Honouring the Mozell family

The Libin Cardiovascular Institute’s rise to national and international prominence over the past 20 years has been fuelled by visionary research, clinical innovations — and the generosity of community champions like J.L. “Sam” and Beverley Mozell.

They have invested more than $14.5 million to advance research, care and education initiatives at the Libin Institute since the late 1990s. 

Sam lived a remarkable 96 years before passing away in January. He generously left another $3 million to the institute, ensuring the family’s legacy of helping shape cardiovascular health will last far into the future. 

Giving back to the community gave Sam immense pleasure, his family says — especially knowing he and Beverley were making a significant impact on cardiovascular health care worldwide through their giving to the Libin Institute. 

“We are deeply grateful for the Mozell family’s exceptional generosity,” says the institute’s director, Dr. Paul Fedak, MD, PhD. “Their visionary philanthropy is saving lives and transforming care for cardiovascular patients in Alberta and beyond.” 

Sam’s family describes him as a natural-born entertainer who had a knack for making people laugh and made an impression on everyone he met. He and Beverley, who married in 1956, built a life and family together, with two children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He enjoyed a successful 40-year career in the oil and gas industry. 

The new planned gift will help improve women’s heart health outcomes through the Beverley Mozell Graduate Scholarship in Women’s Cardiovascular Health. It will also catalyze innovative cardiovascular research with high potential for impact, and, via the Mozell Scholar Award, fund training for the next generation of cardiovascular research leaders. 

The Mozells’ philanthropic journey with the Cumming School of Medicine began in 1997, when they supported international health education opportunities. 

In the early 2000s, they invested in genetics research and established a state-of-the-art heart rhythm lab. The J.L. “Sam” and Beverly Mozell Heart Rhythm Lab at Foothills Medical Centre “transformed treatment for atrial fibrillation and has since helped more than 5,000 patients,” Fedak says.

The Mozell Family Analysis Core Lab was made possible by a gift from the family in 2020. This shared resource helps researchers collect, analyze and interpret data and is a key part of the Libin Precision Medicine Initiative (LPMI), which is harnessing data to develop health prediction and clinical decision-making tools to transform cardiovascular care. 

The family also helped the institute acquire advanced imaging technologies, including a mobile ultrasound system and a two-photon confocal microscope — both essential for research into heart and vascular diseases. 

They supported recruitment of several top-tier talents, including Dr. James White, MD, who leads the LPMI, and Dr. Satish Raj, MD, a leader in autonomic disorders. A Mozell gift also established the D.G. Wyse Professorship, now held by Dr. Robert Rose, PhD, to advance research in cardiac arrhythmias.

Learn how you too can support the Libin Cardiovascular Institute here.