Q2 Report: Collaborative gift launches The Tobias-Lechleiter Institute for Clinical Innovation

Thanks to an extraordinary act of generosity from the Tobias and Lechleiter families, we’re about to change the future of healthcare in Indiana.

With their support, IU Health aims to triple the number of patients enrolled in clinical trials over the next several years. That means more Hoosiers will have access to cutting-edge treatments — often years before they’re widely available. And it’s all happening through the newly established Tobias-Lechleiter Institute for Clinical Innovation.

If you follow philanthropy in Central Indiana, you're familiar with the names Tobias and Lechleiter. Randall Tobias and John Lechleiter made their marks as CEOs of Eli Lilly and Company, but their legacy goes far beyond business. Alongside their wives, Deborah and Sarah, they’ve championed causes that have shaped our communities. Now, they’re coming together to make their biggest impact yet: a $20 million gift to fuel clinical innovation at IU Health and IU School of Medicine. With IU Health matching that gift dollar for dollar, the total investment reaches $40 million.

This is the largest gift to date for the IU Health Foundation’s All the Difference campaign — and it truly will make all the difference. The Tobias-Lechleiter Institute will be a launchpad for groundbreaking research and clinical trials across the state, building on IU Health’s long history of medical firsts in cancer, diabetes, heart disease, neurology and more.

But this isn’t just about science. It’s about people.

People like Dianne Spillers, who was told in 2010 that she had six months to live after a Stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer diagnosis. She enrolled in a clinical trial at IU Health — and 15 years later, she’s still riding motorcycles and making memories with her grandkids.

Or Leo Stenz, who became IU Health’s first patient to receive lecanemab, a breakthrough Alzheimer’s treatment. Because IU School of Medicine was part of the drug’s clinical trials, Leo got access to it almost immediately after FDA approval — giving him a fighting chance against a disease that had already touched his family.

These are the kinds of opportunities we want to replicate for other IU Health patients like Leo.

The Tobias-Lechleiter Institute will help us do just that. With a goal of enrolling 75,000 patients in clinical trials across all IU Health regions, we’re bringing hope closer to home. We’re building the infrastructure, assembling the teams, and creating the partnerships needed to make Indiana a national leader in healthcare discovery.

This gift is more than a donation. It’s a catalyst. It’s a call to action. And it’s a powerful reminder of what’s possible when visionary families and dedicated institutions come together to serve others.

Let’s honor their generosity by making the most of this moment, and by continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible in medicine.