Stephen Blumenthal, Board Chair, Baptist Health Foundation ,Alex Villoch, Chief Executive Officer, Baptist Health Foundation ,Michael McDermott, M.D., System Chief Executive of Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care, Chief Medical Executive and Irma & Kalman Bass Endowed Chair in Clinical Neuroscience at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute, as well as Chair of the Department of Neurosciences at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Kenneth C. Griffin, founder & CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst, Sherrill Hudson, Board Chair, Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute, Bo Boulenger, President and Chief Executive Officer, Baptist Health, Calvin Babcock, Chair, Baptist Health Board of Trustees
October 7, 2026 Baptist Health today broke ground on the new home of Baptist Health Kenneth C. Griffin Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care. During the ceremony, Baptist Health also announced an additional $25 million gift from Kenneth C. Griffin, bringing his total philanthropic support for neuroscience at Baptist Health to $75 million. In recognition of this transformational investment, Miami Neuroscience Institute will now be known as Baptist Health Kenneth C. Griffin Neuroscience Institute.
Spanning 197,000 square feet, the state-of-the-art facility will be located on the Baptist Health Baptist Hospital main campus and is slated to open in early 2029. Once complete, the new facility will significantly expand access to advanced brain and spine care; provide additional clinical space to accommodate current and future providers; strengthen interdisciplinary care, research and innovation; and further enhance the patient experience and care delivery.
Baptist Health Kenneth C. Griffin Neuroscience Institute is named in honor of Kenneth C. Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst, his civic engagement initiative. In 2024, Mr. Griffin made a $50 million transformational gift in support of Miami Neuroscience Institute. His additional $25 million gift will also establish the Kenneth C. Griffin Neuroscience Institute Transformational Impact Fund, which will provide resources to advance key priorities across neuroscience, including research, innovation, education and prevention. Together, his gifts represent $75 million in support for advancing neuroscience research, treatment, and care at Baptist Health.
The expanded commitment will help accelerate Baptist Health’s vision to create one of the nation’s leading destinations for neuroscience, bringing together highly specialized clinical care, pioneering research, innovation and education to improve outcomes for patients in South Florida and beyond.
“Today marks a significant milestone for Baptist Health, Kenneth C. Griffin Neuroscience Institute and the patients we serve, as we celebrate the groundbreaking of a world-class neuroscience facility and Ken Griffin’s extraordinary $75 million total gift to the future of neuroscience,” said Bo Boulenger, president and CEO of Baptist Health. “Ken’s generosity will help us accelerate research and innovation, educate the next generation of neuroscience leaders, advance prevention and expand access to highly specialized brain and spine care. We are deeply grateful for his confidence in Baptist Health and his belief in what we can accomplish together.”
The new facility will enable the Institute to add 16 sub-specialty providers, expand its number of exam rooms and build Baptist Health’s first academic lecture theater. It will also provide an array of services under one roof, including outpatient physical, speech and occupational therapy and rehabilitation; neuroinfusion services and more. In addition, the facility will expand opportunities for clinical trials and support the use of cutting-edge technologies to treat complex neurological conditions.
Designed to foster collaboration, the building will house clinical care and research under one roof, allowing physicians and researchers to work side by side. This integrated approach is expected to accelerate discoveries and advance care across neuroscience and its sub-disciplines.
Michael McDermott, M.D., system chief executive of Baptist Health Brain & Spine Care; chief medical executive and Irma and Kalman Bass Endowed Chair in Clinical Neuroscience at Baptist Health Kenneth C. Griffin Neuroscience Institute; and chair of the Department of Neurosciences at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (FIU Medicine), remarked, “Our vision is to establish a premier destination for brain and spine care in the South — one that keeps pace with our growth as a top-ranked neuroscience institute, meets the needs of a growing patient population and advances research in neuroscience and neurodegenerative disorders. With this new facility and the Kenneth C. Griffin Neuroscience Institute Transformational Impact Fund, we will have even greater opportunities to advance clinical care, research, innovation, education and prevention. We are tremendously grateful to Ken Griffin for helping make this vision possible.”
Rendering of Institute
Mr. Griffin’s combined $75 million gift to Baptist Health Foundation is among his largest supporting healthcare in Florida to date and reflects his longstanding philanthropic priority of enabling people to live longer and healthier lives.
“Today we celebrate what makes Baptist Health truly special —the hope it creates for all of us. The hope that this extraordinary team at Baptist Health gives to patients and families living with neurological disease. And the hope that, in the years to come, this team’s research will continue to find ways to diminish — and ultimately end — the suffering inflicted by neurological disease,” said Kenneth C. Griffin, founder & CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst. “I want to thank the doctors, nurses, researchers, and staff of Baptist Health who give their time, talent, and heart to this remarkable program,” he added.
Baptist Health Kenneth C. Griffin Neuroscience Institute brings together nationally recognized expertise in neurology and neurosurgery and a multidisciplinary team of sub-specialized physicians who provide compassionate, expert care for complex neurological conditions, including dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Through Baptist Health’s collaboration with FIU Medicine, the Institute provides clinical education and training for medical students and residents, with its physicians serving on the College’s faculty.
About Baptist Health
Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 30,000 employees, 4,500 physicians and 200 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned institutes specializing in cancer care, brain and spine care, heart and vascular care and orthopedic care. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and the Baptist Health PineApp, a virtual health platform. Baptist Health South Florida is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and is the most awarded healthcare system in South Florida by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
About Griffin Catalyst
Griffin Catalyst is the civic engagement initiative of Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, encompassing his philanthropic and community impact efforts. Tackling the world’s greatest challenges in innovative, action-oriented, and evidence-driven ways, Griffin Catalyst is dedicated to expanding opportunity and improving lives across six areas of focus: Education, Science & Medicine, Upward Mobility, Freedom & Democracy, Enterprise & Innovation, and Communities. For more information, visit griffincatalyst.org.
