Robert and Devi Jawl Foundation Makes Transformational $3M Gift

Victoria, BC — Just days after publicly launching its largest campaign to date, the Victoria Hospitals Foundation (VHF) today announced a transformational $3-million gift from the Robert and Devi Jawl Foundation to It’s Time for Surgical Transformation.

The leadership gift marks another significant show of confidence in the future of specialized care on Vancouver Island and in the physicians shaping it at Royal Jubilee (RJH) and Victoria General (VGH) hospitals. It comes as VHF builds philanthropic momentum behind the $43-million third and culminating phase of It’s Time, an ambitious effort to expand capacity and accelerate innovation in stroke, cardiac and cancer care by giving physicians and care teams the technology and clinical environments to take increasingly advanced care even further.

“We believe in this cause and the vision of our local surgeons and care teams, who understand where medicine is heading and what patients on Vancouver Island will need in the years ahead,” states the Robert and Devi Jawl Foundation. “Having worked with the Victoria Hospitals Foundation closely over the years, we have seen how philanthropy can accelerate innovation when it is guided by the expertise of those delivering care. This final phase of the It’s Time campaign represents an exceptional opportunity and will transform care for countless patients and families across our region. This is a cause that will touch so many and we warmly invite others to join us in bringing this vision to life.”

“Some of the most important advances in our hospitals begin with physicians seeing what could be possible for their patients, and philanthropy gives us the opportunity to help them get there,” says Avery Brohman, CEO, Victoria Hospitals Foundation. “Bob and Devi have believed in that partnership for many years. Their transformational $3-million gift reflects an extraordinary belief in our physicians, our hospitals and what is possible for healthcare on Vancouver Island. We are incredibly grateful to have their leadership behind this next chapter.”

Build On A Proven Record of Transformation

The Robert and Devi Jawl Foundation’s transformational gift builds on a powerful record of what philanthropy has already made possible through It’s Time. This week, VHF joined physicians to mark a milestone that, only a few years ago, represented an entirely new frontier for Vancouver Island: more than 1,000 robotic-assisted procedures performed at RJH and VGH.

Chief of Urology Dr. Michael Metcalfe was among the physicians who helped lead Phases I and II of It’s Time, championing the arrival of robotic-assisted surgery in Victoria’s hospitals. He performed the first robotic-assisted surgery at RJH on February 3, 2025, and, less than two years later, the program has surpassed 1,000 procedures for Island patients across the most comprehensive list of surgical specialties in the country. That progress has been made possible by three fully donor-funded robotic platforms through Phases I and II.

The milestone is a powerful example of philanthropy translating physician vision into patient care. What began as an ambitious idea, backed by donors, is now an established program changing what is possible for patients every day at RJH and VGH.

Now, Dr. Nadra Ginting, Chief of Surgery at RJH, is among the physicians helping lead It’s Time into its third and culminating phase. As one of five vascular surgeons who will use the new Hybrid Operating Rooms, she represents the continuity at the heart of the campaign: building on what philanthropy has already enabled and creating the conditions for the next generation of innovation.

Phase III will bring Vancouver Island its first two Hybrid Operating Rooms at RJH, pairing BC’s most advanced robotic-assisted surgical imaging with full operating-room capability to create a new platform for highly complex care. By bringing advanced imaging, surgery and multidisciplinary teams together around a single patient, these rooms will expand what Island physicians can take on in cardiac, vascular and stroke-prevention care, while creating the environment for advances still to come.

Phase III will also double Interventional Radiology capacity across RJH and VGH, with two new sophisticated tech-medicine suites that will expand access to increasingly sophisticated, minimally invasive treatments for stroke, cancer and other complex conditions.

Phase III is an investment in where medicine is going, giving our exceptional physicians at RJH and VGH the environments to lead, innovate and bring the next generation of specialized care to Vancouver Island patients.

A Remarkable Momentum

Just three days after its public launch, $11.7 million has now been secured toward the $43-million vision for It’s Time for Surgical Transformation. The Robert and Devi Jawl Foundation’s $3-million leadership gift builds on the generosity of donors who stepped forward early and signals growing momentum behind the campaign’s vision for the future of care on Vancouver Island.

VHF is inviting the community to be part of what comes next. Contributions to It’s Time for Surgical Transformation can be made at www.victoriahf.ca/donate, by calling 250-519-1750, or by visiting the Foundation office on the RJH campus at Wilson Block, 1952 Bay Street, Victoria, BC, V8R 1J8.

Every gift moves this vision closer to reality and helps ensure Island physicians have the capacity, technology and environments to keep advancing care for the patients and families who depend on them.