Christopher “Kip” Condron, a retired financier and executive, has looked up to many business leaders through his life and career. When he needed treatment for an irregular heart rate known as atrial fibrillation, Condron found himself looking up to a different kind of leader—this time, in medicine.

At the recommendation of his friend and cardiac surgeon, Bartley Griffith, MD, Condron sought the care of Mandeep R. Mehra, MD, medical director of the Heart and Vascular Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Mehra’s expertise—as well as the center’s distinction as one of the top cardiovascular centers in the nation—captured Condron’s notice.

“I was impressed by Dr. Mehra’s reputation before I met him, and even more impressed after getting to know him,” says Condron. “I wanted to become more involved in his work.”

Condron decided to join the Heart and Vascular Advisory Board, lending his extensive business knowledge to advance the center’s strategic goals. He also pledged $250,000 to establish the Condron Family Heart and Vascular Center Fund to help ensure the center’s continued success.

“Dr. Mehra is an exceptional physician and leader,” says Condron, whose gift will provide resources for the center’s most urgent priorities in research, education, and patient care. “To me, supporting the Heart and Vascular Center is the right thing to do. I want to help build on the outstanding research and care the center already does day in and day out.”