GREENWICH – An anonymous supporter intends to recommend a $25 million grant from their Donor Advised Fund toward the new Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich Hospital honoring revered oncologist Dr. Dickerman Hollister Jr., the hospital announced Monday.
This moment invites the community to come together to recognize Dr. Hollister by making a gift to the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich Hospital Building Fund.
“This is a historic moment for Greenwich Hospital and gives our community an impactful opportunity to play a crucial role in the advancement of comprehensive world-class cancer care locally,” said Greenwich Hospital Board Chair W. Robert Berkley. “This gift, together with the philanthropic support of others, makes possible wider access to clinical research trials and an array of top oncology specialists in a multi-disciplinary facility, close to home.”
Greenwich Hospital President Robert Blenderman called the grant a tribute to a person who has done so much for the community.
“A gift of this magnitude signals a strong belief in our hospital and vision for oncology care now and in the future,” Blenderman said. “Simultaneously, the grant pays an indelible tribute to one of our community’s most beloved physicians, whose career and dedication touched the lives of countless patients and their families.”
Dr. Hollister, who retired in 2022, spent the entirety of his four-decade career caring for patients in and around Greenwich. He started a solo practice at Greenwich Hospital in 1981, and during his tenure as both chief of staff and head of Medical oncology, his signature personalized and insightful care helped shape Greenwich Hospital’s oncology program. Dr. Hollister has also advanced other areas of Greenwich health care, particularly in physician practice management and medical informatics.
“Throughout my career it has been my greatest privilege to forge meaningful bonds with my patients and their families,” Dr. Hollister said. “A diagnosis of cancer is a profound moment in a person’s life. My colleagues and I recognized this, and were dedicated to pursuing every possible option for our patients. I am deeply honored to know that Greenwich Hospital’s commitment to advanced cancer care is permanently woven into the fabric of our future through this gift.”
Plans to expand Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich Hospital brings the expertise and research of one of the world’s most respected and renowned academic research institutions – Yale Cancer Center – to the hospital’s patients.
Renovations within Greenwich Hospital’s Olive and Thomas J. Watson Pavilion and the Sherman and Gloria H. Cohen Pavilion will make way for next-level cancer care, including infusion therapy, a multispecialty clinic, radiation oncology, breast cancer care and an inpatient unit. The new oncology campus allows for additional medical and surgical oncologists, expanded clinical trials and the most advanced cancer therapies available.
“We are deeply grateful to the many donors whose generosity and leadership is making our shared vision for forward-facing cancer care a reality,” said Greenwich Hospital’s SVP and Chief Development Officer Noël Appel. “I invite the community to be part of this extraordinary moment.”
