ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic has received a transformational gift from benefactors Edith Waterman and her late husband, Bernard Waterman, of Fort Myers, Florida, to redefine the future of healthcare space through the vision of Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester. In recognition of this generous gift, Mayo Clinic will name a new clinical building in Rochester the Bernard E. and Edith B. Waterman Building.

Announced in late 2023, Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester is a multiyear strategic initiative that advances Mayo Clinic’s Bold. Forward. strategy to Cure, Connect and Transform healthcare for the benefit of patients everywhere.

“Bernard and Edith Waterman have been tremendous friends of Mayo Clinic for decades and were among the earliest advocates for our strategy to transform healthcare," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., Mayo Clinic's president and CEO. “Their visionary support cannot be overstated — Edith and Bernie will be part of an enduring legacy as Mayo Clinic forges a new future for healthcare.”

The Watermans became patients of Mayo Clinic more than 30 years ago and have valued the exceptional, multidisciplinary care from Mayo physicians and staff. In addition to being longtime patients, they have generously supported capital expansion, individualized medicine and cancer genetics research. Their philanthropy to Mayo Clinic is inspired by their desire for other patients to have the same exceptional experiences that they have had. “The care teams at Mayo Clinic are dedicated to excellence,” says Edith Waterman. “We want to support that dedication so they can continue to bring better solutions to patients.”

Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester is part of a once-in-three-generations investment across all of Mayo Clinic’s sites to create a new Category-of-One patient experience. It is an entirely new way of thinking about how Mayo Clinic delivers continuous, personalized, seamless care — when and where patients need it rather than in isolated episodes. To enable this transformation to have the most positive impact, Mayo Clinic is investing significantly in healthcare facilities that leverage a human-centric design approach to integrating digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and platform-powered solutions to improve patient outcomes.

The Bernard E. and Edith B. Waterman Building is one of five new buildings included in Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester. It will connect to the Gonda Building to the east and another new clinical building to the west on multiple levels. Its central location will position the Waterman Building as a hub of innovation and a beacon of hope and healing for patients receiving care for serious and/or complex conditions. The Waterman Building will initially have nine stories above ground, with the ability to support future vertical expansion.

“Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester will do more than reimagine our campus. It will transform healthcare,” says Craig Daniels, M.D., physician leader of Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester. “Philanthropic support is essential to fully realizing what is possible for patients and people around the world, and we are immensely grateful to Bernie and Edith Waterman for helping make this vision a reality.”

Bernard and Edith Waterman met during World War II, while he was serving with the U.S. Navy. Bernard graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and Edith attended the University of Alabama. They founded Waterman Broadcasting in 1956. The company, headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, has been known as a leader in local television broadcasting, and has earned numerous awards and achieved national recognition.

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Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and to providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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