Cancer Ctr. gets $100 m. boost

Leonard and Madlyn Abrsmson's donation is the second largest in the history of the University. To this day, Madlyn Abramson credits the University Cancer Center for helping her overcome breast cancer. Now Abramson and her husband, health-care tycoon Leonard Abramson, are repaying that debt in the form of a $100 million donation to fund cancer research at Penn. Last month's announcement of the gift strengthens the couple's national reputation as one of the most charitable families in the Philadelphia region. The donation will be used to create the Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, a new section of Penn's cancer center dedicated to innovative research and improving patient care. The Abramsons' gift is the second largest donation in the history of the University, behind Penn Trustee Walter Annenberg's $120 million donation to the Annenberg School for Communication in 1993. The family's gift also ranks among the 10 largest higher educational donations ever. "Both of [the Abramsons] are true philanthropists," Institute Director John Glick said. "They are really interested in helping people." Madlyn Abramson also holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University. "As a cancer survivor for 12 years, I understand the importance of patient-centered approaches in research and clinical activities," she said at a press conference last month. "To that end, personalized and compassionate care will be the goal of all Abramson Institute efforts." The Abramson family has a history of giving to the University and other charitable foundations, including the United Negro College Fund, the Brookings Institution and several Jewish philanthropy organizations in Israel and the United States. Leonard Abramson claimed he gave more than twice his annual salary to charity in 1994, when he was working as the chief executive officer of U.S. Healthcare Inc., a large manager of health care plans in Blue Bell, Pa. That year, Abramson was ranked No. 110 on Forbes magazine's list of the 400 richest people in America. In 1996, Abramson sold U.S. Healthcare, then a billion-dollar HMO, to Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna Inc., which now sponsors the University's student health insurance plans. He currently sits on Aetna's board of directors and does consulting work for the company. Abramson -- who attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science -- specifically requested that the money be used for research and not a new building for the Cancer Center, although the center has considered purchasing the Philadelphia Civic Center, Glick said. Instead, the institute will conduct most of its research on two floors in the new Biomedical Research buildings currently under construction. The Institute's patient-care facilities will occupy three clinical floors in the Penn Tower Hotel, which is operated by the University Health System. The Institute will also use part of the money to attract leading scientists to the Cancer Center. "When you recruit a super scientist? you've got to give them discretionary research dollars," said Glick, who is now looking for a scientific director to lead the recruiting process. Faculty members are also excited about the possibility of attracting top-level researchers. "It's a no-lose situation for us," Pathology Professor and Institute scientist Frederic Barr said. "First of all, they're bringing in more mental power. Second, they're bringing in more money."