Fall 2026
By Amber Sinicrope
Photography by Sasha Pedro
The name of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s future cancer hospital is a symbolic representation of partnership—between two families, between philanthropy and mission, and among the many people whose work makes progress in cancer research, treatment, and care possible for patients.
The historic joint commitment from Anita and Josh Bekenstein and the Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine Family, the largest single gift in Dana-Farber’s history, will help advance a new hospital designed entirely around the needs of cancer patients and their families. At its core, this gift is not about precedence or naming a building; it is about belief in the clinicians, researchers, nurses, staff, and caregivers who make Dana-Farber what it is.
For both families, that conviction has grown over many years through close connection to Dana-Farber. Their generosity has often been quiet, steady, and deeply felt rather than publicly celebrated. The Bekensteins’ connection began through the Pan-Mass Challenge—a bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country. Josh has ridden the PMC 33 times, and the event has become a family tradition and commitment with Anita and Josh and their five children participating a total of 100 times collectively. Josh has served on Dana-Farber’s Board of Trustees since 1997 and as its current chair has helped guide Dana-Farber through a defining period in the history of Dana-Farber. The Lavines’ relationship began with an early unrestricted gift in 1996 and grew into long-standing leadership and service, including Jonathan serving on Dana-Farber’s Board of Trustees starting in 2011 and both Jonathan and Jeannie serving on the campaign cabinet for The Dana-Farber Campaign.
“We have seen firsthand what’s possible when world-class research and patient care come together,” said Josh and Anita Bekenstein. “We are proud to support this facility and the remarkable teams at Dana-Farber who care for patients every day while pushing the frontiers of science.”
“Cancer affects not only patients, but everyone who loves and cares for them,” said Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine. “Our support reflects our belief in the people of Dana-Farber and in a model of care that puts patients and families first.”
This sentiment is what gives this gift its significance—an act of confidence in a workforce and a mission. It recognizes that new models of care do not come alive through architecture alone, but through the expertise, compassion, and resolve of the people inside a building.
“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,” said Benjamin L. Ebert, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
One day, patients and families will enter the Lavine Bekenstein Cancer Hospital at Dana-Farber seeking treatment, reassurance, and hope. The name on the building will stand as a symbol of generosity and shared purpose—but the enduring impact will be found in the care delivered inside it, and in the lives changed because of it.