A GENEROUS DISPLAY OF GRATITUDE: SHERRIE AND ALAN CONOVER After a successful liver transplant at Houston Methodist, Alan Conover and his wife Sherrie donated $6.5 million to the hospital’s liver program. The center was renamed Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease & Transplantation in June 2015. The Conovers’ generous gift will help develop resources and support for family members and caregivers who are away from home tending to their loved one, as well as fund research. “This substantial and thoughtful gift will allow us to expand our clinical and research programs ever further,” said R. Mark Ghobrial, MD, PhD, director of the Conover Center. “We are currently researching new forms of immunosuppression strategies for reducing complications and new ways to fight postoperative infection. This gift gives us a better chance to reach those goals.” MAGNANIMOUS SUPPORT FROM THE JLH FOUNDATION Since its inception nearly 20 years ago, the JLH Foundation has generously supported Houston Methodist in advancing patient care and research at the transplant center, as well as assisting transplant patients with medication and other medical expenses. The foundation was established by the family of John L. Hern of Houston, who waited 252 days for a heart transplant at Houston Methodist Hospital in 1996.
From left: Sherrie and Alan Conover, R. Mark Ghobrial, MD, PhD, and Ed Jones, chief operating officer at Houston Methodist Research Institute
Today, Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center stands apart as the largest and most comprehensive transplant center in the region and one of the largest heart-lung transplant programs in the world.