Phil and Penny Knight made a record-setting $2 billion gift to OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.

The gift—which appears to be the largest single donation ever made to any U.S. university, college or academic health center—was announced together with an organizational restructuring that makes the Knight Cancer Institute into a self-governed entity within Oregon Health and Science University. 

The move also brings back the OHSU cancer center’s longtime leader and star scientist Brian Druker, who will serve as the inaugural president of the new organization, called the Knight Cancer Group.

“That gives us the ability to align the responsibility of effectively spending this groundbreaking record setting gift with the authority to do that,” Druker said to The Cancer Letter. “We've become a little bit like a Fred Hutchinson or a Huntsman. We’re following in their footsteps and we're really grateful to have this opportunity to continue to make an impact for patients with cancer.”

The Knight Cancer Group will have its own board of directors and will govern the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and manage OHSU’s cancer services.

Read more and access the transcript at https://cancerletter.com/conversation-with-the-cancer-letter/20250814_1/