The Clemons family has made a gift of over $13 million to establish the Clemons Family Clinical and Translational Research Endowment at Hoag, advancing discoveries that bring new ideas, therapies, and technologies from the lab into patient care.
Philanthropists Anne Marie Clemons-Thomas, Marie Clemons, and V. Gordon Clemons Jr.
At Hoag, innovation moves quickly. For the Clemons family, that speed, and the promise behind it, made all the difference.
With a $13.45 million commitment to establish the Clemons Family Clinical and Translational Research Endowment, the family is making a bold investment in the future of medicine, one designed not to support a single program, but to power breakthrough research across Hoag.
“For us, research and innovation are areas where you can see the impact of every dollar,” said Gordon Clemons, who, along with his family, helped guide the vision for the gift.
A Strategic Investment in What’s Next
As the Clemons family began formalizing their philanthropy through a foundation in recent years, they sought opportunities where their giving could have outsized impact. With a family background in the healthcare industry, their philanthropic philosophy is rooted in powering discovery, innovation, and the ability to change outcomes for patients.
Their decision was shaped in part by firsthand experiences with Hoag Innovators, a community of philanthropists, entrepreneurs and leaders dedicated to advancing innovation at Hoag. After seeing a new technology approved for funding through the program, the family attended a Richard H. Pickup Center for Brain Health community less than a month later and learned that the technology was already beginning to be implemented in patient care. The experience offered a powerful demonstration of Hoag’s ability to rapidly translate philanthropic investments into real-world impact for patients.
“Seeing something funded and then implemented within weeks, that’s when it clicked for me,” Clemons said. “Hoag is truly unique in the healthcare landscape.”
From Discovery to Impact
The Clemons family endowment is designed to support clinical and translational research, the critical work of moving new ideas, therapies, and technologies from the lab into real-world patient care.
The endowment gives Hoag the flexibility to invest in the most promising opportunities across its institutes each year, from cancer and neuroscience to women’s health and beyond.
This approach reflects the family’s belief that some of the greatest challenges in medicine, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other complex conditions, require continuous innovation and adaptability.
“At the end of the day, any one of us is one diagnosis away from needing this kind of care,” Clemons said. “And you hope the treatments are already there for you and your community when that moment comes.”
Rooted in Community, Inspired by Family
The Clemons family’s commitment to healthcare is deeply personal. With roots in Orange County, their philanthropy reflects both a sense of responsibility and a desire to create lasting change close to home.
Equally important is the role philanthropy plays within their own family.
Established as a shared endeavor between the family, the Clemons Family Foundation is supported by a philanthropic trust of Marie Clemons and her children, V. Gordon Clemons Jr. and Anne Marie Clemons-Thomas. Together, their approach to giving has created a platform for connection, collaboration, and enduring legacy-building, which they hope will engage and inspire the next generation.
“The foundation has become a way for us to strengthen family bonds and build something that lasts,” Clemons said.
Building the Future of Research at Hoag
As Hoag continues to expand its research capabilities, the Clemons Family Clinical and Translational Research Endowment will be a catalyst for what’s possible. This endowment, alongside other philanthropic support, enables Hoag to tackle some of medicine’s most complex challenges with speed, precision, and patient-centered focus.
From pioneering early detection of multiple sclerosis, where advanced biomarkers and imaging are helping identify disease risk before neurological impairment occurs, to accelerating access to promising new clinical trials through rapid activation, Hoag is setting new national and global standards for research excellence.
Initial funding from the Clemons family will help support the expansion of Hoag’s Translational Research Laboratory, which is doubling in size this summer with the addition of new scientists and research initiatives, including work focused on earlier cancer detection, ovarian cancer biomarker discovery, metastasis prevention, and the development of next-generation targeted therapies.
The gift also comes at a pivotal moment as Hoag continues to enhance clinical and translational research across its institutes through new physician-administrative leadership to help coordinate and advance research efforts systemwide and ensure promising discoveries move from idea to patient impact.
By investing in the infrastructure that supports ongoing discovery, the Clemons family is helping to ensure that Hoag can continue to identify, fund, and accelerate the most promising breakthroughs for years to come.
“This is really just the beginning,” Gordon Clemons said. “Making a real impact is a process, not just a single event.”
