Dana-Farber’s Largest Single Gift Advances Planned Cancer Hospital for New England

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 4, 2026--

(World Cancer Day) — Dana-Farber Cancer Institute today announced the largest single gift in its history through a new joint commitment from Josh and Anita Bekenstein and the Jonathan and Jeannie Lavine family. The transformational gift for the future cancer hospital builds on the two families’ decades-long dedication to Dana-Farber’s mission of delivering expert, compassionate patient care while accelerating discoveries that improve outcomes for people with cancer around the world.

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Left to right: Josh Bekenstein, Anita Bekenstein, Benjamin L. Ebert, MD, PhD, Jeannie Lavine, and Jonathan Lavine. Photo Credit: Sasha Pedro

The region's only inpatient hospital dedicated to cancer will be named in recognition of the remarkable joint gift from the Lavines and Bekensteins. Friends and business partners for more than 30 years, Josh Bekenstein was a Founding Partner and former Co-Chair of Bain Capital, where he first met and worked with Jonathan Lavine, who is the Founder of Bain Capital Credit and Bain Capital Special Situations and also served as Co-Managing Partner and Chair of Bain Capital.

Designed entirely around the needs of oncology patients and their families, the 300-bed hospital will expand access to highly specialized, fully integrated cancer care, supporting a seamless experience across diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

“We are deeply grateful for this exceptional, shared commitment, from two families who have been profoundly devoted to Dana-Farber,” said Dr. Benjamin L. Ebert, president and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “By helping make the future cancer hospital possible, the Bekensteins and Lavines are investing in a fully integrated model of cancer care — one designed around patients and families, powered by scientific innovation, and delivered by teams whose sole focus is cancer.”

The Bekenstein family’s connection to Dana-Farber began in 1993 through the Pan-Mass Challenge, when Anita and Josh rode it for the first time. Josh has now ridden it 33 times and Anita and Josh and their five children have ridden a total of 100 times. Josh is also the current chair of the Dana-Farber Board of Trustees where he has served on the Board since 1997.

“Dana-Farber has been part of our lives for decades, and we have seen firsthand what’s possible when world-class research and patient care come together,” Josh and Anita Bekenstein said in a joint statement. “We are proud to support the future cancer hospital and the remarkable teams at Dana-Farber who care for patients every day while pushing the frontiers of science. This gift reflects our longstanding commitment to Dana-Farber’s mission and our belief that the planned cancer hospital will bring new hope to patients and families for generations.”

The Lavine Family’s decades-long involvement with Dana-Farber began in 1996 with an unrestricted gift of $100, marking the start of a long philanthropic partnership. Jonathan Lavine has served as a Dana-Farber trustee since 2011. He and his wife, Jeannie Lavine, a philanthropic leader and former strategy consultant, served together on the campaign cabinet for The Dana-Farber Campaign.

“Cancer affects everyone — patients and the people who love and care for them,” said Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine who are partnering on the joint gift with the Bekensteins. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine what inpatient cancer care can be. Our support represents our belief in the people of Dana-Farber — the researchers, administrators, and the doctors and nurses on the front lines — and in a model of care that puts patients first. We hope this commitment inspires others to support what’s possible.”

"For generations, Massachusetts has been the global leader in health care innovation and medical research, and Dana-Farber has played an essential role in that legacy," said Governor Maura Healey and First Lady Joanna Lydgate. "Thanks to the tremendous generosity of the Lavine and Bekenstein families, Dana-Farber's future cancer hospital is one step closer to changing lives and delivering expert, compassionate care for patients and their families. We are proud of Dana-Farber and grateful for the Lavine and Bekenstein families' support."

“The City of Boston is profoundly grateful to Josh and Anita Bekenstein and Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine for their extraordinary generosity to realize the vision of the new Dana-Farber cancer hospital,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Boston thrives because we continue to reinvest in ourselves as a community that drives scientific research and global advances in human health. This joint gift is a landmark investment in the future of our city and a symbol of hope for millions of cancer patients around the world.”

