The University of Alberta community is mourning the loss of visionary leader and philanthropist Dianne Kipnes, who passed away on Dec. 26, 2024, at the age of 81.
Dianne married U of A alumnus Irving Kipnes in 1988, and the pair were known for their generosity and commitment to changing lives through the work of The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation. They have made contributions to medical research, business and the arts at the university and supported a broad range of community initiatives in Edmonton, across the country and abroad.
The couple are cherished friends of the U of A, not only because of their substantial giving but also because of the relationships they have built, their passion for education and their commitment to helping others.
Dianne Kipnes leaves a legacy of incredible breadth and depth.
“Wherever Dianne saw a space to make a real difference in the world, she would step forward with vision, drive and foresight. Together with Irv, they always developed a thoughtful plan to realize their vision, to the great benefit of so many areas across the university — including music, business, medicine and engineering,” says Bill Flanagan, U of A president and vice-chancellor.
“A deeply engaged donor and supporter, Dianne created a personal relationship with researchers and the broader university community. She truly embodied the values of the U of A, and her passing is a profound loss for the university and the broader Edmonton community.”
Dianne Kipnes worked at the U of A Hospital from 1984 to 1994 in the psychiatric walk-in clinic under Hassan Azim and Bill Piper, who were both psychiatric analysts, before establishing her private practice as a clinical psychologist. The first in her family to pursue university studies, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Victoria and her master’s degree in social work from McGill. She completed her PhD in clinical psychology at the Fielding Graduate University.
Dianne and Irving were jointly awarded an honorary doctorate of laws from the U of A in 2009. Dianne was part of the U of A President’s Advisory Council between 2020 and 2024, and was also a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
The couple’s major donations to the university included the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Endowed Chair in Radiopharmaceutical Sciences, the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Endowed Chair in Lymphatic Disorders, the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Chair in Finance and Development and two Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Artificial Intelligence Chairs in collaboration with the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute. They also helped fund programs in music, engineering and Jewish studies.
“I’ve never met anybody else like her”
Dianne’s passion for medical research was driven in part by her own experience as a cervical cancer patient. Five years after undergoing surgery and treatment in 2004, she developed severe lymphedema in her legs. The condition leads to debilitating swelling and pain, and affects more than a million Canadians.
She found there were few treatments available aside from massage and compression therapy, and little research being done into the condition. So she and Irving set out to change that.
They established the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Chair in Lymphatic Disorders — the first position of its kind in Canada — with an initial $5-million donation in 2018, naming scientist Spencer Gibson as the inaugural chair. Then an additional $1 million was matched by the University Hospital Foundation for a total of $7 million to establish the research lab, which now includes six graduate students, a research associate and a clinical co-ordinator along with Gibson.
“Lymphedema destroys quality of life,” says Gibson. “A lot of these patients feel abandoned by the medical field. They’re sent off to a rehab clinic where they get compression therapy and that’s it. They’re kind of left to their own devices. And Dianne actually experienced this.”
The goal of Gibson’s research is to reveal the causes of lymphedema and other lymphatic disorders, understand why some people are affected while others are not, and propose new, more effective treatments to improve the lives of patients. He is looking to establish a registry of lymphedema patients in Alberta, and advocates for better care through the Alberta Lymphedema Association and the Canadian Lymphedema Framework.
“Dianne was a very practical, hands-on person,” says Gibson. “She didn’t just give money and walk away. She wanted to be involved every step along the way in terms of understanding what we were doing, where we were going, and whether there was anything she could do to help. That’s her legacy.
“I’ve never met anybody else like her.”
In 2019, after seeing what the Mandel family and other friends went through facing blood cancers, Dianne and Irving wanted to take their support further and help find better treatment options. The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation donated $1 million for the establishment of the Dr. Rachel Mandel Lymphoma and Blood Cancers Research Fund in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. The Alberta Cancer Foundation matched the Kipnes’ gift to bring the fund total to $2 million. Through this fund, researchers at the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta are pursuing innovative research projects related to diagnosing, treating and preventing lymphoma and blood cancers.
Enriching every aspect of community life
It is difficult to think of an area of community life in Edmonton and beyond that has not been made better by Dianne Kipnes’ influence.
“Dianne was one of Edmonton’s most dedicated and passionate philanthropists and, together with her husband Irv, a great friend of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and the U of A more broadly,” says Dean Brenda Hemmelgarn. “I am extremely grateful to have experienced Dianne’s mentorship, leadership and friendship, and will miss working with her very much.”
The couple’s contributions have been jointly recognized with numerous honours including the Order of Canada in 2018 and the University Hospital Foundation’s Peter Lougheed Award for the Advancement of Health Sciences in 2017.
Dianne served on the boards of the Alberta Cancer Foundation, TELUS Edmonton Community Foundation, Capital Care Foundation, Edmonton Opera, the National Arts Centre and Fielding Graduate University.
Dianne was truly a pillar of the U of A community, and her memory lives on through the many lives she has touched and will continue to touch through her generosity and vision.