WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue University has received a $20 million commitment from the Ricks Family Foundation to establish the Purdue Institute for Healthcare Systems Innovation within the Mitch Daniels School of Business. The institute will be based at the university’s Indianapolis location.
The gift directly supports three strategic priorities — the Daniels School, One Health and Purdue’s expansion in Indianapolis — while also contributing to “Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue” and Purdue Day of Giving, the university’s annual online fundraising effort.
“This transformative gift from the Ricks Family Foundation expands our Daniels School opportunities, bolsters the Indianapolis location and advances the One Health initiative,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said. “We thank the Ricks Family Foundation; by investing across multiple strategic initiatives through the focus area of healthcare systems innovation, this generous and visionary gift will shape the university’s future in deeply impactful ways.”
Anchored in the Daniels School’s economic and strategic expertise — and supported by targeted collaborations with the colleges of Engineering and Pharmacy — the institute will allow the university to lead at the crossroads of healthcare economics and delivery. It will also serve as a hub for analyzing how care pathways, drugs, devices, and procedures are priced, reimbursed, and adopted, with a focus on cost-benefit analysis, consumer choice, and strategic policy design.
Locating the center in Indianapolis — home to major hospital systems, insurers, and medical technology firms — will ensure that the institute’s research is embedded where industry, policy, and practice converge.
“The generosity and foresight of the Ricks Family Foundation will have an enduring impact on Purdue, the Daniels School, and the nation,” said James “Jim” Bullard, the Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Daniels School of Business. “Considering the healthcare situation in the U.S. today, there is a clear need for rigorous, market-informed research that challenges conventional thinking and drives new solutions. This institute will allow Purdue to lead that work and make a lasting difference.”
Formation of the institute will begin with the appointment of key leaders such as the executive director, program manager, and industry director. Additional steps will follow to establish operations and ensure long-term sustainability.
“This foundational commitment strengthens the vital role our university plays in reimagining healthcare and improving patient outcomes,” said Eric Barker, Purdue’s vice president for health affairs and the Jeannie and Jim Chaney Dean of Pharmacy. “The institute will become a centerpiece of our One Health initiative as we intensify our efforts to tackle healthcare challenges head-on through research.”
In 2024, support from the Ricks Family Foundation helped the Riley Children’s Foundation establish the Heartland Children’s Nutrition Collaborative, a research partnership between Purdue’s Department of Food Science and IU School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics. The goal of the partnership is to uncover the role early-life nutrition plays in shaping health outcomes.
