$4 Million Gift Helps Miller School Create New Neuro-Imaging Research Center
Longtime philanthropists Robert M. Cornfeld, D.M.D., and his wife, Judith, recently made a donation of $4 million to the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to create the Judy and Robert Cornfeld Neuro-Imaging Research Center.
From left, Edward Abraham, M.D., Judith Cornfeld, Robert M. Cornfeld, D.M.D., and Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., M.S.
The center will be a multidisciplinary research environment, using advanced imaging to understand brain function and memory. It will support collaborative translational and basic science research related to a number of diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, vascular disease and neurological disorders. The center will also use imaging to collaborate with the Miller School’s Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute to study age-related memory loss.
To thank the Cornfelds for their generosity, leaders of the Miller School and the Department of Neurology held a special high tea. The couple was given white lab coats embroidered with their names as a memento of the occasion.
“A strong neuro-imaging footprint is a vital capability for any research academic institution,” said Edward Abraham, M.D., Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, CEO of UHealth, and Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the Miller School of Medicine.
Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., M.S., executive director of the McKnight Brain Institute, professor and chair of neurology, Olemberg Chair in Neurological Disorders, senior associate dean for clinical and translational science, and director of UM’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, thanked the Cornfelds for their generosity.
“This gift,” he said, “creates a valuable resource that will be used by almost all the specialties in researching causes of neurological diseases.”