brown, MD“This ambitious campaign will help Mass General change the way health care is delivered and further accelerate the pace of medical breakthroughs.
President, Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston — Massachusetts General Hospital has received several transformational gifts from longstanding supporters, including Terry and Susan Ragon who have given a significant gift to the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, as well as Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine and Gabe Sunshine, who have given transformative support to pioneering neurology research through the Sunshine Cares Foundation.
These visionary gifts support the recent launch of the largest fundraising campaign in Mass General’s 210-year history — The Campaign for Mass General — which seeks to raise $3 billion by December 31, 2024. This marks the largest campaign nationwide for a stand-alone academic medical center hospital, as well as the largest and most inclusive pool of donors from across the region and around the world.
“The accelerated speed of the scientific discoveries being made in neurology research at Mass General is phenomenal,” says Geraldine. “Looking ahead, The Campaign for Mass General will advance these discoveries even further, with the ultimate goal of finding new therapies we can bring from the lab to the patients' bedsides and into our global community."
“We created the Ragon Institute to bring together the best and brightest scientists and engineers who are focused on leveraging the immune system to support human health,” says Terry Ragon. “The Campaign for Mass General will intensify and propel the Institute’s efforts even further, ensuring these unique collaborations continue to transform our understanding of diseases and bring new therapies to communities here and across the globe.”
Susan Ragon added, “As we have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to ensure that premier medical research and teaching institutions such as Mass General have the necessary resources to protect our communities and care for those in need.”
The Campaign for Mass General will transform patient care, advance medical research, revolutionize medical education and training and build healthier communities. With support from these families, as well as many other donors, the hospital has raised $2 billion toward its goal. This milestone reflects the breadth and depth of the broad range of donors committed to Mass General and the Campaign.
“This ambitious campaign will help Mass General change the way health care is delivered and further accelerate the pace of medical breakthroughs,” said the hospital’s new president, David F. M. Brown, MD, former chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Mass General and former interim president of Cooley Dickinson Health Care. “Funds raised will support the development of new approaches to disease prevention, early detection and personalized treatment; improve health care outcomes in communities of color; allow for unprecedented investment in research and innovation with new tools and technologies; and dramatically improve the way we educate the medical leaders of the future.”
Mass General will celebrate the public launch of its campaign during the week of Oct. 25 via a series of virtual and socially distant experiences, including sharing an informative video from campaign leaders with its community of supporters.
Jonathan Kraft, chairman of the Mass General Board of Trustees, and his wife Patricia, along with Carl Martignetti, vice chair of the Board of Trustees, and Mark and Lisa Schwartz will serve as the Campaign’s co-chairs.
“This is an extraordinary moment for Mass General,” says Jonathan Kraft. “We unite the brightest minds in medical research and clinical care to offer compassionate treatment to every individual who entrusts Mass General with their health. This intersection of science and care is where we excel. Philanthropy will play an essential role in achieving our bold vision, which will usher in a new era of care and further position Mass General as a world leader in medicine.”
A global leader in health care widely recognized for tackling the most complex cases, Mass General is home to the largest hospital-based research program in the United States. Guided by the needs of its patients, Mass General delivers care grounded in leading edge research, advanced treatment offerings and the latest clinical trials. To learn more, visit giving.massgeneral.org.