A $50 million gift from Charlene and J. Orin Edson to Arizona State University will be evenly split between the Biodesign Institute and the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation to support dementia research as well as education and training for nurses and caregivers.
At the Biodesign Institute, home since 2017 to the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, the $25 million gift will create The Charlene and J. Orin Edson Initiative for Dementia Care and Solutions which will help to identify the causes of dementia and work toward a cure and developing tools to manage the disease, according to ASU. The donation will also fund additional researchers, experimental projects, and an annual meeting of international experts at ASU.
At the renamed Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, the $25 million gift creates the Grace Center for Innovation in Nursing Education, named after Charlene Edson’s mother, and will provide simulations for a hands-on experience to help advance research and prepare nurses and other health care providers, according to ASU. The money will also fund fellowships, scholarships, and increase the number of professors.
The $50 million gift is one of the largest in ASU’s history and will increase research and care in an area where Arizona is already a global leader. The gift will also help further the goals of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, a long-term strategic plan through 2025 commissioned by the Flinn Foundation to advance the state’s bioscience sector.
Read more:
$50 million gift supports dementia research, education, ASU News
$50 million donation to ASU renames nursing college, funds dementia research, Arizona Republic