Philanthropy made it possible.
Thanks to the generosity of more than 76,800 alumni, students, staff, faculty, families, and friends, BrownTogether: The Campaign for Building on Distinction surpassed its goals—twice—and ultimately raised more than $4.44 billion.
The BrownTogether campaign has been critically important to furthering Brown’s academic mission to create new knowledge, advance innovation and discovery, and make a positive difference in the world. Campaign giving has empowered and equipped faculty and students to take on groundbreaking research and scholarship, including in the Division of Biology and Medicine, where innovation and exploration have soared. These efforts have elevated the University’s academic excellence in areas of proven strength and in emerging areas where it can lead. Campaign giving has also supported the University’s vital role as an economic engine for Providence and Rhode Island.
Campaign Highlights
BrownTogether donors raised &517 million for the Division of Biology and Medicine
- Raised $30 million to establish the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research
- Raised over $28 million to accelerate discovery at the Legorreta Cancer Center
Advancing Biomedical Research and Education
Since the campaign began in 2015, the Division of Biology and Medicine has been on a path of unprecedented growth.
- We established new centers to focus on areas of excellence including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, translational neuroscience, and RNA.
- We created the Institute of Biology, Engineering, and Medicine to champion the intersection of these dynamic fields and researchers working to develop and deliver cutting-edge health care solutions.
- We reinstated the MD/PhD program to help build a pipeline of physician-scientists poised to solve the complex health issues we face as a nation and world.
- We established Brown Biomedical Innovations to Impact to help translate biomedical research discoveries and drive entrepreneurship among faculty.
- We broke ground on William A. and Ami Kuan Danoff Life Sciences Laboratories— the largest academic laboratory building in Rhode Island—to convene scientists to solve, interconnected health and medical challenges.
Brown’s position in Rhode Island’s health care landscape has evolved significantly over the last decade with the creation of Brown Physicians, Inc., Brown Innovation and Research Collaborative for Health (BIRCH), and most recently, the enhanced affiliation with Brown University Health (formerly Lifespan). Our vision for clinical excellence is grounded in a commitment to deliver the highest quality care to the communities we serve. And all of this progress is built for and around our students and faculty—the physicians and scientists who, imbued with the ethos of Brown, will improve the health and well-being of communities both near and far.
Reflecting Values
Kristi L. Stangeland PPhD’23MD’25 and Peter Hinman PPhD’23MD’25
Deciphering disease was a focus area of the BrownTogether campaign, as was taking a deeper look at health disparities and improving population health. As medical parents, Peter Hinman PPhD’23MD’25 and Kristi L. Stangeland PPhD’23MD’25 are incredibly proud of their daughter, Tina, and her decision to impact health care through her research and pursuit of medicine. When discussing how their family might support the BrownTogether campaign, they leaned into their collective belief in the importance of training a diverse community of students to reflect the patient populations they will serve, and prepare them to address even broader systemic challenges in medicine.
“Understanding and recognizing the structures that create health disparities provides a foundation for future doctors to initiate and promote change in the health care system,” Hinman says. “The curriculum at Brown emphasizes the many socioeconomic factors that influence health, and the training provided—especially during the Doctoring courses—encourages critical thinking and honest discussion on the many variables that impact a patient’s well-being.”
Their gift to the Brown Medical Annual Fund’s Advancing Diversity in Medicine Scholarship helps fulfill a campaign promise to support students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine.
In addition to their gift, Hinman and Stangeland have served as volunteers on Brown’s Medical Parents Committee, and their involvement reflects the ethos of BrownTogether. “Throughout our lives, we have found the act of giving to be what helps connect us to others, as well as to organizations we care about,” Stangeland says. “Our advice is to decide on something that resonates deeply with you at Brown, and focus on participating actively and giving yourself to that mission.”
Strengthening Medical Scholarships
Nora L. Burgess ’74 MD’77
As a member of one of Brown’s first medical school classes, Nora L. Burgess ’74 MD’77 has seen the evolution of the University’s investment in medical education and research and how the two complement each other to enhance the student experience. The development of the Program in Liberal Medical Education inspired Burgess a great deal, and it afforded her opportunities that she saw reflected in her medical practice for years to come.
When the BrownTogether campaign came around, Burgess wanted her gift to reflect her values and experience, and a medical scholarship felt like the right fit for many reasons.
“My background was a financially modest one,” says Burgess, who funded her medical education through a combination of jobs, loans, laboratory work, and eventually a medical scholarship from Brown. “I remember standing at Ruth Sauber’s desk when she told me the good news, and how relieved I was to receive it. As a first principle of paying it forward, I felt strongly that it is my responsibility to help ensure such opportunities for the next generations of medical students.”
Together with her husband, Burgess made a planned gift to establish the Nora Burgess ’74 MD’77 and Robert P. Liburdy PhD’75 Medical Scholarship.
She says their hope for future medical students is that they will invest not just in the care of their patients, but in living full lives themselves.
“Physicians are humanists—well-read and broadly educated in the pursuit of their passions—and this enhances our roles as health care providers tremendously,” Burgess says. “Being a physician is such a privilege, and practicing cardiac surgery has far exceeded any of my dreams. And my pursuits outside of medicine have been dually strengthened by the rich educational experience I received at Brown.”
