The University of Louisville has announced a gift of financial commitments and in-kind donations totaling $47 million from Christina Lee Brown to establish a new health campus and home for the school’s Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute.

The gift includes an in-kind donation of rent valued at $17 million as well as a $30 million commitment over 20 years to house the university’s New Vision of Health Campus with the institute as its centerpiece; develop the 130,000 square-foot space as a world-class research center that promotes a multidisciplinary, holistic approach to understanding the relationship of the environment to human health; and create a nexus for community engagement in downtown Louisville. The institute was established in 2018 with a $5 million gift from Brown.

“Health is more than the absence of disease. Health is a resilience that helps individuals withstand all forms of stress,” said institute director Aruni Bhatnagar. “We are proud to work with Christina Lee Brown and appreciate her continued support to further this important effort in advancing our health. Together, we will help people here in Louisville and around the world live lives that are not just longer, but healthier and more resilient.”

“On this new campus, [university] researchers will increase our understanding of the many aspects of our environment that contribute to optimum health for everyone,” said University of Louisville interim president Lori Stewart Gonzalez. “It embodies our commitment to health equity.”

(Photo credit: University of Louisville)