Businessman, philanthropist, and longtime Penn donor Leonard Abramson died on Saturday at the age of 93.
Abramson and his late wife are the namesakes of the Abramson Cancer Center, Penn Medicine’s hub for cancer research and clinical care. Perelman School of Medicine Dean Jonathan Epstein notified the Penn Med community about Abramson’s July 4 passing in a Monday email.
“While we mourn this tremendous loss, we also look back with gratitude at the lasting impact Leonard and his late wife Madlyn (Ed’57, GEd’60), had in redefining cancer care and research at Penn Medicine,” the email read.
The message — which was also signed by University of Pennsylvania Health System CEO Kevin Mahoney and Abramson Cancer Center director Robert Vonderheide — described the Abramsons as some of “Penn’s most generous and influential benefactors,” citing “several endowed professorships” and their part in “funding basic science and cancer immunotherapy.”
“Beyond cancer, they funded research and care programs in many disciplines across Penn Medicine,” the email added.
Abramson’s late wife, Madlyn Abramson, died in 2020. The couple gave over $140 million to support Penn Med research.
The pair also contributed to the Madlyn and Leonard Abramson Professorship in Clinical Oncology, which represents a commitment to “to the ongoing advancement of cancer research, outstanding patient care, and cancer education at Penn Medicine.”
In April, Vonderheide was named president-elect of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Abramson also founded U.S. Healthcare in 1975, which was among the “first health maintenance organizations,” according to the email. He later earned a Harvard Business School distinction for his business leadership.
U.S. Healthcare was bought by Aetna in 1996, a company which is now part of CVS Health.
“But his business acumen never outshone his philanthropy, which extended to various healthcare centers across the region, his home away from home in Jupiter, Florida, and Jewish organizations and educational associations,” the email read.
The message stated that Abramson’s name will “always be synonymous with hope.”
“Leonard and Madlyn’s legacy lives on in that work every day — in the patients we care for, the discoveries we pursue, and the hope made possible through their generosity,” the email continued. “We are forever grateful to him.”
Staff reporter James Wan covers academic affairs and can be reached at wan@thedp.com. At Penn, he studies communication and computer science. Follow him on X @JamesWan__.
