Iris Cantor, a longtime UCLA donor and a champion of women’s health, has made a $10 million commitment to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Of this visionary gift, $8 million will advance the training and education of generations of clinicians and scientists in women’s health care; $2 million will create the Iris Cantor Endowed Chair in Women’s Health, an administrative chair to be held by the director of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center, currently Dr. Janet Pregler. To leverage the power of her gift, Cantor challenged the center’s Executive Advisory Board to raise an additional $2 million for the chair. The board’s successful endeavor brought the total endowment to $4 million.
UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block and Dr. Kelsey C. Martin, dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Gerald S. Levey, M.D., Endowed Chair, honored Cantor on September 27, 2018, at a reception in Geffen Hall. In recognition of Cantor’s philanthropy, UCLA named the Iris Cantor Auditorium, located on Level 1 of Geffen Hall, and unveiled the signage commemorating the newly named auditorium.
“Iris Cantor’s profound contributions to women’s health have strengthened UCLA’s medical enterprise by allowing us to help improve the health of thousands of women,” Chancellor Block said. “We are grateful for her vision and support that have helped make UCLA a leader in providing this critical care all across the region.”
Cantor has provided funding for three pioneering centers at UCLA to serve women: the Iris Cantor Center for Breast Imaging; the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center, one of the first comprehensive women’s health centers in the nation; and the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Education and Research Center, which supports community outreach programs.
“Thanks to Iris, generations of women have been empowered to take command of their health and get involved,” Dr. Martin said. “I believe we can safely say that Iris’s philanthropy reflects her passion and her ability to motivate others to take up the cause.”
“This gift is an indelible and lasting tribute to my commitment to health care, and in this instance, women’s health care training, discovery and healing,” Cantor said. “It will provide inspiration for researchers and clinicians, as well as hope and healing for women globally.”
For more information, contact Gina Weitzel at: 310-267-2112
