There are moments when you begin to appreciate that some of the most meaningful investments are the ones most people never see.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet remarkable physicians, researchers, and educators who have dedicated their lives to advancing medicine. What has always impressed me is that the breakthroughs we read about rarely happen because of one person or one discovery. They happen because talented people are given the resources, the time, and the support to keep asking important questions.
That realization has shaped the way Margie and I think about philanthropy.
When people hear about supporting medical research, it’s natural to picture laboratories, clinical trials, or new treatments. Those are certainly important. But I’ve come to appreciate that many of the greatest advances begin long before a patient ever receives care. They begin by creating the foundation that allows researchers to work together, share knowledge, and build upon each other’s discoveries.
Those foundations often go unnoticed.
Yet they may be some of the most valuable investments we can make.
One of the reasons our family has been proud to support Weill Cornell Medicine is because of its commitment to thinking beyond today’s challenges. The physicians and scientists there are not simply focused on solving immediate problems. They are building systems that will allow future discoveries to happen faster, more accurately, and with greater collaboration.
That kind of long-term thinking has always resonated with me.
Throughout my career, I’ve learned that lasting success is rarely built around short-term results. Whether in business, education, or healthcare, meaningful progress comes from investing in people and creating environments where innovation can continue for years to come. It’s a perspective that has also shaped my thoughts on healthcare innovation, where I’ve reflected on the importance of supporting institutions that are committed to improving lives through research, education, and collaboration.
The development of research infrastructure is a perfect example.
A research data repository may not attract the same attention as a new medical breakthrough, but it makes those breakthroughs possible. By giving researchers access to better information, stronger collaboration, and more comprehensive data, these resources create opportunities that extend far beyond a single project.
One discovery often leads to another.
One question inspires the next.
That’s how meaningful progress happens.
As I’ve spent more time learning about neuroscience and memory disorders, I’ve also gained a deeper appreciation for the extraordinary commitment of the people working in this field. Supporting Alzheimer’s and dementia research at Weill Cornell Medicine has reinforced my belief that progress is achieved one step at a time, through persistence, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to helping patients and families.
Behind every research project are people hoping for answers.
Families searching for earlier diagnoses.
Patients looking for more effective treatments.
Physicians determined to improve care.
When viewed through that lens, investments in research become deeply personal.
I’ve also come to appreciate that the strongest academic medical institutions understand something very important. They recognize that education, patient care, and scientific discovery are connected. Supporting one strengthens the others. That idea is something I’ve reflected on while writing about academic medicine at Weill Cornell, where collaboration across disciplines continues to shape the future of healthcare.
What gives me optimism is knowing that today’s investments may benefit people we’ll never meet.
A researcher may use new data to identify patterns that weren’t visible before.
A physician may develop a more personalized treatment.
A family may receive answers years earlier than would have otherwise been possible.
Those outcomes are impossible to predict today, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable.
If anything, it makes supporting them even more meaningful.
Margie and I have always believed that philanthropy is about looking beyond the present. It’s about recognizing opportunities to help build something that will continue serving others long after today’s work is finished. That philosophy continues to guide our broader approach to philanthropy, where we’ve tried to support organizations capable of creating lasting impact through education, healthcare, and community partnerships.
Medical research has always required patience.
The discoveries that change lives are built over years of careful study, collaboration, and determination. Every advancement becomes the starting point for the next. Every generation of researchers helps prepare the way for those who follow.
That continuity is inspiring.
It reminds us that progress is rarely measured by a single breakthrough. More often, it is measured by thousands of individual efforts coming together in pursuit of a common goal.
Looking ahead, I remain incredibly optimistic about what the future of medicine holds. Advances in neuroscience, precision medicine, artificial intelligence, and data science are creating possibilities that would have seemed unimaginable only a generation ago.
Supporting those efforts is, in many ways, an investment in future families.
Families who may one day benefit from earlier diagnoses.
Families who may have access to more effective treatments.
Families whose lives may be changed because researchers today were given the opportunity to continue their work.
If our family’s support helps make even a small contribution to that future, then it will always be one of the most meaningful investments we could make.
Because some of the greatest returns are never measured by what we receive.
They’re measured by the lives that are improved because we chose to invest in something bigger than ourselves.
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