Fall 2026
By Amber Sinicrope
Photography by Sasha Pedro
The specialty floor that will bear the names of past presidents, David G. Nathan, MD, Edward J. Benz Jr., MD, and Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, PhD, in the Lavine Bekenstein Cancer Hospital at Dana-Farber will one day be a place of highly specialized cancer care. At the same time, it will also stand as something more enduring: a tribute to the leadership that helped bring Dana-Farber to this next chapter.
That symbolism is at the heart of the gift by Anita and Josh Bekenstein to name a floor in honor of the three most recent former presidents. The tribute recognizes more than three impactful tenures. It reflects how Dana-Farber has been built over time through leaders who strengthen what they inherit and expand what is possible for everyone who comes after them.
In 1995, before the tenures of Nathan, Benz, and Glimcher, Dana-Farber had $158 million in annual revenue, $82 million in research funding, 1,691 employees, and treated 11,000 patients annually. By 2024, after their combined leadership, Dana-Farber had grown to $3.438 billion in annual revenue, $700 million in research funding, 9,200 employees, and 105,000 patients treated each year.
The numbers tell a remarkable story: revenue increased more than twentyfold, research funding grew nearly ninefold, the workforce expanded more than fivefold, and patient volume rose almost tenfold. Just as important, that growth came alongside meaningful improvements in Dana-Farber’s internal culture, the quality of care it provides, and the excellence of its research.
“This tribute is about the leaders who helped shape Dana-Farber into what it is today,” said Josh Bekenstein, chair of the Dana-Farber Board of Trustees who has served in the role during all three presidents’ tenures. “David, Ed, and Laurie each guided Dana-Farber through moments of profound progress for patients, families, faculty, and staff. We are honored to recognize their legacy in a place that will carry Dana-Farber’s mission forward for generations and transform cancer treatment and care.”
This floor honors both individual achievement and continuity. Nathan helped reinforce Dana-Farber’s academic and scientific foundation, bringing to the presidency the moral clarity of a pioneering physician-scientist. Benz guided Dana-Farber through a long era of growth, expanding reach and helping transform the patient experience in lasting ways. Glimcher, Dana-Farber’s first female president, led with bold momentum in research and care while helping shape the vision for the Lavine Bekenstein Cancer Hospital itself.
Each president had their own character and impact. Together, they tell a larger story: of leadership handed forward, of ambition rooted in service, and of a mission and community continually moving closer to a better world for patients and their loved ones. “The Lavine Bekenstein Cancer Hospital at Dana-Farber is only possible because of leaders who continually push us forward—scientifically, clinically, and in service to patients and families,” said Benjamin L. Ebert, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Dana-Farber. “Honoring David, Ed, and Laurie reflects the extraordinary foundation they built for the next generation of cancer research and care. We appreciate Anita and Josh for making this gift so we can honor these three great Presidents.”
This special gift gives that legacy a permanent place inside the hospital those leaders helped make possible. One day, patients and families will arrive on that floor and receive care shaped by decades of leadership, vision, and generosity.