Dear Colleagues,
Today I am thrilled to announce that a long-term gift of $37.5 million from the Campbell family will be recognized through the creation of The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute (CFCRI) at Princess Margaret Hospital.
The gifts of the late Audrey Campbell – daughter of the late Roy Thomson – and her three daughters are indeed inspirational and transformational. The Campbell family support over the course of their association with the hospital now totals $67.5 million, which is the largest cumulative private gift to cancer research in Canada.
Dr. Ben Neel, Director, Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI), also becomes Director, The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, which will be housed within OCI. Dr. Neel, an internationally recognized cancer cell researcher, was recruited from Harvard Medical School to UHN in the fall of 2006. Dr. Neel continues to report to Dr. Christopher Paige, Vice President, UHN Research.
Dr. Tak Mak, renowned for his landmark scientific paper on the cloning of the T-cell receptor genes, continues as Director, The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research (CFBCRI) at Princess Margaret Hospital, also housed within OCI. At UHN, we are extremely proud of the world-class team Dr. Mak has assembled since the breast cancer institute began in 2004 with ongoing support from donors to The Weekend to End Breast Cancer and the Campbell family.
An Advisory and Stewardship Committee will oversee the CFCRI and the CFBCRI. Joining me on this committee are: Drs., Paige, Neel and Mak; Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz, Medical Director, Princess Margaret Hospital Cancer Program, UHN; Neville Kirchmann, Chairman, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation; and Paul Alofs, President & CEO, The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.
On behalf of everyone at UHN, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation and heartfelt thanks to the Campbell family for their vote of confidence and their extraordinarily generous gift to research.
Bob Bell
