Arizona State University has received a $50 million gift to further dementia research within its College of Nursing and Health Innovation and its Biodesign Institute.
The donation came from Charlene and J. Orin Edson to provide support for the university’s groundbreaking, multidisciplinary research on dementia, and to enhance education and training for nurses and caregivers.
“The Edson family’s generous gift helps to position ASU as a leader in tackling one of the most challenging health issues of our time,” ASU president, Michael M. Crow, said.
“Our belief is that it will serve as an example of how investing in research for the common good makes possible new breakthroughs, better outcomes and faster progress on a whole host of important problems facing society.”
The gift, which is considered one of the largest received in the school’s history, will be equally split between the College of Nursing and Health Innovation and the Biodesign Institute.
Initially, both centers will work in partnership to create a program to encourage transdisciplinary inquiry that takes research findings “from the bench to the bedside.”
“We want to work with them because they’re on the front lines,” Joshua LaBaer, executive director of the Biodesign Institute, said. “It’s the nurses who actually do a lot of the patient care, and they have the best understanding of what the needs are.”
Over the coming months, the university is planning to establish another center that will focus on healthy and resilient aging by collaborating with community partners as well.
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