This winter in St. Louis, we had the privilege of celebrating a major advancement in neuroscience research when we cut the ribbon and dedicated the new Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building at Washington University School of Medicine.
This 11-story, 609,000-square-foot facility will be a game changer, providing space for some 120 research teams to collaborate on unlocking the mysteries of the brain. Their discoveries will lead to new therapies and treatments for devastating neurological illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease and brain tumors.
The lobby of the building will be named the McDonnell Lobby, honoring the family’s generations of visionary philanthropy at Washington University, particularly at our School of Medicine. The McDonnells have supported neuroscience research at WashU for decades through gifts to endow professorships and establish groundbreaking centers like the McDonnell Genome Institute.
“We now have a facility unmatched in the world, where the brightest and most passionate innovators can push the boundaries of neuroscience and generate life-changing therapies to alleviate human suffering the world over.”
Chancellor Andrew Martin
On that exciting day, we also announced that the entire building will be named the Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building and known colloquially as Fort Labs. For years, Fort and his family have contributed to the advancement of research in neurosurgery, ophthalmology and other areas at WashU. This gift to name the neuroscience building takes their impact to new heights.
At a celebratory dinner that evening, I had the opportunity to personally thank our many friends, including the McDonnell and Fort families, for helping us realize our vision. We toasted the incredible contributions of our philanthropic community, and celebrated our drive for scientific progress and our refusal to dream small when it comes to healing.
I couldn’t be more excited about this next era of neuroscience research at Washington University. We now have a facility unmatched in the world, where the brightest and most passionate innovators can push the boundaries of neuroscience and generate life-changing therapies to alleviate human suffering the world over. To say I’m humbled to play a small part in this work is an understatement.
Please see the cover feature to learn more about some of the advancements in health that are being born right here at WashU in the Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building. We should all be very proud.
