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In This Issue:
Myra Hiatt Kraft, a Brigham and Women’s Hospital Trustee, passed away July 20. She was 68.
Mrs. Kraft and her husband, Robert, have had a longstanding and deeply supportive relationship with BWH and Partners HealthCare. In addition to her many contributions as a trustee, Mrs. Kraft also sat on the BWH Trust Board and Global Health Leadership Council.
“We are deeply grateful for the inspiration, leadership and generosity that Myra and her family have shared with the Brigham community,” said BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD. “She will be greatly missed.”
Mrs. Kraft dedicated herself to many worthy philanthropic causes, including BWH. She served as chair for both the boards of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston. She also served on the boards of her alma mater, Brandeis University, The Boston Foundation, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, the American Repertory Theater, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and Facing History and Ourselves, a Holocaust education organization.
Mrs. Kraft’s generosity and drive to help the disadvantaged and the underserved is widely known, having given away more than $100 million to deserving causes in the community. Through her foundation, she was involved in many causes—from medical and educational efforts to programs for at-risk children—that may have otherwise been overlooked.
Most recently, the Kraft family committed $20 million to Partners HealthCare to advance community health programs at BWH, Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, creating the Kraft Family National Center for Leadership and Training in Community Health.
“True to Myra’s commitment to helping those in need, the Kraft Center will help address and eliminate barriers to medical care,” Nabel said.