Catalyst
An Extraordinary Investment in Surgical Medicine
(from left to right): Peter L. Slavin, MD, Heather Vucetin, Jordan Randall, Benjamin Randall, Jim Randall, Starlite Randall, Eleanor Randall, Matthew Beckley, Edward H. Phillips, MD, Bryan Croft, Cristina Ferrone, MD, Arthur J. Ochoa, JD, Miguel Burch, MD
Cedars-Sinai is an international destination for tens of thousands of patients in need of critical surgical procedures each year. Those patients—and countless others in the years ahead—will benefit from a truly remarkable $100 million gift from Jim and Eleanor Randall and the Randall Family Foundation.
The Randalls’ far-reaching philanthropy is establishing the Jim and Eleanor Randall Department of Surgery, dramatically expanding the medical center’s capacity to serve the specialized needs of patients in Los Angeles and around the world. Their gift also names a research building, at the corner of George Burns Road and Gracie Allen Drive in Los Angeles, that supports a wide variety of physician-scientists and endows the Jim and Eleanor Randall Chair in Surgery in honor of Edward H. Phillips, MD—honoring an internationally renowned authority in surgical medicine at Cedars-Sinai.
(from left to right): Eleanor Randall, Edward H. Phillips, MD, Jim Randall, Cristina Ferrone, MD
By championing revolutionary innovations in surgical research and training, the Randalls are enabling experts at Cedars-Sinai to break new ground in surgical disciplines including cancer, transplant, otolaryngology (ENT) and reconstructive plastics, gastrointestinal, vascular, chest and trauma surgery.
"The talented members of Cedars-Sinai’s Department of Surgery team continue to make a daily difference in the lives of individuals and families throughout our community and beyond," Jim said. "Eleanor and I are dedicated to building on their efforts and extending their impact, and we are proud to partner in support of their lifesaving work for generations to come."
An event at Cedars-Sinai celebrated the Randalls’ generosity and honored Miguel Burch, MD, inaugural holder of the new endowed chair and a trailblazing expert in minimally invasive and gastrointestinal surgery.
"I am humbled to hold the Jim and Eleanor Randall Chair in Surgery in honor of Edward H. Phillips, MD, and I look forward to helping advance the Randall Department of Surgery’s leading-edge excellence in training, research and clinical care," Dr. Burch said.
The Randalls’ latest gift—the third nine-figure gift in the medical center’s history—continues the couple’s longstanding legacy of investment in the medical center and its commitment to improving patient outcomes locally and globally.
"We are incredibly fortunate to have Jim and Eleanor Randall as such visionary benefactors," said Peter L. Slavin, MD, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai. "With their amazing gift, they are pushing the boundaries of surgical medicine and paving the way for transformative discoveries that can change and save patients’ lives. I am deeply grateful for their friendship and support."
