UMass Chan Medical School is announcing a $35 million philanthropic gift from the Paul J. DiMare Foundation to advance research at UMass Chan Medical School, to support breakthroughs in neurodegenerative and genetic diseases, especially ALS, and to recruit outstanding biomedical research faculty at all career stages. The $35 million commitment is the third largest ever received by the University of Massachusetts and will be designated entirely for the endowment.
In recognition of the generous support from the Paul J. DiMare Foundation, Chancellor Michael F. Collins will recommend to the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees that the new education and research building be named the Paul J. DiMare Center. A vote by the Board is anticipated at its April meeting.
“This tremendous gift is a bold endorsement for life-changing biomedical research and will undoubtedly advance UMass Chan’s mission to change the course of history of disease, while simultaneously bolstering Mr. DiMare’s enduring legacy, characterized by his astute, innovative and engaged business acumen; good will; and generous commitment to the greater good,” Chancellor Collins said.
The Paul J. DiMare Foundation honors the legacy of the DiMare family patriarch, Paul J. DiMare. Born and raised in Belmont, Massachusetts, DiMare began working in his family’s produce business, at Boston’s Haymarket Square, when he was 11 years old. With time, he led and expanded operations and distribution nationally to become one of the country’s most innovative, inventive and influential agricultural business leaders. Today, the DiMare Company, based in Homestead, Florida, is one of the largest fresh-market tomato growers and distributors in the country. DiMare was also a committed philanthropist who was deeply involved in numerous community organizations and nonprofits when he died in 2022 at the age of 81.
In addition to naming the new building, the purposes of the gift are to advance breakthroughs in neurodegenerative and genetic diseases, with a particular focus on ALS; support the ongoing efforts of UMass Chan scientists in this critical research endeavor; and assist in the ongoing recruitment of the best faculty minds at all career stages in this field. It will also support UMass Chan’s advancing together mission to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, especially among researchers who were working to find cures that benefit patients.
Anthony J. DiMare, Paul’s son, said the Paul J. DiMare Foundation has a long-standing commitment supporting health care and medical research and the DiMare family is “pleased to play a part in supporting UMass Chan and advancing research in neurodegenerative diseases, especially ALS.”
“My father’s vision was to accelerate research to one day find cures for these devastating diseases. As he would say, ‘cure the incurables,’” he said.
The new education and research building at UMass Chan, which, pending approval by the Board of Trustees, will bear DiMare’s name, opened June 7, 2024, with an event at which the Director-General of the World Health Organization delivered the keynote address. The nine-story, 350,000 square foot, LEED Gold research building is home to more than 70 principal investigators focused on neurology, neurobiology, neuroscience, psychiatry, molecular medicine and gene therapy.
UMass Board of Trustees Chair Stephen Karam said, “As chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees, I am extremely grateful to the DiMare family for this historic gift to the university and their commitment to the mission of the state’s only public medical school. UMass Chan Medical School is a leader in groundbreaking research to develop cures and treatments for many neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, and this generous gift will make this important work possible for generations of researchers and scientists.”
"The generosity of the Paul J. DiMare Foundation is a testament to the power philanthropy has to transform lives,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “This extraordinary gift will accelerate UMass Chan’s efforts to combat neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, ensuring that scientific innovation continues to thrive for generations to come. The fact that it is given at this moment in time makes it even more meaningful. We are deeply grateful to the DiMare family for their unwavering commitment to advancing biomedical discovery and improving human health. I also want to thank Chancellor Michael Collins, whose transformational leadership and vision for this medical school continues to inspire incredible acts of philanthropy.”
“The Paul J. DiMare Foundation’s extraordinary $35 million commitment to UMass Chan is a transformative investment in the future of biomedical research. This gift – one of the largest in the university’s history – will fuel groundbreaking discoveries and support the work of the university’s renowned faculty. I want to thank the DiMare family for their incredible generosity,” said UMass Foundation Chair Robert Manning.
Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, the Donna M. and Robert J. Manning Chair in Neurosciences and professor of neurology, said, “We are profoundly honored to receive such a generous gift from the family of Paul J. DiMare. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate our research into devastating degenerative diseases like ALS.”
Daryl Bosco, PhD, the Paul J. DiMare Chair in Neurodegenerative Disease and professor of neurology, added, “I am deeply grateful to the DiMare family for their extraordinary generosity and commitment to advancing scientific discovery in ALS research through their recent donations to UMass Chan Medical School. We share the DiMare family’s vision of ‘curing the incurable’ by starting new investigations into the causes of sporadic ALS.”
