Foundation History

The Heineman Foundation was established in 1940 by Dannie Heineman, a Charlotte native and world-renowned industrialist, and by Oscar Miller, a leading orthopaedic surgeon who founded Charlotte's Miller Orthopaedic Clinic. Dedicated to its namesake's two abiding interests - in medical research and his boyhood home - the Heineman Foundation originally helped to advance the quality of clinical services in Charlotte.

Research activities expanded substantially under the direction of Paul Sanger, who took the reins in the late 1940s, and Francis Robicsek, who joined the Foundation in 1956. By 1959, the Foundation was incorporated as the Heineman Medical Research Center of Charlotte, North Carolina, Inc. It was rechartered in 1973 and the name changed in 1992 to Heineman Medical Research, Inc.

The commitment of the Heineman family remains strong. Heineman Medical Research has two sister foundations that provide financial support, the Heineman Foundation of New York and the Minna-James- Heineman-Stiftung of Hannover, Germany.

From the beginning, Heineman Medical Research has also enjoyed widespread community support. Many organizations and individuals from the Charlotte area donate time and money to Heineman laboratories because they appreciate the critical difference that medical research can make to the quality of life in their own community.