A Chicago-area family with a deep commitment to supporting science and medicine is giving $100 million to the University of Chicago to establish The Duchossois Family Institute at the University of Chicago Medicine, which seeks to accelerate research and interventions based on how the human immune system, microbiome and genetics interact to maintain health.
The gift from The Duchossois Group Inc. Chairman and CEO Craig Duchossois, his wife, Janet Duchossois, and The Duchossois Family Foundation will support development of a "new science of wellness" aimed at preserving health and complementing medicine's traditional focus on disease treatment. Their investment will help build an entrepreneurial infrastructure that stimulates research, data integration and clinical applications, while educating the next generation of young physicians and students in this new science.
"The Duchossois Family Institute will draw on the creativity and skill of University researchers across many fields in bringing new perspectives to medical science, oriented toward making an impact that greatly benefits human lives," said President Robert J. Zimmer. "We are grateful for the Duchossois family's remarkable level of engagement in establishing this innovative alliance between medical experts and entrepreneurs."
The amount is the largest single gift in support of UChicago Medicine and brings the family's lifetime charitable contributions to the academic medical center to $137 million. The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research has donated a total of $118 million since 2006, largely to support cancer research.
The Duchossois gift is also the fourth time there has been a single gift of $100 million or more to the University of Chicago. The Thomas L. Pearson and The Pearson Family Members Foundation made a grant of $100 million in 2015 to establish The Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts and The Pearson Global Forum at the Harris School of Public Policy, and an anonymous donor gave $100 million in 2007 to fund the Odyssey Scholarship Program in support of undergraduate student aid. The University's largest gift to date is $300 million in 2008 from investment entrepreneur David Booth, MBA'71, for whom the University of Chicago Booth School of Business is named.
2017年5月24日，芝加哥大学宣布，芝加哥Duchossois家族向芝大捐赠1亿美元，用于在芝加哥大学医学中心建立Duchossois家族健康科学研究所，致力于加速进行基于人类免疫系统、微生物组学和遗传学相互作用在健康方面的研究及干预措施。
Duchossois集团公司董事长兼首席执行官Craig Duchossois、他的夫人Janet Duchossois和Duchossois家族基金会将支持开发“健康新科学”，旨在保护健康和补充医学传统疾病治疗。 他们的捐赠将不仅有助于搭建一个促进研究、整合数据和临床应用的企业基础设施，还将同时培养此新兴科学中年轻一代的医生和学者。
芝加哥大学校长Robert J. Zimmer说：“Duchossois家族健康科学研究所将发挥芝大研究人员在许多领域的创造力和技能，为医学科学带来新的视角，致力于给人类生活带来受益良多的影响。 我们非常感谢Duchossois家族在医学专家和企业家之间搭建这一卓越的创新纽带。”
本次来自Duchossois家族的捐款是芝大医学中心有史以来所获的最大数额的捐赠，Duchossois家族对学术医学中心的慈善捐赠总额也因此达到1.37亿美元之巨。对大学而言，此次Duchossois家族的捐赠是芝加哥大学第四次获得单笔超过1亿美元的捐赠。2015年芝大获Thomas L. Pearson和Pearson家族基金会捐款1亿美元，在哈里斯公共政策学院建立了研究与解决全球冲突的Pearson研究所和Pearson全球论坛；2007年，获匿名捐赠1亿美元资助奥德赛奖学金计划，以支持本科生助学金；2008年，芝大商学院MBA 71级毕业生、投资企业家David Booth 捐款3亿美元，是芝大历史所获的最大单笔捐赠，商学院因此被命名为芝加哥大学布斯商学院。
