Kern Family's $20 Million Gift Will Jump Start Mayo Clinic Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic announced today that longtime Mayo benefactors Robert and Patricia Kern have given $20 million to help launch its Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery. The goal of the center is to create, evaluate and implement approaches to deliver high-value care.

While state and federal policymakers continue to struggle with health care reform, Mayo Clinic — through the center — is stepping up its commitment to designing and implementing better health care models for the future. By analyzing data, conducting research and engineering new care delivery systems, the center will identify the most efficient best practices in the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients. These findings and new models of care will then guide the way care is received at Mayo Clinic — and through partnerships and dissemination — in other organizations throughout the country. The center will be led by Véronique L. Roger, M.D., M.P.H., a cardiologist and epidemiologist, and Mark Hayward, a senior administrator at Mayo Clinic.

"Mayo has been an important part of our family for many decades," says Mr. Kern. "We admire their culture of putting the needs of the patient first, and we are honored to join with them to lead the transformation of health care."

The Kerns' relationship with Mayo Clinic stretches back more than 80 years. Since 1930, Kern and his family have made several trips to Mayo, and Kern believes in and strongly supports its mission and its desire to bring further innovations to patient care. In 1959, Kern harnessed innovations in silicon technology to start his own business, Generac Power Systems, based in Waukesha, Wis., growing it from a two-person operation run from his garage into what eventually became the largest manufacturer of generators in the world.

"It seems fitting that a man whose own life and career success have been fueled by innovation would choose to so generously support Mayo Clinic in this new endeavor," says John Noseworthy, M.D., Mayo Clinic president and CEO. "The Kern family's gift will help Mayo lead the way in shaping the face of health care in the 21st century."

The Kern family's gift will be used to hire staff, build space and finance startup needs of the Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery. The center will use in-depth medical record studies, informatics, epidemiology, health sciences research and systems engineering to design and validate the most efficient and effective medical practices. Renovated space in the Harwick Building on Mayo Clinic's downtown Rochester campus will serve as the primary physical location of the center.

"At the end of the day, health care is about treating patients in a manner that delivers optimal outcomes and quality of life in the most efficient way possible," says Dr. Roger. "The Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery affirms Mayo Clinic's continued commitment to keep the patient as the focus of our practice through the discovery and study of innovative ways to care for patients and to share this knowledge throughout the country."

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