![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Shaham-Academic-Medical-Center.jpeg\" "\\"A")
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A rendering of the future Helen and Jacob Shaham Academic Medical Center on FIU\u2019s main campus on Southwest Eighth Street.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of FIU<\/p>\n
Philanthropists Helen and Jacob Shaham donated $30 million this week to Florida International University\u2019s medical school, the largest gift in the college\u2019s 20-year history, to help expand and improve medical education, research and patient care.<\/p>\n
The Shahams are the founders of The Palace Group, a senior-living provider that got its start decades ago as a 21-bed assisted living facility in Opa-locka.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a landmark moment in the history of Florida International University,\u201d FIU President Jeanette M. Nu\u00f1ez said in a statement. \u201cHelen and Jacob Shaham\u2019s extraordinary generosity will further elevate the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and accelerate our vision to build a world-class academic health center that transforms lives. Their investment is a testament to their belief in FIU and our role in transforming the future of health care.\u201d<\/p>\n
The gift was announced Tuesday shortly before FIU\u2019s Board of Trustees, the group that serves as the university\u2019s governing body, unanimously voted to name the school\u2019s future seven-story academic outpatient medical center after the couple. The center, which is set to open in 2028 on the university\u2019s Southwest Eighth Street campus in West Miami-Dade, will be managed by Baptist Health, South Florida\u2019s largest not-for-profit healthcare system and FIU\u2019s teaching hospital.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: What patients and students should know about new FIU-Baptist Health teaching hospital<\/a><\/p>\n The Shahams, who moved to Miami from Israel 46 years ago, were highlighted this week during a \u201cMiami Proud\u201d segment by Miami Herald partner CBS News Miami for their philanthropic efforts<\/a> and lifelong work in senior care. Their luxury senior-living operation has grown to include a nursing and rehabilitation center, at-home health and pharmacy services, and several nationally recognized independent and assisted living senior communities across South Florida, including in Coral Gables, Weston, Kendall and Homestead.<\/p>\n A \u2018meaningful investment\u2019 for South Florida\u2019s future, philanthropists say \u201cWe\u2019re proud to support FIU\u2019s College of Medicine and the role it plays in our community,\u201d Helen and Jacob Shaham said in a statement. \u201cExpanding access to education and preparing the next generation of physicians is a meaningful investment of the future of South Florida and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n Their FIU donation comes two years after they gave $15 million<\/a> to Nicklaus Children\u2019s Hospital near South Miami to expand pediatric cancer care and research. Nicklaus has since named its Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute after the couple.<\/p>\n The future Helen and Jacob Shaham Academic Medical Center will be at the corner of Southwest 107th Avenue and 11th Street on FIU\u2019s main campus, across the street from the university\u2019s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work.<\/p>\n The center is expected to house \u201cacademic learning spaces and outpatient multi-specialty services, including same-day surgery, diagnostic imaging, infusion services\u201d and a pharmacy, according to the university. It\u2019ll serve as the academic medical hub for the FIU-Baptist partnership<\/a> that was cemented in 2023 to improve patient care, increase research and bolster the region\u2019s healthcare workforce as the country faces a growing shortage of doctors and nurses at a time when its population is aging and will need more care.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis transformative gift empowers us to focus on what matters most\u2014our students, scientific discovery and providing top quality health care,\u201d said Dr. Juan C. Cendan, dean of FIU Medicine and senior vice president for health affairs at FIU.<\/p>\n \u201cBy expanding scholarships, we will create new opportunities for talented future physicians who both reflect and serve our community. With strengthened research support, we will drive breakthroughs that enhance patient outcomes. The Helen and Jacob Shaham Academic Medical Center will serve as a shining example of academic medicine and compassionate care.\u201d<\/p>\n Michelle Marchante<\/a><\/p>\n Miami Herald<\/p>\n Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health\u2019s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald\u2019s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.\u00a0 (From left to right) Dr. Juan C. Cendan, dean of FIU Medicine and senior vice president for health affairs at FIU; Helen Shaham; FIU President Jeanette M. Nu\u00f1ez; Jacob Shaham; and Carlos A. Duart, chair of FIU\u2019s Board of Trustees. Courtesy of FIU, photo by Jasen Delgado <\/p>\n
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