$20M gift to Florida university supports ALS research, care
Nova Southwestern honored by Chicago entrepreneur who lost wife to disease
A Chicago businessman and philanthropist — David Husman, founder and chairman of Heartland Real Estate Partners — has donated $20 million to advance research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and patient care at Nova Southwestern University (NSU) in Florida.
The gift, the largest given to research at the Fort Lauderdale university, will be used to support NSU Health’s David and Cathy Husman Neuroscience Institute and its Cathy J. Husman ALS Center, and the David and Cathy Husman Endowed Chair for Neuroscience, a university press release reported.
Husman’s wife, Cathy, had turned to those centers for help as her disease symptoms progressed. She died of ALS complications in 2023.
“What makes a gift of this size so transformational is its impact across all aspects of our mission to advance education, research, and patient care,” said Harry K. Moon, MD, president and CEO of NSU, said in a university news release.
Husman hopes to ‘rid the world’ of this ‘most devastating and horrible disease’
Husman’s support of NSU began the year he lost his wife, starting with a $10 million donation that supported and named the ALS center and neuroscience institute, and established the endowed professorship.
The recent gift brings Husman’s total philanthropy to NSU to more than $41 million, including donations of sculptures and original photography. In addition to being the largest investment in NSU research to date, the $20 million is the second-largest individual donation in NSU history.
“First and foremost, this funding will improve treatments, foster breakthroughs and elevate the quality of life for ALS patients and families,” Moon said. “It also will help us attract and sustain talented health care providers and innovators here in Florida, allowing us to better educate future caregivers in the ALS arena as we make our patient care facilities some of the world’s very best.”
A neurological disorder, ALS is caused by the progressive dysfunction and death of motor neurons, specialized nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements. Without motor neurons, muscle weakness, fatigue, and other disease muscular symptoms worsen, affecting patients’ ability to perform day-to-day tasks.
The Husmans, who met in 2000 and married three years later, worked together in the real estate industry; traveled extensively, visiting over 57 countries; and started a family.
“She did things for other people, not for her … and we had a wonderful marriage for 25 years,” Husman said. “In my estimation, the most devastating and horrible disease is ALS. The motivation behind my gift is to try and rid the world of one of the worst plagues that affects mankind.”
Cathy Husman was diagnosed with ALS in 2021, and sought care from specialists nationwide, including the neurologist Eduardo Locatelli at NSU Health.
NSU Health provides care to over 150 ALS patients across the US
ALS “is a very difficult condition — very complex. It requires assembling a world-class team to deliver the care these patients need with quality and compassion,” said Locatelli, MD, co-director of NSU Health’s ALS center, and founding director and endowed chair holder of its neuroscience institute.
The Cathy J. Husman ALS Center is certified as a Treatment Center of Excellence by the ALS Association, a designation recognizing specialty care and specialized care teams at clinics across the U.S. The NSU center has more than a dozen disease specialists, and it provides care to more than 150 patients nationwide, the release states.
With support from philanthropists like the Husmans, NSU Health is nearing completion of a reported state-of-the-art, 7,500-square-foot research and patient care facility. Offering specialized diagnostic areas, clinical rooms, rehabilitation spaces, and a family consultation suite, it is expected to open soon.
“NSU Health gave us a facility and resources to carry out the ultimate vision, which was to have a place to provide clinical care, research, and education under one roof with the best team of providers,” said Lauren Tabor-Gray, PhD, co-director of its ALS Center and neuroscience institute.
“With Mr. Husman’s support, our vision for what’s possible is becoming a reality,” Tabor-Gray added.
About the Author
