Almost a decade after making a $20-million gift to establish the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, Paul and Alessandra Dalla Lana are doubling down on their investment.
Today, the couple announced they are making an additional $20-million gift to the school, located in the heart of Toronto's innovation and health district.
"It's been amazing to watch the school grow and to see the impact its research is already having on critically important but often overlooked public health and health system issues across Canada and globally," said Paul Dalla Lana, founder of NorthWest Healthcare Properties REIT, the largest private owner and manager of medical buildings in Canada.
"This funding will enable the school to expand this work to improve the quality of life for us all."
In the years since the couple's original donation - the largest gift ever given to public health in Canada - the school has grown into a global leader in public health, health policy and health systems education, research and service, known for research like Professor Prabhat Jha's innovative Million Death Study. Jha is the Endowed Chair in Disease Control at DLSPH, funded by the Dalla Lanas' original gift.
Read more about Jha and his research
Research at the School tackles critical issues in public health and health systems. These include health promotion and disease prevention to control and reduce the surging incidence of chronic diseases like diabetes; new ways to ensure the safety and effectiveness of hospital and home care; the most effective way to pay for our health system; and even ways to enhance the role of social services and education in promoting health.
"Paul and Alessandra Dalla Lana have now doubled their initial, magnificent gift, which was already unprecedented in Canadian philanthropy in support of public health," said U of T President Meric Gertler. "Their visionary support is making a difference for the better in some of the most pressing issues of our time - through research, public policy, and the training of the next generation of global public health leaders. Most importantly, they have enabled the Dalla Lana School of Public Health to promote the health of countless individuals and communities around the world. On behalf of the University of Toronto, I would like to express our profound gratitude to Paul and Alessandra for their inspiring leadership and exemplary generosity."
Click here to read the full story.
