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has received a gift of $125 million from Phil and Penny Knight for the creation of a new Cardiovascular Institute.

It is the largest donation in OHSU history and the second significant pledge offered by Nike Cofounder and Chairman, Phil Knight. In 2008, Knight gave $100 million to the university to advance the .

According to OHSU, heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women; someone in the United States dies from a stroke every four minutes. The Cardiovascular Institute will attempt to create treatments for both and focus on 鈥渢ranslational research, clinical care, professional training and outreach in all aspects of heart and vascular disease.鈥�

Michael MacRae with OHSU said the initial phase of the institute’s development will focus on faculty support and program development. He said it is unlikely that any of the $125 million will go toward new brick and mortar construction, but that the hope is the institute will someday grow into a facility all its own.

Renowned Oregon heart surgeon Albert Starr will co-direct the institute with Sanjiv Kaul, a leader in cardiovascular imaging. Starr performed the state’s first heart transplant and implanted the world’s first artificial human heart valve in 1960. Kaul helped develop an emerging imaging technique called microbubble-based myocardial contrast echocardiography, which is able to detect heart attacks with greater precision.

In a prepared statement, Starr said the institute would focus on bridging a translational gap between research and practice and that the most meaningful innovations happen when researchers and clinicians work together.