Dianne Kipnes’ impact on the U of A

Dianne Roberta Kipnes — one of Edmonton’s most well-known philanthropists — was a devoted supporter of the University of Alberta. Her passing has been felt deeply by the U of A community.

Along with her husband, Irving Kipnes, Dianne made numerous contributions to the arts, business, and medical research through the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation.

Several of Dianne’s philanthropic contributions went to the U of A. She has a personal connection to the university, as she worked in the psychiatric walk-in clinic at the U of A Hospital from 1984–94. The U of A jointly awarded Dianne and Irving an honorary doctorate of laws from the U of A in 2009. Irving is also a U of A alumnus.

A significant focus of Dianne’s philanthropy was medical research. Dianne and Irving started several initiatives at the U of A such as the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Chair in Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Endowed Chair in Lymphatic Disorders, and the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Professor in Finance and Development.

Dianne didn’t limit her focus to medical research. She was also on the board of the Edmonton Opera, the National Arts Centre, the Fielding Graduate University, and the Alberta Cancer Foundation.

Dianne Kipnes “cared about making people’s lives better,” Gibson says

Dianne and Irving established the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Chair in Lymphatic Disorders in 2018. Dr. Spencer Gibson, a professor in the department of oncology, became the inaugural chair in 2021.

Dianne’s passion for advancing medical research was motivated by her experiences with cervical cancer and the lymphedema she developed as a result of extensive cancer treatment, Gibson said.

“Based on her experiences, she wanted to contribute to this endowed chair to try to improve the lives of these lymphatic patients. She also worked with therapists in the community to try to improve the treatments for lymphatic patients,” Gibson said.

Lymphedema is swelling that occurs when the lymphatic system is damaged, Gibson explained. The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Chair in Lymphatic Disorders aims to understand the causes of lymphedema to “develop targeted therapies down the road to make these patients’ lives better,” Gibson said.

Dianne took a uniquely hands-on approach to her philanthropic initiatives, Gibson said. This became evident to Gibson within the first week of his new position when Dianne arranged for him to meet the researchers from the University of Calgary she was working with.

“She literally put me on a chartered private plane from Edmonton to Calgary to meet the researchers and have a meeting with them and the deans of medicine in both universities. That’s how active she was. She was very much a facilitator.“

“She wanted to know the process behind how a donation [was] going to be used to improve people’s lives,” he added. 

Education was central to Dianne’s philanthropy, as she believed in approaching issues “through an academic lens,” Gibson said. Dianne earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Victoria, her master’s degree in social work from McGill, and her PhD in clinical psychology from the Fielding Graduate University.

She was well recognized for her significant philanthropic contributions, receiving both the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2006 and the Order of Canada in 2018. Dianne and Irving were also awarded the University Hospital Foundation’s Peter Lougheed Award for the Advancement of Health Sciences in 2017.

“There will not be another Dianne Kipnes,” Gibson said. “She was extremely unique.”

“At the end of the day, Dianne cared. She cared about making people’s lives better.”