$1 million donation to OHSU will help address local cancer needs across Oregon
Eric Lemelson is a climate activist, philanthropist, winemaker and entrepreneur. From an early age, he developed an appreciation for social justice, respect for people and the planet, and generosity in work — all values instilled by his parents.
With those values in mind, he recently created the Dorothy and Eric Lemelson Endowment for Community Outreach at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. The endowment will support the ongoing efforts of the Knight Cancer Institute’s Community Outreach, Research and Engagement team and Community Partnership Program, in collaboration with Oregon communities, to end cancer as we know it.
The endowment will help fund projects across the cancer continuum — from prevention and early detection to survivorship.
“With new initiatives like this endowment, I continue to honor the values my parents shared with us,” Lemelson said. “I am blessed to be able to play a small role in helping underserved communities and hard-working individuals who — regardless of where they come from or who they are — deserve respect, love and effective health care from the greater community. My family thanks OHSU and the Knight Cancer Institute for all the wonderful work they do to heal and support the people of Oregon and beyond.”
Lemelson is the president of the Lemelson Foundation, a Portland-based family foundation that works to empower individuals in harnessing invention and innovation to solve pressing global problems, including the climate crisis. The foundation’s vision is to “cultivate future generations of inventors to create a better world.”
Lemelson’s mother, Dorothy (1926-2021), preceded him as the president of the Lemelson Foundation. In the last few years of her life, she founded the Dorothy Lemelson Foundation, also based in Portland. Lemelson says his mother was a strong supporter of education and the Portland arts community, noting she helped many at-risk and underserved young people study art at the undergraduate level who went on to contribute to Portland and other communities.
“I am particularly eager to see this endowment encourage more effective partnerships with rural communities, increasing access to potentially life-saving cancer screenings and supporting patient-centered care for the most vulnerable among us,” he said.
Jackie Shannon, co-director of the Community Partnership Program and associate director of community outreach and engagement at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, says the new endowment will be an “incredible asset” to her team’s work to reduce the burden of cancer across Oregon.
“We are so grateful to Mr. Lemelson for this generous gift,” Shannon said. “The Lemelson family has demonstrated a commitment to serving people across Oregon, and we will honor the spirit of their endowment by doing all we can to address community-identified cancer needs around the state.”