Philanthropist Michael Milken Speaks on Accelerating Medical Solutions at a Dinner Hosted by Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center

Michael Milken (center), Chairmen, The Milken Institute and FasterCures was joined last week by Daniel A. Haber (left), MD, PHD, Director, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Peter L. Slavin (right), MD, President, Massachusetts General Hospital at a dinner celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.  Milken spoke at the hospital to an audience of healthcare and scientific leaders. In a wide-ranging talk, Mike asserted, “We are entering the Golden Age of Medicine.”

Milken has been at the forefront of a wide range of initiatives that have influenced public policy, accelerated medical research and expanded access to capital. Fortune magazine called him "The Man Who Changed Medicine" for "shaking up the medical establishment and saving lives."

Milken formalized his previous philanthropy in 1982 by co-founding the Milken Family Foundation, a major force for education reform and medical research. In 1995, he hosted the first Cancer Summit, an event that led to a 1998 March on Washington in support of increased funding of biomedical research. When funding increases slowed in 2003, Milken founded FasterCures, which works to remove barriers to progress against all life threatening diseases.

Milken founded the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the world's largest philanthropic funder of research on that disease, and he joined with leading physicians in launching the Melanoma Research Alliance. Both organizations have funded work of young investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Milken chairs the widely respected Milken Institute, a non-partisan economic think tank. As a financier, he revolutionized modern capital markets and expanded access to capital for more than 3,200 companies that created millions of jobs.

Mike graduated from Berkeley with highest distinction and earned his MBA from Wharton. He and his wife Lori, who have three children and eight grandchildren, celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary this year. For more information, see www.mikemilken.com.