Historic Gift to Support Biomedical Research and Education

The single largest gift ever made to Columbia’s medical school was bestowed last summer when Roy’54 and Diana Vagelos made a $400 million gift in August of 2024. This gift, along with their previous giving, establishes Dr. and Mrs. Vagelos as the most generous donors in the history of Columbia University.

The gift will expand the mission of the Vagelos Institute for Biomedical Research Education, which was created in 2023 through a $175 million gift from Dr. and Mrs. Vagelos. The institute will now be named the Roy and Diana Vagelos Institute for Basic Biomedical Science. The institute will provide the infrastructure to unite cutting-edge research taking place in Columbia’s basic science departments, medical and graduate education programs, and research initiatives in clinical departments.

“By assembling this mix of mutually reinforcing activities, we seek to build the world’s foremost ecosystem for biomedical research and to attract the next generation of exceptionally creative and collaborative scientists able to realize this vision,” said Columbia interim President Katrina Armstrong, MD, and VP&S interim Dean James McKiernan’93 in an announcement about the gift.

The gift will also support construction of the new biomedical research building at 167th Street and Audubon Avenue. The building, expected to be open in Fall 2026, will be known as the Vagelos Innovation Laboratories and will provide more than 55,000 square feet of new laboratory space. It also will be New York City’s first fully electrified, university-owned laboratory building.

The new gift will also support the medical school’s programs in cell engineering and gene therapy and help expand collaborations that harness breakthroughs and new technologies. Research to advance these next-generation therapies will revolutionize treatment for a wide variety of diseases ranging from disorders of the blood and immune system to cancers, metabolic disorders, and inflammatory, neurological, and cardiovascular conditions.

“The legacy of Roy and Diana Vagelos at Columbia University and in the world of philanthropic support for biomedical research and education was already well established before the announcement of this historic gift,” said Drs. Armstrong and McKiernan. “They are unique benefactors guided by laudable values that became guiding principles for our school. Their sustained commitment to education, scientific research, and human health, in general—and to Columbia, in particular—is simply unmatched. The impact of their philanthropy will extend far beyond Columbia and be felt for generations to come.”

Before their recent gifts, Dr. and Mrs. Vagelos supported construction of the Vagelos Education Center and in 2017 created a scholarship initiative that sparked a nationwide revolution to address affordability in medical education.

“It is difficult to conceive of our medical campus without their contributions,” said Drs. Armstrong and McKiernan. “This latest gift comes at a critical inflection point for the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The confluence of fresh thinking about the future of basic and translational biomedical research from our brilliant faculty, a structured strategic planning effort aimed at strengthening VP&S, a thriving clinical practice embracing growth and innovation, and a bedrock institutional commitment to building a more equitable health care system, all make this an auspicious moment in the life of our institution.”