The legacy of a Trent professor will live on both in the classroom and at the PRHC.
Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s atrium was unveiled as the Anne Keenleyside & Family Atrium on Tuesday in honour of a $2 million legacy gift.
The gift was made through the estate of Dr. Anne Keenleyside, a highly respected Trent University professor of bioarcheology who passed away in October of 2022 after succumbing to cancer.
Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President & CEO, says the bequest has been invested in equipment and technology that support cancer care innovation, in accordance with Keenleyside’s request.
“Anne was clear she wanted her gift to connect her passion for scientific innovation with her desire to help the patients who would come after her,” said Heighway. “Her generosity has allowed the PRHC Foundation to fund a second MRI for PRHC’s Diagnostic Imaging Department, as well as fully upgrading a general operating suite with state-of-the-art minimally invasive surgical tools – one of four undertaken by the Foundation.”
Dr. Lynn Mikula, PRHC President & CEO, says the impact of Keenleyside’s legacy gift is already being felt.
“Thanks to Anne’s investment we’ve been able to increase our capacity, performing an additional 6,000 scans since the new unit became operational. Not only is this helping us address diagnostic wait times, we’re also able to produce much higher quality images in less time, while providing a significantly improved patient experience” explained Mikula.
Heighway says the decision to name the atrium in recognition of Keenleyside’s generosity was made in consultation with the hospital and her family.
