A $25 million gift establishes the Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity.

We collaborate with schools, local agencies and community organizations across the U.S. to support initiatives that create health in areas such as nutrition, physical activity, immunizations and literacy screenings. Over the years, a variety of grants have funded efforts to test new health models. While results have shown promise, sustainability for these activities has been elusive without our own formalized institute.

In 2021, the wheels were set in motion for a generous investment by Orlando philanthropist Alan H. Ginsburg and the Ginsburg Family Foundation. Their gift of $25 million has established the Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity at Nemours Children’s Health — a first-of-its-kind initiative that will advance health equity for children in medically underserved communities by developing a world-class interdisciplinary program. The Institute will identify and remove barriers to health and collaborate to design and implement innovative projects that enhance population health. It will also prepare a healthcare and scientific workforce to deploy resources into diverse communities, locally and globally, bolster existing programs such as Nemours Children’s community-based mobile medical units, and expand existing efforts to deliver direct services to communities through telehealth platforms.

Part think-tank, part health-pilot incubator, hear Mr. Ginsburg discuss how the Institute will help achieve health well beyond medicine.

The Ginsburg Institute for Health Equity will focus on improving community health and well-being by addressing the systemic causes of health inequity by way of education, research, clinical care and quality improvement initiatives. This innovative medical incubator and training entity will align with Nemours Children’s mission to apply science and discoveries to further education, health care and community service. The Institute will bring together a team of world-renowned pediatric specialists whose research and policy findings will be shared through local, national and international publications and forums to address the underlying social determinants of health (SDoH), and ultimately change how health for children is achieved.

The Institute will bridge traditional subject area and programmatic silos, promote clinician collaboration, and drive excellence by sharing diverse perspectives and areas of expertise. One of the Institute’s critical functions will be as a research and innovation incubator, bringing together the brightest clinician scientists under a single roof to tackle the root causes of noncommunicable diseases, health disparities and the SDoH. Groups of scholars will work directly under an Executive Director, present their findings at an annual International Symposium, and work in tandem with the translational health advocates to turn research and data into tangible evidence-based policy change. Potential areas of study include behavioral health, the intersection of law and medicine, access to health care, and the built environment.

Spurring discovery and innovation to expand child health and well-being

Preventable, noncommunicable conditions such as asthma, obesity, diabetes and behavioral disorders represent an enormous proportion of rising health care costs for children. The SDoH underlying these illnesses in children are often poorly understood, especially in marginalized communities. The Institute will identify and remove barriers to health in medically underserved areas and collaborate to design and implement innovative projects that enhance population health. The mission will also be to prepare a health care and scientific workforce to deploy resources into diverse communities, locally and globally.