Situated on the current site of the Joslin Diabetes Center along Brookline Avenue, the planned cancer hospital will be one of only 14 in the United States. The inpatient facility will be supported by a clinical collaboration among Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians. The interlocking campus will connect Dana-Farber and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center facilities, fostering multidisciplinary care across medical specialties for the patient journey. Construction is expected to begin in mid 2026.

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world’s leading centers of cancer research and treatment. Dana-Farber’s mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber is a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the founding member of the Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center, and a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

Dana-Farber is the only hospital nationwide with a top 3 U.S. News & World Report Best Cancer Hospital ranking in both adult and pediatric care.

As a global leader in oncology, Dana-Farber is dedicated to an equal emphasis on cancer research and care, translating the results of discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world, offering more than 1,200 clinical trials.

About Josh and Anita Bekenstein

Josh and Anita Bekenstein deeply value civic engagement and have had the privilege of supporting many philanthropic initiatives over the years. They believe that many of our most urgent challenges can be solved by supporting strong leaders with innovative and catalytic ideas. They are optimistic that philanthropy can drive transformative and sustainable systems changes which benefit the well-being of all humanity.

About The Lavine Family and The Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation

The Lavine Family and their family foundation, The Crimson Lion / Lavine Family Foundation, and related family charitable entities, work toward leveling the playing field for individuals and families.

The Foundation addresses pressing social challenges in the areas of education, healthcare, workforce development, anti-discrimination, and democratizing information. The Foundation supports the multi-disciplinary efforts of organizations that serve to strengthen civil society through research, innovation, public policy, direct service, and advocacy.

Left to right: Josh Bekenstein, Anita Bekenstein, Benjamin L. Ebert, MD, PhD, Jeannie Lavine, and Jonathan Lavine. Photo Credit: Sasha Pedro

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East.

Their summit in Seoul came as U.S. President Donald Trump slammed allies for not supporting the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. Macron was making his first visit to South Korea since taking office in 2017, as part of an Asian tour that already has taken him to Japan.

Macron told Lee at the start of the meeting that the two countries can play a role in helping to stabilize the situation in the Middle East, including Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has unleashed shock on global energy markets.

At a joint televised briefing afterward, Macron underscored the need for France and South Korea to cooperate to help reopen the strait and deescalate Middle East animosities, while Lee said the two affirmed “their resolves to cooperate to secure the safe shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The two leaders did not take questions and did not elaborate on how they would help reopen the strait — the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil usually passes.

“We need to clearly define, at the international level, the conditions for a process to ease the crisis and conflict in the Middle East,” Macron said. “We need to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.”

Lee said he and Macron agreed to expand cooperation in technology, energy and other areas. South Korean and French officials also signed agreements to cooperate on nuclear fuel supply chains, jointly invest in an offshore wind project in southern South Korea and to collaborate on critical minerals. South Korea has moved to increase output at its nuclear reactors to mitigate the energy crunch and Lee has also called for a faster transition to renewable energy, saying the war has exposed the country’s heavy reliance on fossil fuel imports.

Macron’s Asia trip comes as Trump has ramped up his frustration with allies. In a speech Wednesday, Trump said Americans “don’t need” the strait but the countries who do “must grab it and cherish it.”

In an earlier Easter event at the White House, Trump called for his allies in Asia and China to get involved in reopening the waterway.

“Let South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force — let South Korea do it,” Trump said. “Let Japan do it. They get 90% of their oil from the strait. Let China do it.”

The United States stations about 28,000 troops in South Korea, not the 45,000 stated by Trump. The U.S. troops’ deployment in South Korea is meant to deter potential aggressions from North Korea.

Macron has said reopening the Strait of Hormuz through a military operation is unrealistic.

South Korean officials have said they are in contact with Washington on the issue and that Seoul isn’t considering paying Iran transit fees to secure fuel shipments through the strait.

French President Emmanuel Macron, front left, his wife Brigitte Macron, back center, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, front right, and his wife Kim Hea Kyung, right, attend the welcome ceremony at the presidential Blue House in Seoul Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, center, his wife Brigitte Macron, left, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, and his wife Kim Hea Kyung, second left, attend the welcome ceremony at the presidential Blue House in Seoul Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, second right, during their meeting at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during their meeting at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 3, 2026. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP)