Bernard Osher Foundation gifts $2.1 million to UC
Investment elevates regions health through integrative and whole-person health
The Bernard Osher Foundation has made a $2.1 million investment in the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Cincinnati. The Foundation’s latest gift supports the center’s endowment and the new UC Osher Wellness Suite and John & Carrie Hayden Community Learning Kitchen.
In 2021, the foundation made a $5.5 million investment in the center, launching a partnership with UC focused on transforming healthcare from a disease-care system to a well-care system. This donation enabled UC to join the Osher Collaborative, becoming one of only 11 Osher Centers worldwide leading the transformation of healthcare.
A vital component of the UC Osher Wellness Suite and John & Carrie Hayden Community Learning Kitchen is the evidence-based practice that food is medicine. This additional investment will support the Center’s culinary medicine director to oversee the operational, administrative and strategic activities of the Learning Kitchen. Chef Stephanie White, EdD, is Culinary Medicine Director, a doctoral-level chef, researcher and educator. White leads education, research programs, and community events and classes, bringing people and students together to learn, cook and thrive. Funds will also be used for additional community outreach, education and patient/community engagement focused on wellness.
An empowering community wellness space for all
The UC Osher Wellness Suite and John & Carrie Hayden Community Learning Kitchen opened in early 2026 and is a one-of-a-kind space in the region. Located on the fifth floor of the UC Blood Cancer Healing Center, it includes the John & Carrie Hayden Community Learning Kitchen, a mind-body-spirit wellness studio, and rooftop healing garden. These spaces are seamlessly integrated into patient care and open to the community, students, staff/faculty and researchers. The suite offers culinary medicine experiences as well as movement, mindfulness, nature, and art therapy classes. All programming is backed by research and guided by expert clinicians, positioning the University of Cincinnati as a national leader in integrative, compassionate, whole-person care.
“The impact that integrative therapies and lifestyle medicine are making on our community would not be possible without the Bernard Osher Foundation,” said Sian Cotton, PhD, director, Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC and Turner Farm Foundation Chair. “I am so grateful that they are on this journey with us to create a healthier community.”
More about the UC Osher Wellness Suite and John & Carrie Hayden Community Learning Kitchen
The UC Osher Wellness Suite and John & Carrie Hayden Community Learning Kitchen are designed for everyone — no matter where they are in their health journey.
Programs support:
- Individuals living with cancer, from treatment through survivorship.
- People managing multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, movement disorders, chronic pain or mental health challenges.
- People wanting to live healthier lives
- Caregivers and family members.
- Employees and community members navigating stress, burnout or fatigue.
- Student training in integrative health and lifestyle medicine.
- Researchers advancing patient-centered care.
The John & Carrie Hayden Community Learning Kitchen. Photo/UC Health Marketing.
Classes can be adapted to individual abilities, and anyone can do them, even if they are new to these practices. Many offerings are designed to fit into busy schedules and budgets, making wellness in Cincinnati more accessible than ever.
“Philanthropy is enabling us to bring evidence-based lifestyle and integrative medicine into everyday clinical care, enriching healthcare with approaches that complement modern medical treatments while empowering patients to play an active role in their own health,” said Mladen Golubic, MD, PhD, Medical Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at UC. “We are also integrating these principles into our medical school curriculum, preparing future physicians to deliver more effective, compassionate, whole-person care.”
A history of support
Lifelong learning is a part of caring for a whole person, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) has provided this to the Greater Cincinnati community for more than 35 years. The Bernard Osher Foundation has supported OLLI since 2009, helping it to expand its reach and services, reaching more than 2,000 students annually.
Featured image at top: A class in the Osher Wellness Suite. Photo/UC Health Marketing.
This is how breakthroughs happen
Your generosity has illuminated what’s next: Student success beyond the classroom. Bearcats winning on the Big 12 stage. The gift of discovery for the health of our community. When you give to the University of Cincinnati and UC Health, you invest in the problem-solvers of tomorrow.
Related Stories
Local media highlight completion of Blood Cancer Healing Center fourth and fifth floors
March 16, 2026
Local media including WLWT and the Cincinnati Business Courier highlighted the opening of research laboratories and the UC Osher Wellness Suite and Learning Kitchen at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center’s Blood Cancer Healing Center.
David Gius, MD, PhD, officially takes the helm as director of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center
July 1, 2026
David Gius, MD, PhD, officially takes the helm as director of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center, bringing a bold vision for elite cancer care.
Fueled by gratitude: A Bearcat couple’s journey of resilience and giving
August 11, 2025
Ken Ludlow has a history of involvement with his alma mater, but recent events inspired him to create the Ken Ludlow Athletics Scholarship Endowment Fund for student-athletes and the Kenneth E. Ludlow Fund for Cancer Research at the UC College of Medicine and the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center. “I’m his inspiration,” Charlene Comeaux says.