With the largest gift to the "Making History" fund-raising campaign, Anne and Jerome Fisher announced a $50 million donation to the University on June 30 for the establishment of the Anne and Jerome Fisher Translational Research Center.
Scheduled to open in 2010, the new center will be designed with the intent to facilitate collaboration between disciplines.
This is an important element in translational research, which works to bridge the gap between basic and clinical research.
"Our strategic plan has always emphasized translational research as the key for what an academic institute like ours can do," said Arthur Rubenstein, dean of the School of Medicine and executive vice president of Penn's Health System.
The project will be directly adjacent to the two new outpatient-care facilities - the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center.
According to University President Amy Gutmann, the donation represents a "transformational gift which will further position Penn at the forefront of bench-to-bedside medicine."
Jerome Fisher, a 1953 Wharton graduate, and his wife have both been active members of the Penn community and prominent Penn donors.
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