The Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University has announced a $20 million gift from Mike and Maria Repole and the Nonna’s Garden Foundation. 

The gift will help ensure that the Berrie Center has the financial support it needs to continue its work as a “one of a kind” family-centered resource for adults and children with diabetes. The gift will fund treatment of patients with diabetes, sustain Berrie Center programs, and help patients access multidisciplinary care for their diabetes as well as their medical care. 

According to Berrie Diabetes Center co-director Robin Goland, the gift will help ensure that each patient receives optimal, individualized diabetes care. “Mike and Maria’s extraordinary generosity allows us to be nimble and flexible as we respond to the ever-changing medical landscape,” she said. “We are grateful for their vision and their understanding of the challenges of patient care for individuals with diabetes.”

“My grandmother nurtured her garden the same way she nurtured her friends and family—with tons of tender loving care,” said Mike Repole, an entrepreneur as well as the founder of Nonna’s Garden Foundation. “Dr. Goland does the same for her patients at the Berrie Center. In the 15 years that Maria and I have known Dr. Goland, we have built a very special connection. We are in awe of her deep commitment to our family and to the many patient families she serves. She’s not only a first-rate doctor, she is an amazing person. We hope this gift will allow Dr. Goland and her outstanding clinical team to continue pursuing the latest advances in diabetes treatment for their patients in our community and around the world.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/fatcamera)