Minds Matter Benefit Dinner

Thank you to everyone who attended and donated to Minds Matter 2026!

To make a donation to the event through Northwestern Memorial Foundation click here.

To make a donation to the event through Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine click here.

To get involved in Minds Matter 2027, reach out to mbti@nm.org.

Minds Matter 2026

The 18th Annual Minds Matter benefit drew about 400 supporters on May 1 and raised more than $1.5 million to advance research and patient care at the Lou and Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

Held at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, the event celebrated Malnati Brain Tumor Institute’s research accomplishments and reputation for providing world-class care to patients with brain tumors. Every year, MBTI admits more than 3,000 new patients with brain tumors and performs more than 700 brain tumor surgeries.

The event featured a dinner, auction, and paddle raise, as well as remarks from MBTI co-directors James P. Chandler, MD, and Roger Stupp, MD.

This year, MBTI honored Robin Loewenberg Tebbe with the Minds Matter Award for her more than 15 years of support and dedication. Tebbe’s first husband, Louis Berger, was diagnosed with glioblastoma over 15 years ago, and succumbed to the disease in 2010. Dr. Chandler and other members of the MBTI provided multidisciplinary care at the time. Tebbe since served as a member of the MBTI Advisory Council for many years and hosted through her real estate company, Magellan Development, 10K races with proceeds benefiting the brain tumor institute in its early years. Today, she is an avid fundraiser for MBTI research.

Read the rest of the event recap here.

To access photos from the event click here.

Thank you to the Minds Matter Sponsors!