Phil Knight, a co-founder of Nike, and his wife, Penny Knight, will give $2 billion to the cancer research center at Oregon Health & Science University, a gift the institution billed as the largest single donation to a university in the United States.
The university said that the donation would help it expand and accelerate diagnostic capabilities, ensure access to innovative clinical trials and simplify the experience for patients and families. Its main campus is in Portland, Ore.
In 2008, the university named its cancer institute after the Knights after receiving a $100 million gift from them. And in 2013, the couple, who live in Oregon, pledged an additional $500 million to the university if it could match the sum in two years as part of a cancer challenge, which it did.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the transformational potential of this work for humanity,” the couple said in a statement provided by the university.
Mr. Knight, 87, who is synonymous with the Nike swoosh logo, stepped down as president and chief executive of the Oregon-based sneaker and athletic wear giant in 2004. In 2016, he retired as the company’s chairman.
Dr. Brian Druker, the cancer institute’s chairman of leukemia research, said in a statement on Thursday that the couple’s previous donations had helped establish a large-scale early cancer detection program. The cancer challenge also spurred the development of numerous blood tests to detect cancer in its early stages and empowered the center to lead the way in targeted therapies and precision medicine, he said.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The post Phil Knight, Ex-Nike Chief, and His Wife Pledge $2 Billion to Oregon Cancer Center appeared first on New York Times.
