The Stanford University School of Medicine will receive $25 million, one of the school’s largest contributions to date, from longtime Stanford supporters Jill and John Freidenrich of Atherton.
The donation will create the Jill and John Freidenrich Center for Translational Research at Stanford University. Translational research refers to translating research advances into improved patient care.
The center, to be located on Welch Road in Palo Alto, will house clinical trials in cancer and include faculty working on translational medicine.
“It’s one thing to do research. But if you really want to help people who are ill, you want to develop the best therapies and then conduct clinical trials,” John Friedenrich said.
He is a former chairman of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, a longtime member of the Stanford Hospital board, and the current chair of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital board.
“We have to find more ways to go from the (research) bench to clinical trials to patients,” he said. “Stanford has world-class researchers and clinicians, so I don’t think there’s any place better suited to carry out this work.”
He grew up in Palo Alto and received his bachelor’s and law degrees from Stanford. Jill Freidenrich grew up in Ross and met John while both were Stanford students. They have two children, Gail and Eric.
Ms. Freidenrich is a cancer survivor who became an advocate for women after suffering from breast cancer in 1991.
She said that being diagnosed with cancer hit like an earthquake. “It came out of nowhere — you can’t rehearse for something like that. With every woman who is diagnosed, it’s the same. If only we could have a blueprint that would make it easier and more manageable.”
Jill Friedenrich co-founded the Community Breast Health project in Palo Alto in 1993.
“Jill and John Friedenrich are remarkable, wonderful individuals who are deeply committed to Stanford and to our community,” said Dr. Philip Pizzo, dean of the School of Medicine. “They have recognized that making the connections between the laboratory and the patient requires more than words. It requires a Stanford Medical Center-wide effort that aligns basic and clinical scientists across the university with doctors, nurses and other care providers through translational and clinical research.”
In 1999, the Freidenrichs donated the Freidenrich Family Gallery, the largest space in the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford. The 5,300 square foot gallery, located on the second floor of the new wing, is dedicated to modern art.
The gallery exhibits works from 1960 to the present, focusing on American paintings, sculpture and works on paper.
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