“We wanted to make a difference,” Steven Gordon said from his historic midcentury modern office in Beverly Hills. Steven is a man of few words — but his (and his wife Laurie’s) philanthropy speaks for itself.
In October 2025, the Gordons committed $20 million to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center through their family foundation. This gift will enable UCLA Health to renovate the fourth floor of the hospital. The floor is currently occupied by the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, which is set to relocate to the new UCLA Resnick Mental Health Campus in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood this fall. Thanks to the Gordons, UCLA Health will install an additional 103 beds for adult and pediatric critical and acute care, increasing the hospital’s capacity by an astounding 23%. UCLA Health renamed the space the Laurie and Steven C. Gordon Pavilion in honor of the couple’s generosity.
This philanthropy comes at a crucial moment. Since the pandemic, the demand for UCLA Health inpatient services has steadily increased. The Laurie and Steven C. Gordon Pavilion will support access across the spectrum, from routine treatments and procedures to highly specialized care for complex illnesses. The gift will help alleviate strain across the hospital while meeting interconnected, urgent community needs in children’s health, psychiatric emergencies, transplantation, heart surgery and other cardiac interventions, stroke care and more.
The Gordons are very familiar with the needs of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, as they have each served the university and hospital system in significant ways. Steven sits on the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Board of Advisors, which he chaired from 2023 to 2024, and the UCLA Health System Board. He is also a member of the UCLA Second Century Council and a founding member of the board for the Ziman Center for Real Estate in the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Laurie is currently the chair of the UCLA Santa Monica Board of Advisors and a member of the UCLA Health Operation Mend Board of Advisors. She is also a member of the Depression Grand Challenge Leadership Council and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board of Advisors, which she chaired from 2018 to 2023. Most recently, Laurie joined The UCLA Foundation Board of Directors.
Through their volunteer work, the Gordons developed a close relationship with UCLA Health President Johnese Spisso. Laurie called her a “transformative leader,” and they both praised her authenticity. After Spisso had described the urgent need for more beds, the Gordons had full confidence in her ability to oversee this multifaceted project and were thrilled to make this substantial investment in the hospital.
When this gift was announced last year, Spisso said, “The Gordons continue to demonstrate their incredible generosity and visionary support of UCLA Health and UCLA.” “Continue” being the operative word, as the Gordons have established themselves as prolific philanthropists at the university. Prior to this $20 million gift, the Gordons had already contributed more than $30 million to areas across campus. They have a special interest in neurodegenerative disorders and, in 2018, launched the UCLA Laurie and Steven C. Gordon Commitment to Cure Parkinson’s Disease with a $25 million contribution.
That donation included five endowed faculty chairs in fields related to Parkinson’s and a new lab with PET and MRI technology, where scientists can closely examine the mechanisms of the disease. The Laurie and Steven C. Gordon Neuroscience Research Building was named in recognition of this far-reaching gift.
Laurie is also a fierce advocate for excellence in mental health care. To honor the life of her late son, Max, she founded the Max Gray Fund for Treatment of Mood Disorders in 2014. The fund supports an internationally recognized fellowship program that offers advanced clinical training of psychiatrists and psychologists who treat children, adolescents and adults.
The Max Gray Fellowship Program recently held its 11th annual salon in March 2026, celebrating its seven trainees, the largest cohort to date. This fellowship has meaningfully increased access to expertise in mental health for families across the region.
Much of the Gordons’ giving has been inspired by UCLA faculty. They regularly engage with these experts to learn more about how physician-scientists at the university approach some of the most difficult issues in science and medicine with innovation and optimism.
Said Laurie, “We have such a unique situation at UCLA, where we have a world-class medical school, world-class scientists and a world-class hospital. Our bench-to-bedside capabilities are extraordinary … our faculty are dreaming about solving some of the world’s biggest problems, and we can do it right here at UCLA.”
Fundamentally, the Gordons want to ease suffering for patients with a variety of conditions. They see their ability to make these substantial gifts as an honor, noting that philanthropy is more important now than ever before.
“It feels good to give,” Steven said. This simple sentiment has driven forward transformative initiatives, all geared toward creating a healthier, brighter tomorrow for Angelenos and the countless others who come to UCLA Health for the best possible care.
“UCLA is a place where miracles happen, and to create more beds where more miracles can happen is a privilege for us,” Laurie said.
While patients and families experience the extraordinary care at UCLA Health every day, faculty and staff cannot do it alone. It takes true altruists, like Laurie and Steven Gordon, to keep the impossible within reach.
Allie McFarland is a senior writer for UCLA Health Sciences Development.
