‘Wonder Woman’ gives $10 million to Johns Hopkins in honor of late husband

Wonder Woman just became a superhero to a whole new generation of Johns Hopkins surgeons and surgical students.

The family foundation of Lynda Carter, best known for her portrayal of Wonder Woman in the 1970’s television series, just gifted $10 million to the university’s James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute to advance surgical procedures and training.

Carter, who lives in Potomac, made the gift from the Robert and Lynda Carter Altman Family Foundation. Carter and her children created the foundation in honor of her late husband, who was treated for prostate cancer at Hopkins.

“I’m excited to see how this emerges and the new students, including these wonder women surgeons,” Carter, the actress, singer/songwriter and philanthropist, said in a statement. “They will push this technology into the future and do the right thing for people.”

The center performs less-invasive surgeries including basic kidney stone removal and reconstructive surgery for bladder cancer, according to the institute. The institute is known for robotic surgery and also lifelike 3D-printed practice organs that help train surgeons on urological procedures.

The money will endow a division at the institute for minimally invasive surgery, which has been named in Robert Altman’s honor.

The goal is to make surgeries more precise and help patients recover faster, as well as improve research and education.

“This gift will help advance more than a century of innovation at Johns Hopkins Medicine that has helped patients live better and longer, while improving the practice of urological surgical care,” Dr. Mohammad Allaf, director of the institute, said in a statement.

Allaf successfully treated Altman for prostate cancer, performing a radical prostatectomy. Allaf said they developed a friendship before his death and shared a drive to push boundaries.

“Robert had been incredibly successful in his life, and I went to him for advice on a few things that were very influential for my career and ultimately what we’ve been able to build in my department,” Allaf said.

Carter was married for nearly 40 years to Altman, an attorney, business leader and father of their children, Jessica and James.

Altman was a game developer and co-founder and head of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, which created games and franchises including Fallout, Elder Scrolls and Starfield.

In providing the gift, Carter told Hopkins she believed the power of technology was rooted in the limitless potential of human beings.