February 2000

Lillehei Gift to U of M Will Create Heart Institute, Nursing Chair

The family of the late Dr. C. Walton Lillehei has given the University of Minnesota $16 million through a charitable lead trust to commemorate his contributions to the university and the world in the field of cardiovascular surgery, and that of Kaye Lillehei, his wife, to the field of nursing.

A majority of the gift -- $13 million -- will be used to establish the Lillehei Heart Institute within the Medical School, and $3 million will fund the Katherine R. and C. Walton Lillehei Chair in Nursing Leadership. The gift, part of Campaign Minnesota, is the largest in history for the Medical School and School of Nursing, the second largest to the university by an individual and the second largest in the campaign.

"The University of Minnesota has been an integral part of our lives for many years," said Kaye Lillehei. "Our children and many of our extended family members attended the university, Walt and I met as students at the university, and of course Walt made a career at the university. This is our opportunity to give back to an institution that has given us so much."

"It is difficult to imagine a more fitting tribute to the Lillehei legacy and better statement of what philanthropy can do for people," said university President Mark Yudof. "The gift provided by Kaye Lillehei and her family is clearly one of the defining moments in the history of this university, since it has the potential to improve the lives of thousands of people for generations to come. It will impact not only Minnesotans, but people around the world -- just as Walt did throughout his career."

The Lillehei Heart Institute will be located in the Variety Club Research Center, where Lillehei did much of his work. It will bring together the cardiology and cardiovascular surgery programs from the Medical School departments of medicine, surgery and pediatrics. The goal is to create a preeminent institute where the causes of heart ailments are investigated, new treatments are created and future cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons are educated. The interdisciplinary nature of the institute will encourage day-to-day communications and collaboration among faculty, scientists, residents and fellows who are in search of new strategies to diagnose, prevent and treat heart disease.

Lillehei trained many of the world's notable cardiovascular surgeons, and his innovations have influenced thousands of students, researchers and physicians. Because education was one of his greatest legacies, a goal of the institute will be to attract the best and brightest residents and fellows in cardiovascular surgery and cardiology.

"This gift is a momentous event for the University of Minnesota Medical School," said Dr. Alfred Michael, dean of the Medical School. "The Lillehei Heart Institute will serve as an important resource for metro, outstate and regional citizens as a result of enhanced research and care capability." The $13 million gift marks the start of a special campaign effort to raise at least $25 million for the institute.

The Katherine R. and C. Walton Lillehei Chair in Nursing Leadership will recognize the interest of Dr. Lillehei and his wife, Kaye, in the care and treatment of sick people. Kaye Lillehei was a registered nurse who earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing education from the university in 1943. The Lillehei chair will help the university recruit an international leader in the field of nursing.

The holder of the chair will lead the Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership. Densford was dean of the School of Nursing for 29 years. The chair holder will bring together a community of thinkers, researchers and policy experts who apply the nursing perspective to real life and contemporary health issues that affect patient care around the world. This person will create a forum to generate ideas, explore ways to implement those ideas and chart the future for nursing and health care.

"We are deeply grateful for the Lillehei family's generosity," said Sandra Edwardson, dean of the School of Nursing. "By establishing the chair in nursing leadership, Kaye Lillehei honors her alma mater and will influence the direction of nursing and health care policy for years to come."

Lillehei, who died July 5, 1999, at age 80, is considered the father of open-heart surgery. The work that he and his colleagues conducted at the university had a global impact. As professor of surgery from 1951 to 1967, Lillehei invented or collaborated in the creation of numerous cardiovascular techniques, procedures and devices. He was involved in the world's first successful open-heart surgery and the first use of cross-circulation for cardiopulmonary bypass, and he collaborated with Medtronic cofounder Earl Bakken to create the first wearable pacemaker. His innovation and vision helped lead to the establishment of Minnesota's biotechnology industry, Medical Alley. In 1970 he was appointed director of medical affairs for St. Jude Medical Inc., a position he held until his death.

Campaign Minnesota, announced in October, has generated $730 million in private gifts through December. The goal is to raise $1.3 billion in private gifts by 2003 for endowment and ongoing program support.

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