Louise Riggio and Dr. Matthew Fink
Inspired to help patients and their families who are dealing with dementia, donor Louise Riggio has made a generous $6 million gift to expand memory and cognitive care programs at Weill Cornell Medicine. The contribution honors her late husband, Leonard Riggio, founder and former executive chair of Barnes & Noble, who struggled with a severe cognitive illness before his passing in 2024.
The Riggio Foundation’s generous gift will support the establishment of brain health and cognitive care resources at the Midtown Clinical Care Center, currently under construction at 575 Lexington Avenue. The gift will also endow the Leonard Riggio Clinical Scholar Award and support the recruitment of faculty who specialize in working with dementia patients and their families.
“Len was the man who fixed everything, and he was determined to fix his illness, but he couldn’t,” explains Mrs. Riggio. “Dementia is a terrible disease, beyond cruel.”
Research aimed at curing Alzheimer’s and Lewy body dementia (LBD), the form of cognitive illness that affected Mr. Riggio, is vital, she says, but so, too, is the need for compassionate care and support. Mrs. Riggio’s gift focuses on helping Weill Cornell Medicine provide enhanced clinical care and support.
The new midtown center will provide interdisciplinary treatment and support for memory disorders and dementia, movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease and women’s brain health initiatives. It will also house a specialized psychiatry care practice, which is often essential for caring for those with dementia.
This dynamic, patient-focused facility will also offer advanced imaging, primary care and specialty services in one central hub. The facility will dramatically accelerate and expand patient access to innovative trials, emerging therapies and supportive programs led by teams of physicians and support staff specially trained in this field.
“I am absolutely delighted with this extraordinary and generous gift from Mrs. Riggio,” says Dr. Matthew Fink, associate dean for clinical affairs, chair of the Department of Neurology and the Louis and Gertrude Feil Professor in Clinical Neurology, who also treated Mr. Riggio. “Her vital philanthropy will have a tremendous impact on our ability to develop new diagnostic techniques, treatments and support for people with life-altering neurodegenerative disorders and their families.”
A Commitment to Serving Others
The couple, who were together for more than 50 years and raised three children, were generous philanthropists who supported a range of causes that promoted social justice and education. In 2021, they pledged $5.6 million to expand debt-free scholarship funding for Weill Cornell Medicine students in need.
Leonard and Louise Riggio in 2019
Mr. Riggio, who developed the book retailer Barnes & Noble from a single store in 1971 into one of the largest booksellers in the United States, was a visionary leader and brilliant marketer who cared about his employees and wanted to ensure the best possible customer experience, his wife says. The couple enjoyed a life filled with art and books.
Mr. Riggio was 80 when Dr. Fink diagnosed him with Alzheimer’s disease in 2021. The progression was expected to be slow, but once Mr. Riggio developed Lewy Body Dementia, his health declined quickly.
Born and raised in Manhattan, Mrs. Riggio has relied on Weill Cornell Medicine as her family’s primary source of care since childhood. It was therefore comforting for Mrs. Riggio to turn to Weill Cornell Medicine’s Department of Neurology for her husband’s care. In addition to Dr. Fink, the couple’s Weill Cornell Medicine physicians have included Dr. Michael Cantor, clinical assistant professor of medicine, and Dr. Leonard Girardi, chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and the O. Wayne Isom Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Mr. Riggio was especially grateful to Dr. Cantor and Dr. Girardi for their expert cardiac care over the years, Mrs. Riggio says.
The Department of Neurology, led by Dr. Fink, was an important source of support during the three years that Mr. Riggio lived with dementia.
“During severe episodes, the staff met Len’s needs with compassion and expertise,” says Mrs. Riggio, who hopes her gift ensures that Weill Cornell Medicine can continue providing the same level of treatment for families from all socioeconomic backgrounds. “The emotional and physical challenges of caring for a loved one with dementia are extraordinary, and more needs to be done to support the profound day-to-day needs of patients and their families.”
“I am grateful that I can both honor Len’s memory and help Weill Cornell Medicine make a real difference,” she adds. “I have no doubt that Len would have been pleased.”
