News Feature
College of Physicians & Surgeons
October 4, 2007
An anonymous grateful patient made a first-time outright gift of $1 million to establish an unrestricted endowment fund that can be used by the chairman of the Department of Urology to support the priorities of the department.
The Boomer Esiason Foundation pledged $6 million to establish the Gunnar Esiason Adult Cystic Fibrosis and Lung Program in the Department of Medicine. This pledge complements prior support made by the Foundation for the Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis program.
The Charles Engelhard Foundation and Sally Engelhard Pingree, Trustee, gave $1.16 million to the Department of Psychiatry to support a young adult treatment program for at risk students on college campuses. The Engelhard Foundation focuses on philanthropic projects for higher and secondary education, cultural, medical, religious, wildlife and conservation organizations.
Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. gave $5 million through the Gerstner Family Foundation to establish the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Scholars Fund, which will support physician-scientists who conduct translational research that is designed to bring new treatments to patients. Four young faculty members will be selected annually for a three-year term. Each will hold the special honor of being named a Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Scholar.
Columbia University Trustee Gerry Lenfest made a $1 million gift to endow the Gerry Lenfest Financial Aid Fund. This fund will support need-based scholarships at P&S.
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Lieber and the Essel Foundation gave $9 million to expand the Lieber Center for Schizophrenia Research. The gift will be distributed among research initiatives, a Translational Therapeutics Professorship, and the new Lieber Clinic for Comprehensive Care.
A grateful family pledged $2 million to endow a professorship for the clinical director of the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center. This gift complements an earlier $2 million pledge by Joseph and JoAnn Murphy to endow the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center research director professorship.
In recognition of our outstanding cardiovascular care and research programs, two foundations recently made significant philanthropic commitments to this area. A family foundation pledged $2 million in much-needed unrestricted support, and The Jerome L. Greene Foundation provided $1.5 million toward our Cardiac Valve Program.
The Merrill Lynch Foundation provided a generous gift of $3 million for the Taub Institute to support research into the genetic influences involved in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases of aging. This gift will be used to further the Institute’s mission to identify those at risk for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders and to develop means to prevent or delay the onset of these conditions.
The Frank V. Sica & Colleen McMahon Foundation contributed an additional $1 million in support of the Pancreas Center. Under the leadership of Dr. John Chabot, the Pancreas Center fosters a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of pancreatic cancer and sponsors basic and clinical research to investigate the biology of the disease.
Lynn Shostack provided a $3 million pledge to launch the David A. Gardner New Initiatives Fund, an unrestricted fund for CUMC’s executive vice president. This spring we announced the funding of two pilot faculty research initiatives: a P&S five-discipline team studying bacterial pneumonia and a four-school team studying social inequities in oral health and peripheral vascular disease. Ms. Shostack’s support will also fund the establishment of a new Genetics core that is being developed.
Jerry and Emily Spiegel, longtime supporters of neuroscience research at P&S, pledged $2 million to establish an endowed chair for a neuroscience researcher who holds a joint appointment in a clinical and basic science department. The Spiegel family is committed to furthering neurological stem cell research.
Columbia University alumnus Leonard Tow GSAS’52,’60 and his wife, Claire, pledged $12 million through the Leonard and Claire Tow Charitable Trust to support recruitment, research, and management of the Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease to advance science that is relevant to ALS or motor neuron biology. This is in addition to their $3 million pledge to establish the Claire Tow Professorship in Motor Neuron Disorders.
P&S alumnus George Violin, MD, made a series of gifts that total more than $500,000 to support the Wu Center for Molecular Cardiology. Dr. Violin and his wife Joan have established a fund to provide ongoing support to the Center and plan to continue support that will fund priorities of the Wu Center.
