$25 million gift from Irving Kipnes ushers in a new era in medical discovery and patient care
The University of Alberta has entered a new era in medical discovery and patient care thanks to a landmark $25-million gift from the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation.
With this transformative donation, the university has formally launched the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Health Research Institute, a center designed to fast-track the journey from scientific breakthrough to real-world health solutions for Albertans.
At the heart of this story is Irving Kipnes, the Edmonton businessman and philanthropist whose name has become synonymous with visionary giving in health care, education, and the arts.
Kipnes, who built a remarkable career in business and real estate development, has long believed that wealth carries with it an obligation to improve the lives of others. Over decades of philanthropy, he and his late wife, Dr. Dianne Kipnes—who passed away in December 2024—have left an indelible mark on institutions across Alberta.
This latest gift is both a continuation of that legacy and a tribute to Dianne’s lifelong commitment to advancing health research and care.
The new institute will not simply support traditional academic research; it is designed to transform how innovation reaches patients.
By harnessing artificial intelligence and integrating Alberta’s rich health data, researchers will be able to identify new treatments, refine health interventions, and accelerate clinical applications.
The establishment of a Health Research Translation Unit will provide a direct bridge between laboratory discovery and bedside care, ensuring that breakthroughs are tested, refined, and delivered to patients far more quickly than through conventional processes.
Among its inaugural initiatives will be a Lymphedema Research and Training Program, reflecting a personal cause long championed by the Kipnes family.
For Irving Kipnes, this moment is deeply personal. Throughout their philanthropic journey, he and Dianne directed their giving toward causes that were not only transformative but also practical in their impact.
They endowed chairs in lymphatic disorders, finance and development, and radiopharmaceutical sciences at the University of Alberta, each representing a carefully chosen area where investment could yield exponential benefits.
This new institute gathers those strands into a single, ambitious vision: to make Alberta a leader in translational health research.
Speaking of his wife’s influence, Kipnes has often emphasized that Dianne’s passion for both health care and education shaped their family’s philanthropic priorities.
The renaming of the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy to the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Health Research Academy ensures that her contributions will continue to inspire students, physicians, and researchers for generations to come.
The $25-million gift is not simply a financial contribution; it is an act of faith in Alberta’s ability to lead globally in medical research and innovation.
For Kipnes, now in the later chapters of a remarkable life, the institute stands as both a personal tribute to his partner and a public promise to future generations of Albertans.
It is a gift rooted in love, legacy, and a relentless belief in the power of science to change lives.