Palm Beach philanthropists Carl and Ruth Shapiro are donating $25 million to Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a gift that will change the landscape of cardiovascular medicine by helping to fund a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to innovation and coordinated care. Brigham and Women’s officials announced the gift—the largest in the hospital’s history—during a gala dinner at the Four Seasons Resort on Jan. 27, 2005.
In recognition of the Shapiros’ generosity, the facility will be named the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“Carl and Ruth’s generosity will allow us to transform patient care as we know it today,” remarked Brigham and Women’s President Gary Gottlieb, MD, MBA. “I am extremely grateful to them for their trust in our hospital, their leadership, and their vision and commitment to health care and healing.”
Many services related to the care of patients with heart disease, such as interventional radiology, surgery and imaging, will be located together in the building to promote coordinated care. The design will encourage collaboration between researchers, specialists and staff, not only ensuring the rapid translation of scientific findings into clinical practice, but also the most advanced care for each individual patient.
Noting that heart disease takes more lives in the United States than any other medical condition, Dr. Gottlieb stressed that the center’s unified nature will promote discovery of new treatments as well as uncover better methods to predict who is at risk for heart trouble—and then preventing it.
Brigham and Women’s has long been an innovator and national leader in treating heart patients. In the early 1960’s, the hospital established the first cardiovascular ward in the country. Brigham and Women’s surgeons performed the first heart transplant in New England in 1984. Researchers’ findings have also changed clinical practice. For example, the authoritative TIMI studies proved that thrombolytic therapy could significantly improve a patient’s chance of survival following a heart attack. And earlier this month, researchers reported that measuring a blood marker called C-reactive protein provides a more accurate indication of heart-disease risk than cholesterol alone.
In addition to kicking off the construction of the state-of-the-art building, the Shapiros contribution will support the Research and Education Fund in the Department of Surgery, headed by Michael J. Zinner, MD. It will also fund the expansion of the existing Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Pavilion, which offers private suites and other amenities.
Mr. and Mrs. Shapiro’s unparalleled gift to Brigham and Women’s continues their long tradition of philanthropic support for educational, cultural and medical institutions. Along with their longstanding support of the hospital, they have given to Brandeis University, Wellesley College, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Museum of Fine Arts and several other Boston-area organizations. In Florida, they are active with the Norton Art Museum, the Kravis Center for Performing Arts and the Palm Beach Opera.
“We couldn’t be happier that Carl and Ruth have chosen to join us as we erect what promises to be the premier health care facility in Boston,” concluded Dr. Gottlieb. “We simply cannot thank them enough for their unwavering commitment to Brigham and Women’s Hospital.”
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