Note From Kevin

Dear BIDMC Board Member,

I hope you are enjoying the summer months and staying cool.

It’s my pleasure to share an update on BIDMC’s fundraising efforts through the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2025. Our philanthropy team has raised $93 million as of June 30, 2025. Notably, we are more than $9 million over our goal for the year, with several months left in the fiscal year. Our fundraising total includes $1.2 million raised toward our $1.4 million Board Annual Fund goal. Support from our board members has contributed 86% percent of the fiscal year’s success thus far. The Where Extraordinary Lives campaign total now stands at $844 million toward our goal of $1.2 billion.

It was nice to see many of you at our recent Critical Voices event held at the Hotel Commonwealth. Our program included leadership remarks and an engaging panel featuring distinguished faculty and leadership, focusing on our transformative collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the faculty recruitment efforts underway to support our anticipated growth. See photos from the evening here and watch a meaningful patient video shown during the event here.

Speaking of the Dana-Farber Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Collaboration, we have reached all of the key milestones allowing us to move forward with the new building—which will be the only free-standing cancer hospital in New England. Following rigorous evaluation by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), including an Independent Cost Analysis commissioned by DPH, showing that the Collaboration would be beneficial to the region, the state’s Public Health Council voted unanimously to approve Dana-Farber’s Determination of Need application for a new dedicated adult inpatient cancer hospital. The Boston Planning and Development Agency Board (BPDA) then voted unanimously to approve the designs for the 300-bed hospital. I am pleased to share that we have received a wonderful gift to support culture-building for the Collaboration. Read the story here.

This issue’s Leadership Spotlight highlights our efforts in digestive diseases, featuring a conversation between Sharmil Modi, MBA, Trustee Advisory Board member and Digestive Diseases Advisory Council Chair and Nezam Afdhal, MD, Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Sharmil kindly hosted an event in his home recently, bringing together division faculty, board members, and community leaders for meaningful dialogue. Read the Leadership Spotlight here.

I am so pleased to share that the nonprofit organization The Leapfrog Group has awarded BIDMC an ‘A’ grade in recognition of our dedication to excellence in quality and safety. It’s great to see the medical center recognized so visibly among the nation’s top hospitals, given the effort and thoughtfulness that has gone into this from many parties, including you, our board members, and the medical center’s dedicated teams.  

Thank you for all you do to contribute to BIDMC’s important mission—and to our continued success.

Sincerely,

Kevin McAteer
Divisional Vice President, Philanthropy
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

P.S. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to visit our new and improved Planned Giving website, where you can find information about tax-advantaged ways to give back to BIDMC.