Help shape a healthier future.

Science is shaped by people, each deeply connected to their work and driven by an urgent desire to make a difference.

Van Andel Institute welcomes scientists and researchers from across the world, each one dedicated to discovery. Thanks to our supporters, Van Andel Institute provides our scientists with the infrastructure, support and technology needed to spark innovation and answer critical questions about health and disease. We invite you to hear about discoveries directly from one of our scientists, Dr. Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf. The game changed for Fondufe-Mittendorf when she arrived at VAI in 2022. During her first visit, she realized the Institute was different. Here she found the highly collaborative, interdisciplinary hub she sought — a place that fosters discovery through a entrepreneurial works and deep community support. Dr. Fondufe-Mittendorf studies the relationship between the environment and health, specifically, how toxicants in drinking water affect cancer risk. Her research has revealed how low-dose arsenic exposure transforms healthy cells into malignant ones, a finding that pinpoints previously unknown vulnerabilities in cancer. “VAI gives me freedom,” she said. “Freedom to think. Freedom to start new projects, to think broadly, and to change paths when we need to. It’s how we innovate, and how we move the science forward to ultimately help develop new therapies and treatments for disease.”