$2.1 Million Gift Is Latest in the Mario Family's Contributions to Innovations in Education and Health Care

Ernest Mario, PhD, the second-longest-serving trustee in Duke University's history, has also had a deep connection to Duke University Health System (DUHS) for more than 30 years.  

Mario and his family, through the Mario Family Foundation, recently made an important new gift that builds upon their past support and will nurture innovation in health care and patient experience for years to come.  

The $2.1 million gift includes $1.1 million to establish the Mario Family Chronic Care Management Improvement Fund, which will provide annual grants to faculty physicians to pursue projects to improve care coordination and patient navigation for people with complex and chronic disease. This endowed fund honors Mario's wife of almost 60 years, Mildred Mario, who died in 2020 after a battle with cancer.  

The remaining $1 million will support priorities in pediatric gastroenterology, surgery, and cancer.  

Read the full story at giving.dukehealth.org.