Herb Chambers Donated $100 Million to Massachusetts General Hospital for State-of-the-Art Cancer Care Facility

The Herb Chambers Tower will transform cancer care with cutting-edge services, patient-centered design, and innovative treatments

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, has received a landmark $100 million donation from entrepreneur and philanthropist Herb Chambers, a proud Boston native.

This transformational gift will fund the development of a cutting-edge facility designed to address the rising demand for world-class cancer care. The new building will offer integrated, patient-centered services, streamlining the healthcare journey from prevention and early detection to treatment and survivorship.

It will also enable new innovations, redefine treatment approaches, enhance patient care, and provide support for families.

“This gift, for me, is intensely personal.Patients at Mass General receive the highest level of care, with all departments operating in perfect harmony. Over the years, members of my family, friends and I, have had the good fortune of being cared for by the legendary MGH team.

My heart fills with gratitude when I reflect on the dedicated and compassionate professionals that have treated us. It gives me immense pride to be in a position to give back to a city that has given me so much. As we all know too well, most families will be impacted by cancer in some way.

My motivation in extending this gift is that the Herb Chambers Tower will shine as a beacon of hope for everyone touched by this awful disease. There can never be enough effort or resources put into finding a cure.” – said Herb Chambers

In recognition of this historic gift, the East Tower of the Phillip and Susan Ragon Building will be named the Herb Chambers Tower in honor of Chambers, a native of Dorchester. Spanning nearly one million square feet, the facility will house state-of-the-art cancer care services and feature advanced tools and technologies.

Notably, it will include a nearly 8,000-square-foot rooftop garden overlooking Beacon Hill and a Center for Urgent Cancer Care offering 24/7 specialized services for cancer patients. Scheduled for completion in 2027, the tower’s design includes input from patients, families, and caregivers, ensuring a holistic approach to care.

Care spaces in the Herb Chambers Tower were designed in partnership with patients, family members, and caregivers and will include 228 acute care inpatient beds and 32 intensive care unit (ICU) beds.

“Patients around the world turn to Mass General Brigham for expert, compassionate cancer care and these new, advanced facilities will allow us to meet their needs in a way they expect and deserve.

From the moment patients arrive and throughout their treatment and recovery — the Herb Chambers Tower will create a welcoming environment that promotes healing, health, and hope.

We are profoundly inspired by Herb and this extraordinary gift.” – said Marcela del Carmen, MD, President, Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, and Executive Vice President of Mass General Brigham.

In September, Mass General Brigham unveiled its vision for Mass General Brigham Cancer, a comprehensive strategy focused on extending research-driven excellence in cancer care to all patients and communities. This approach integrates the system’s strengths in research, innovation, education, and community engagement, placing health equity at the forefront to serve underserved populations.

“We are deeply grateful to Herb Chambers for his steadfast commitment, visionary leadership, and generous support of our mission. Through this truly transformative gift, we celebrate a shared, enduring legacy that will shape the future of healthcare at Mass General Brigham for generations to come.” – said Anne Klibanski, MD, President and CEO of Mass General Brigham.

Herb Chambers, a U.S. Navy veteran and lifelong Bostonian, represents the American dream through his journey from serving as an aviation electrician aboard the USS Lake Champlain during the Cuban Missile Crisis to becoming one of New England’s most successful entrepreneurs. After leaving the Navy, Chambers founded A-Copy America, growing it into the largest business equipment dealer in the U.S. before selling it nearly 20 years later. In 1985, he established The Herb Chambers Companies, which has since become Massachusetts’ largest veteran-owned business, with 60 automobile dealerships and over 2,400 employees. His company has frequently been recognized as a Best Place to Work.

“This generous gift will make the greatest cancer care in the world even greater, giving patients and their families the reassurance that they are in the right place during the hardest times of their lives. I’m deeply grateful to Herb Chambers, his family and the entire Mass General Brigham community for all they do to make Massachusetts the best place in the world for health care.” – said Governor Maura Healey.

Despite leaving English High School in Boston to enlist in the Navy at 17, Chambers earned his high school and college equivalency through the U.S. Armed Forces Institute. He later received an honorary diploma from English High School and an honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of New Haven.

A longstanding benefactor of Mass General, Chambers has supported initiatives such as the Mass General for Children’s Storybook Ball, raising nearly $40 million since 2000, and Mass Eye and Ear, where the building’s lobby was named in his honor in 2018. His philanthropic efforts also extend to organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, the Boston Foundation, and Camp Harbor View.

“Herb’s bold vision and investment in our mission will allow us to offer a diverse array of services — initial consultations, labs, imaging, procedures, infusion, inpatient and ICU care — all under one roof, making it easier for patients who are undergoing treatment for cancer.

This incredibly generous gift will enhance collaboration and transform the way you our exceptional clinical teams deliver cutting edge research-infused care and train the next generation of leaders in cancer care,” said David F. M. Brown, MD, President, Academic Medical Centers, Mass General Brigham.

About Mass General Brigham

Mass General Brigham is an integrated academic healthcare system dedicated to solving the most challenging problems in medicine through research, teaching, and community service. It connects a full continuum of care across academic medical centers, community hospitals, specialty centers, and home care services. One of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations, it includes several Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals and is committed to advancing health equity and excellence in patient care.