Marking the largest research donation in its history, Atlantic Health System announced a transformative $5 million pledge from prominent New Jersey philanthropists Bruce I. Jacobs and Kenneth N. Levy.
The gift establishes The Jacobs Levy Clinical Research and Innovation Endowment at the Atlantic Health Clinical Research and Innovation Institute (AHCRII), providing a sustainable, perpetual source of annual funding dedicated entirely to accelerating novel research and discoveries in oncology.
The contribution is being made by Jacobs and Levy—co-founders of Florham Park-based Jacobs Levy Equity Management—to commemorate the firm’s 40th anniversary.
As the first corporate-rooted endowment of its kind for AHCRII, the fund will generate enduring financial support for investigator-led studies, clinical trials, and system-wide research initiatives across multiple Atlantic Health sites.
The endowment is designed to fund high-impact oncology projects aimed at transforming scientific discoveries into advanced patient treatments. Specifically, the funds will support:
- The development and evaluation of innovative cancer therapies, technologies, and care models.
- Expanded patient access to cutting-edge oncology clinical trials.
- Investigator-led studies focused on improving survival rates and clinical standards of care.
- Seed funding for early-stage oncology projects with the potential to scale via external grants and industry partnerships.
“Our firm has long believed in the power of philanthropy to drive healthcare advances so it is immensely gratifying to know that this new endowment, as we commemorate four decades of pioneering investment research, will have a transformational impact on cancer care in New Jersey,” Jacobs said.
Levy added: “We’re proud to build on the long-standing relationship between our firm and Atlantic Health and the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center to support the deeply devoted clinicians, researchers and change agents at Atlantic Health.”
For over 25 years, Jacobs Levy Equity Management and its co-founders have contributed more than $1.4 million toward regional medical research, patient care, and community health initiatives. Their extensive philanthropic history with Atlantic Health includes:
- Funding the Jacobs Levy Genomic Medicine and Research Program ($1 million gift).
- Supporting the Chambers Center for Well-Being ($250,000 gift).
- Backing the Atlantic Health Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute ($75,000 gift) and Goryeb Children’s Hospital ($50,000 gift).
- Providing crucial pandemic relief and ongoing annual support for the Pediatric Child Life Program since 2007.
Saad Ehtisham, President and CEO of Atlantic Health, praised the donors’ enduring vision:
“Thanks to the tireless spirit of giving and foresight of Bruce Jacobs and Ken Levy, this major endowment will provide Atlantic Health clinicians with the resources to pursue novel approaches to medicine and advance cancer care for communities well into the future. At Atlantic Health, we created AHCRII to help transform cutting-edge care into the standard of care through clinical research and innovation.”
Atlantic Health currently pioneers nearly 180 nationally and internationally recognized clinical trials—including Phase 1 early-development trials—spanning a vast array of malignancies, such as breast, brain, gastrointestinal, head and neck, melanoma, multiple myeloma, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers.
Through the establishment of this new endowment, AHCRII is positioned to further solidify its role as a premier hub for translational and clinical research, directly impacting personalized patient outcomes across New Jersey and beyond.
