A foundation led by a local philanthropist and businessman has pledged $30 million to the University of Rochester Medical Center.
The donation by the Sanders Foundation, led by Phil Sanders, will support orthopedic surgery research and clinical programs. As a result, the facility located at Henrietta’s Marketplace Mall will be renamed the Saunders Center for Orthopedics and Physical Performance.
Sanders also noted in Wednesday’s announcement that the donation will help create a scholarship for nursing students at Noise Health in Dansville.
“And hopefully, by the end of the decade, we will have 25 or 30 nurses through this program who will help solve this serious problem in nursing in our communities and across the country. We don’t have enough nurses,” Sanders said.
University of Rochester President Sarah Manglesdorf said Henrietta’s orthopedic facility already has an excellent reputation and this donation will help it move forward.
“The UR Medicine Orthopedics and Physical Performance Center is the most comprehensive facility in the Northeastern United States,” Manglesdorf said. “This is a real source of pride for the university and for Rochester. People come from all over the world to receive treatment here.”
matt whittmyer
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University of Rochester
The Saunders Foundation will establish an endowed professorship in the Department of Orthopedics, which will be named after the department chair, Professor Michael Maloney (right) (pictured with Phil Saunders).
The Sanders Foundation will establish an endowed research fund and an endowed professorship in the Department of Orthopedics, which will be named after the department chair, Professor Michael Maloney, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine.
Phil Saunders is a long-time supporter of the University of Rochester and URMC and is a member of the medical center’s board of directors. He also served on the University of Rochester Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2020.
In 2015, UR awarded Sanders the Eastman Medal. This medal recognizes individuals whose accomplishments and service exemplify the institution’s highest ideals.
Sanders is an entrepreneur who founded several companies, including Genesee Regional Bank, Truck Stops of America, and Travel Centers of America.
