This is the 2020 Annual Report for Van Andel Institute.
A letter from David Van
A letter from David Van Andel As we approach the celebration of Van Andel Institute’s 25th anniversary in 2021, I’d like to take a moment to first reflect on 2020, the final year leading up to this important milestone. 2020 brought with it countless challenges, but also many triumphs. It pushed our Institute and society as a whole to pivot and adapt. While there was certainly much to overcome as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a surge of creativity and innovation as well. Of all our touchstones and accomplishments this year — and they are many, featured in prestigious scientific journals and media coverage — we are perhaps most proud of the overarching philosophy we have embraced since the early days of VAI’s existence: that collaboration is key to advancement. You’ll find evidence of this in the following pages, in stories and anecdotes that reflect our dedication to working together with one another and with organizations around the world to improve the health and enhance the lives of those here today as well as the generations to come. Our gratefulness knows no bounds, in large part because we are indebted to thousands of individuals and organizations in our hometown and beyond who have aligned with our mission to alter the very course of humanity and have continued to offer their support through a tumultuous year. This year forced changes to our collective reality, but the progress made by VAI scientists and educators exemplified our tenacity and commitment to sharing breakthroughs and triumphs with the world. We will never stop working to pursue scientific discoveries and stay on the cutting edge of K–12 and graduate education. To that end, we have brought together some of the brightest minds known to humankind, men and women whose verve and passion know no bounds in the quest to assuage a world in constant flux. Your ardent support and your belief in what we do on the Medical Mile empowers us to continue working urgently to end diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and to advance curiosity, creativity and critical thinking in classrooms worldwide. We hope the stories and images on the pages that follow help to reflect the dynamic culture we’ve worked so hard to develop and grow. We will work just as diligently during the next quarter-century on behalf of so many in need. As we celebrate our progress and set our compass for distant horizons of groundbreaking discoveries, I thank you — and the Institute thanks you — for your unwavering support. Gratefully, David Van Andel Van Andel Institute Chairman & CEO 2 | VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Established by Jay and Betty Van Andel in 1996, Van Andel Institute is committed to improving the health and changing the lives of current and future generations, through biomedical research and science education.
Van Andel Institute is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization. EIN 52-2000820
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