Gift from Martha and Bruce Karsh Will Support Patient Care Innovation, Research and Faculty Recruitment and Training.

Cedars-Sinai today announced a $25 million gift from Martha L. Karsh and Bruce A. Karsh, and the Karsh Family Foundation, to support the treatment of digestive and liver diseases and the advancement of innovative research. The current Division of Digestive and Liver Diseass will be renamed the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Shelly C. Lu, MD, who will serve as director of the division, describes the gift as transformative.

“The Karsh family’s extraordinary pledge of support for our division will further advance our clinical excellence, help train the next generation of leaders in gastroenterology and hepatology, and establish the division as a leading research powerhouse,” said Lu, who holds the Women's Guild Chair in Gastroenterology.

U.S. News & World Report currently ranks Cedars-Sinai No. 2 in the nation for gastroenterology and GI surgery.

Martha and Bruce Karsh said they are honored to support Cedars-Sinai. “It is one of the nation’s premier medical centers and a vital resource for the Los Angeles community. Under Dr. Lu’s leadership, we are confident that the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology will continue to provide exceptional medical care to patients while pursuing research that significantly advances the understanding of gastrointestinal and liver diseases.”

This gift from the Karsh Family Foundation will also enable Cedars-Sinai leadership to grow and develop the ranks of its top faculty in liver and digestive diseases.

“This gift specifically supports the recruitment of highest-quality faculty to provide specialized care in new and current programs in the division. We will be enriching our gastroenterology fellowship programs to provide the finest clinical and research training for development of the most skilled experts in the field,” said Shlomo Melmed, MD, executive vice president of Academic Affairs and dean of the Cedars-Sinai medical faculty and the Helene A. and Philip E. Hixon Distinguished Chair in Investigative Medicine.

Founded in 1998 by Martha and Bruce Karsh, the Karsh Family Foundation focuses its philanthropy on supporting educational equity and opportunity, social welfare and community health.

“The Karsh family’s gift provides game-changing support for gastroenterology and hepatology and it is an enormous encouragement to our team,” said Paul W. Noble, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine and the Vera and Paul Guerin Family Distinguished Chair in Pulmonary Medicine.

“We have a national reputation for providing the highest level of patient care and conducting research that is the foundation of our best practices. But the finish line is always moving in medicine and science and there are still many important frontiers to investigate,” Noble said.