$20 million gift to Mayo Clinic establishes fund for AI advancements focused on cancer – Post Bulletin

ROCHESTER — Mayo Clinic announced Thursday that the health system has received a $20 million gift that will benefit Mayo Clinic Platform and a new fund for artificial intelligence advancement.

Part of the gift, from donors Dwight and Dian Diercks, establishes the Heidi Diercks Krause Fund in AI Innovation for Cancer. The fund is named after Dwight’s late sister.

“Dian and I truly believe that Mayo Clinic Platform and AI innovation will be the keys to better predicting diseases like cancer, so physicians can intervene sooner with more effective treatments that save, extend or improve the quality of patient lives,” Dwight Diercks said in a

Mayo Clinic news release.

“It gives me comfort knowing my sister’s legacy will live on through these efforts to transform cancer care for everyone.”

Mayo Clinic said this fund will propel work in its Generative Artificial Intelligence Program and Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“An example of this work includes developing advanced generative AI tools to gain deep insights into a person’s risk of developing cancer,” the news release reads. “This forecasting will allow clinicians to intervene earlier than ever before — even before cancer can be diagnosed.”

The donation also establishes a named position for the president of Mayo Clinic Platform, which offers de-identified clinical data and AI validation for developers and health care organizations.

“The Dierckses’ visionary investment will bolster Mayo Clinic’s efforts through the Platform to curate the world’s de-identified data, empower solution developers and transform healthcare around the world,” said Dr. John Halamka, the inaugural Dwight and Dian Diercks President, Mayo Clinic Platform.

Raised in Red Wing, Dwight Diercks went on to earn a degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Now, Diercks is senior vice president of software engineering at computer technology company NVIDIA.

“I tell my friends that receiving care at Mayo Clinic is like being at the intersection of medicine and hardcore engineering,” Diercks said. “Everyone is focused on finding the right tests and data to solve the most personal, important health challenges in your life.”

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