The University of Southern California (USC) has announced a $12.5 million gift from Arizona residents Jerre and Mary Joy Stead in support of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

The gift aims to support neurosurgery clinical and research innovation and entrepreneurship, and will establish the Stead Family Neurological Surgery Innovation Fund, the Jerre and Mary Joy Stead Family Chair in Neurological Surgery, and the Jerre and Mary Joy Stead Family Neurosurgical Innovation Lab. In addition, the gift will enable USC to recruit highly regarded neurosurgeon, Aaron Cohen-Gadol, who joined the Keck School in July as vice chair of innovation and professor of neurological surgery.

“We share a vision with USC to create a neurological surgery center of excellence, led by the leaders in the field, to swiftly accelerate research and advance care,” the couple said in a statement. “We believe USC will lead neurosurgical innovation and improve patient outcomes for decades to come.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/gorodenkoff)