Gilbert Family Foundation makes tectonic-sized donation for medical research in Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The future of medical research and health care will include Detroit after a pair of massive donations put forth by Dan Gilbert and his charitable foundation.

The investments will target stroke rehabilitation and neurofibromatosis, in effect changing Detroit's medical landscape. 

"We also believe that every Detroiter should be able to access the best healthcare and benefit from the best promising research," said Dan Gilbert.

The donations, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, are not just investments but also odes to afflictions well-known in the Gilbert household. Dan Gilbert suffered a stroke years ago, which took years to recover from.

His son, Nick Gilbert, died of neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic disorder, at the age of 26. 

In total, the two initiatives will cost about $439 million over 10 years. 

"They're going to attract patients, researchers, research institutions, and partners from around the world," said Laura Grannemann, executive director of the Gilbert Family Foundation, said of the investments.

Renderings of the two new facilities were displayed Wednesday during a press conference. They include an historic state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility that will be run in partnership with the Henry Ford Health System and Shirley Ryan Abilitylab, a world-renowned research hospital best known for its work on strokes.

"Detroit residents are more likely to suffer from pre-existing conditions that lead to more strokes and neurologic challenges and so already we know across the country 1 in 4 adults over the age of 25 are going to have a stroke at some point in their life," said Grannemann.

The Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute will bring more scientific capacity and initiative to better understand the rare disorder.

"Bringing Shirley Ryan Abilitylab which is the world-leading provider in stroke rehabilitative care here to the city of Detroit not only sets us up as the leader for stroke rehab and Neuro Fibromatosis research, it also will ensure that Detroit residents will have access to great care right here in their backyard," said Grannemann.

The research facility will launch in 2027. The stroke rehab center will start operating in 2029.