Irene Pollin, founder and chairman of Sister to Sister, an organization dedicated to preventing heart disease among women, has donated $10 million to Hadassah Medical Organization to establish a cardiovascular wellness institute in Jerusalem.

The center will be named in memory of Pollin’s daughter, Linda Joy, who was born with a congenital heart defect and died at age 16.

“Since founding Sister to Sister in Washington, D.C., I have longed to find a place outside of the United States to establish a heart disease prevention program geared toward women,” Pollin said. “Partnering with Hadassah is an obvious extension of the work we’ve been doing, of the gimmick-free, prevention-focused work that has made Sister to Sister unique. Given Hadassah’s 100 years of experience helping women of all backgrounds take better care of themselves, I could not think of a better way to reach out to our sisters across the globe than establishing the Linda Joy Pollin Institute at Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem. Heart disease knows no boundaries, and neither will we.”

Marcie Natan, National President of Hadassah, thanked Pollin for her generous contribution. “The work and treatment that will be undertaken at Hadassah Medical Organization will be critical in contributing to preventing heart disease, and the data the program will collect will be used in Israel and throughout the United States,” she said.

The gift was announced as part of Hadassah’s weeklong celebration of its centennial in Jerusalem, attended by nearly 2,000 people.