Together, Madlyn (Ed'57, GEd'60) and Leonard Abramson redefined cancer care and research at Penn Medicine. Among Penn's most generous and influential benefactors, the Abramsons founded the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, were early pioneers in funding basic science and cancer immunotherapy, and established several endowed professorships, and — culminating with the naming of the Abramson Cancer Center in their honor in 2002. Beyond cancer, they funded research and care programs in many disciplines across Penn Medicine and throughout the Philadelphia region.
Leonard (1932–2026) started from humble beginnings: born in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia, he drove a taxi to pay for his pharmacy degree from the University of the Sciences before earning a master's in public administration from Pennsylvania State University. As an innovator in the business world, Leonard launched one of the first health maintenance organizations, U.S. Healthcare, in 1975, which he sold to Aetna in 1996. He was listed as one of the "Great American Business Leaders of the 20th Century" by Harvard Business School. But his business acumen never outshone his philanthropy, which extended to various healthcare centers across the region, his home away from home in Jupiter, Florida, and Jewish organizations and educational associations.
Leonard's life is an inspiring example of what can be achieved with a combination of vision, determination, and compassion. His legacy is vast, but for Penn Medicine, his name will always be synonymous with hope.
University of Pennsylvania Emeritus Trustee Madlyn (1935–2020) found her impulse to help, to share, and to inspire from her father, whom she credited for her decision to attend Penn. As a reading specialist for the School District of Philadelphia, a teacher in the Upper Darby School District, and a staff member of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, an educational service agency supporting school excellence, Madlyn dedicated her career to the education of others. The tremendous importance she placed on education was also evident in the volunteer roles she took on and the many institutions she so generously supported. This dedication was nowhere more evident than at her alma mater.
Madlyn was passionately devoted to making significant strides toward curing cancer, supporting patients and their families combating the disease, and — an educator at heart — committed to providing scholarship support for the next generation of educational leaders. To the end, Madlyn was dedicated to the health of Penn Medicine’s patients and this city, even helping launch a clinical trial for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.
"The reputation we enjoy today as one of the nation's preeminent cancer centers has been built on the strong foundation that Madlyn and Leonard laid," said Robert Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, director of the Abramson Cancer Center. "Our pursuit of preventing and curing cancer unites us every day to do more for our patients and their families, here in the Abramson Cancer Center and across the world, and we have Madlyn and Leonard to thank for the vision and the culture of science and compassion that set us on this path."
At the Abramson Cancer Center, patients and families facing one of life's most difficult diagnoses find extraordinary care, leading-edge science, and a team committed to advancing a future free from cancer. Leonard and Madlyn's legacy lives on in that work every day — in the patients we care for, the discoveries we pursue, and the hope made possible through their generosity.
The Abramson family and Penn Medicine invite you to honor and support their legacy with your own contribution. Donate to The Fund for the Abramson Cancer Center.