Celebrating 20 years of the UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute
The Kentucky Heart Institute was little more than a concept before Linda and Jack Gill came along. The name existed, but programs and services were widely scattered throughout the UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital and beyond. The Gills’ $5 million gift made it possible to unite a comprehensive cardiovascular science program in a state-of-the-art new facility, designed to bring together all the various aspects of cardiac care in a central location at UK HealthCare.
The donation, matched by the Kentucky Research Challenge Trust Fund, was one of the largest gifts given to the university at the time. Ground broke in 2000, and the new facility opened on April 23, 2004. The Gills’ gift also established three endowed chairs and 16 endowed professorships across the University of Kentucky.
When the facility opened, Linda Gill said she and her husband hoped establishing a world-class research, teaching and clinical care institute would encourage Kentuckians fighting cardiovascular disease. Since then, the UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute has grown dramatically to meet the needs of our people and is a nationally recognized leader in treating and preventing cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular Research Day showcases the work of postdoctoral fellows, students and faculty and draws attendees from across the country. The hospital received top ratings for heart attack and heart failure treatment in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 Best Hospitals rankings.
The Gills’ gift made an impact far outside the walls of the institute, from the UK HealthCare campus to hospitals across Kentucky. The Gill Affiliate Network, created in 2014, expands access through close work with cardiac programs at more than 20 community hospitals in Kentucky and West Virginia.
