Philanthropists donate $10M to urology research, care

AHS renames health facility the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Urology Centre

EDMONTON — Local philanthropists Dianne and Irving Kipnes today made a $10-million donation to the University Hospital Foundation to advance research and patient care at the Northern Alberta Urology Centre, which is being renamed in their honour.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) President and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu officially renamed the site the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Urology Centre.

“With this generous donation, Dianne and Irving Kipnes are helping to improve the health and lives of many people, today and for years to come,” says Sarah Hoffman, Alberta’s Minister of Health. “Our government supports the many ways we can work collaboratively to improve care. This donation will help the urology centre continue to provide world-class care and to enhance research and innovation.”

“Dianne and Irving Kipnes are once again making a huge difference in the lives of Albertans through their generosity,” adds Dr. Yiu. “With this donation, AHS and our partners will explore promising new research in the hope of finding new and better ways to approach urological disorders, including prostate cancer, and ensure patients across Alberta have access to the very best in urological care.”

“Dianne and Irv are two of a very special and unique kind,” says University Hospital Foundation President Joyce Mallman Law. “They have donated millions of dollars and thousands of hours of their time in leadership roles to improve the lives of millions of Canadians living with some of the most devastating health conditions of our time. This donation will give new hope for men with prostate cancer, and men and women with urologic conditions – for generations.”

Irving Kipnes has dedicated years of his philanthropic life to advancing urological care and men’s health for patients in northern Alberta as co-chair for the Campaign for Prostate Health. The campaign brought together the University Hospital Foundation, the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation to raise $30 million to build the Northern Alberta Urology Centre at Kaye Edmonton Clinic. It opened two years ago.

Dr. Dianne Kipnes, a retired clinical psychologist, is a generous patron of the University of Alberta Hospital site and Cross Cancer Institute. She has had an especially significant impact in the areas of cancer, lymphedema and prostate health.

They were appointed to the Order of Canada in June for their philanthropy in health and the arts.

The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Urology Centre has 32 patient examination rooms, six cystoscopy rooms for procedures that visualize the inside of the bladder, and a lithotripsy area that uses shock waves to break up kidney stones.

More than 52,000 Albertans from central and northern Alberta receive specialized care and treatment annually at the centre.

A cornerstone of the centre is the C.J. Woods Prostate Health Clinic, which is designed to provide quicker and more comprehensive care to men needing tests or treatment for prostate cancer. Approximately 25,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer across Canada each year; one in seven Albertan men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.

The University Hospital Foundation raises and manages funds to advance patient care, research and healthcare education at the University of Alberta Hospital, the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute and the Kaye Edmonton Clinic.

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans