Chronicle of Giving | Fall 2020

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CHRONICLE of GIVING STOR IES OF HOW YOUR GIFTS C H A N G E L I V E S AT VC U H E A LT H

Facing Crisis Together

Chronicle of Giving

Letter from the Board Chair and President

Dear Friends:

MCV Foundation Board of Trustees

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e hope this finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe. While these continue to be challenging times, there is still much to be thankful for. All of us at the MCV Foundation are especially thankful for you, our donors, and your steadfast commitment to supporting the healing, discovery and teaching mission of VCU Health.

We appreciate your support of the Make It Real campaign. While our colleagues at VCU’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations will be officially announcing the campaign total in mid-November, we wanted to share with you that the campaign goal of $750 million was substantially surpassed. Thank you!

We are also grateful to report that the foundation’s financial position and endowment remain strong. Despite some volatility in the markets earlier this spring, our endowment yielded a positive return for FY20 and grew to $514.5 million. You can read the full financial report on page 26.

For this issue, we are featuring a collection of stories in our cover section that showcases the bravery of our healthcare providers, researchers, faculty, students, alumni and donors who have rallied and worked with such speed and excellence to ensure those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic receive the best possible treatment.

We know many of you reading this issue are providing care in communities around the world. We thank you for your commitment and compassion in whatever community you may currently be serving. And to our faithful donors, we hope you feel inspired as you read this issue. It is your generosity and support that make these stories of lifesaving care, research and education possible.

While we may not be able to meet with you in person just yet, the impact of your unwavering commitment is felt throughout this institution. All of us at the foundation thank you for your inspiring generosity and we look forward to a time when we can thank you in person. ● Sincerely,

Wyatt S. Beazley IV Board Chair

Margaret Ann Bollmeier President

Farhad Aghdami, J.D. Wyatt S. Beazley IV, J.D. John O. Beckner, R.Ph. Michael Bisceglia Charles F. Bryan Jr., Ph.D. Elizabeth Whalley Buono, J.D. Rachel L. Burgess George W. Burke III, M.D. Robert C. Canfield Alex Cecil I. Lee Chapman IV Richard M. Clary, M.D. Charles F. Crone Paul W. Croston Oscarlyn Elder George P. Emerson Jr. Peter Farrell Louis Formica, D.D.S. Moses W. Foster Jr. Stephen J. Gaidos Sheryl L. Garland Stephen McCarthy Goddard Basil Leonard Hurst III Darius A. Johnson Susan Kornstein, M.D. J. Keith Middleton H. Frederick T. Moore Robert F. Norfleet Jr. Rebecca T. Perdue Ghulam D. Qureshi, M.D. W. Taylor Reveley III, J.D. James H. Revere Jr., D.D.S. Michele A. Romano, M.D. Liza Jarvis Scott T.K. Somanath Ellen E. Spong Tracy Kemp Stallings James H. Starkey III Judith Forehand Starkey Kit T. Sullivan, D.D.S. Harry R. Thalhimer Richard P. Wenzel, M.D., M.Sc. Michelle Y. Whitehurst-Cook, M.D. T. Spencer Williamson Ex Officio Members: Michael Rao, Ph.D. President of VCU and VCU Health System Arthur L. Kellermann, M.D. Chief Executive Officer, VCU Health System and Vice President, VCU Health Sciences

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Individuals, nonprofits, businesses and places of worship from across Central Virginia came together this year to help supply VCU Health with PPE, food for staff and other resources. Here, representatives from the Sikh Association of Central Virginia deliver hundreds of N95 masks.

Photo courtesy of VCU Health

CONTENTS

The Chronicle of Giving is published by the MCV Foundation for alumni and friends of the Medical College of Virginia Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. © 2020 MCV Foundation MANAGING EDITOR / Alex Henley EDITORS / Eric Peters and Paul Brockwell Jr. CONTRIBUTORS / Wyatt Beazley IV, Margaret Ann Bollmeier, David Silver and Brian Thomas GRAPHIC DESIGN / Kevin Schindler Art and Design —————————

The MCV Foundation was established in 1949 to inspire and steward philanthropy that supports the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.

We support the clinical care, research and education mission of our MCV Campus partners: VCU College of Health Professions, VCU School of Dentistry, VCU School of Medicine, VCU School of Nursing, VCU School of Pharmacy, VCU Massey Cancer Center and VCU Medical Center.

We manage over $600 million in assets to ensure the MCV Campus remains at the forefront of excellence and innovation in patient care, research and education. Through more than 1,700 funds, we provide scholarships, professorships, research and program funds to support the lifesaving work occurring at VCU Health every day. These funds allow VCU students, healthcare providers and researchers to be on the cutting edge of healthcare delivery, offering patients the most exciting treatments and medical technology available.

We honor the history of the Medical College of Virginia and the value of philanthropy to healthcare education, research and service.

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ON THE COVER / Community volunteers donated

thousands of handmade masks to VCU Health after the onset of the pandemic. Art Concept: Nathan Cunningham, VCU Health; Photo: Megan Jernigan, VCU Health

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GOING GREEN / If you would prefer to receive

a digital copy of this magazine, please contact info@mcvfoundation.org to be added to the email distribution list.

MCV Foundation

4 COVER STORY

Facing Crisis Together In the face of incredible uncertainty and fear, donors have rallied to help nurses, physicians and researchers battle the pandemic.

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MCV CAMPUS NEWS

MCV FOUNDATION NEWS

Meet the MCV Campus’ new senior vice president and CEO, who arrived on campus Oct. 1.

The foundation recognizes extraordinary leadership in philanthropy across the MCV Campus.

FINANCIAL COMMENTARY

Learn about fiscal year 2020 contributions to the MCV Campus and the foundation’s endowment performance.

MCV CAMPUS GIVING

Donors come together to honor a lion on the MCV Campus and leader in neurosurgery.

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Together

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L A ST SPR I NG was a surprising and scary time.

Overnight almost, thousands were out of work, even more were adjusting to a new normal of working from home, hospitals and municipalities were preparing for the worst and our nation readied itself to endure whatever was about to come. While the word may have lost some of its meaning from overuse, the spring and the entire year truly were uncertain.

In the face of that uncertainty, in the face of a foe that no one yet understood or could predict, people all over the country made sacrifices, took risks, adapted and turned helping hands toward neighbors, all so we could collectively move forward.

On the MCV Campus, we saw vital care continue for patients at Massey Cancer Center. At VCU Medical Center, we saw protocols adapted and challenges met with rapid

Making an impact on the people of Richmond, Central Virginia and the world.

solutions, such as an independently developed COVID-19 test and a program to safely decontaminate N95 masks. We also witnessed researchers across the university quickly refocus their work to pursue clinical trials and other tools that would help fight the pandemic.

One of the most inspiring parts of it all was experiencing the generosity of neighbors, alumni, staff, friends and family of the MCV Campus at VCU Health who wanted to help the front-line healthcare workers and researchers in meeting the unique and evolving challenges of the time. Through countless selfless acts, these donors and supporters helped ensure that lifesaving care, essential research and transformational education could continue making an impact on the people of Richmond, Central Virginia and the world. â—?

Community groups like RVA Masks 4 Health made and donated cloth masks for use by hospital staff and patients in low-risk zones. Nathan Cunningham, manager of patient experience in the Department of Patient Centered Services at VCU Health, estimates thousands of masks have been donated through the effort. To thank the community for the overwhelming support, he and Megan Jernigan, who works in the department, arranged donated masks into a heart and created the one-of-a-kind image on the cover and on page 4. Photos courtesy of VCU Health

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VCU Health COVID-19 Response Fund

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I N T H E E A R LY DAYS of the pandemic, VCU Health care providers, researchers and administrators were working around the clock to ensure resources and lifesaving care would be available in our region. As the unknown foe crept in, we knew that neighbors and friends across Central Virginia were also ready to contribute and be a part of fending off whatever lay ahead.

To provide a philanthropic avenue by which the community could contribute, VCU Health established its COVID-19 Response Fund in early April.

Administered by the Office of the Senior Vice President for VCU Health Sciences and CEO of VCU Health System, this new fund has provided unrestricted resources to address evolving critical needs, including support for the Central Virginia COVID-19 Command Center, support for patients and the supplies and infrastructure that help them heal, support for researching new treatments and testing methods, and support for medical staff and health sciences students.

Fighting the pandemic became a true community effort as your donations poured in at a critical time.

“We have been so proud of Richmond and Central Virginia for showing us it sees the health of our family, friends and neighbors as a worthwhile, shared responsibility,” said Peter

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Buckley, M.D., who served through September as interim senior vice president for VCU Health Sciences and CEO of VCU Health System.

“Together, we will continue to fulfill our mission to keep the people of our region safe, find new ways to treat patients here and around the globe, and educate the next generation of providers who will carry us all through the next evolutions in healthcare and research.”

More than $350,000 has been donated to the response fund with nearly $300,000 more pending. In addition, nearly $250,000 worth of in-kind donations, including personal protective equipment, has come to the hospital.

Read more about in-kind donations on page 11.

As we celebrate the impact our community’s generosity has made so far against COVID-19, we see that there is much still to be done. Money is needed to develop vaccines, improve testing, test new treatments, improve support systems for front-line care providers and ensure that we are as prepared for the next pandemic as we proved to be for this one.

If you are interested in helping us reach these goals to protect our healthcare workers and our neighbors in Central Virginia and around the world, please contact Payton Hardinge at payton. hardinge@vcuhealth.org or 804-418-9641. ●

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Facing Crisis Together

“We have been so proud of Richmond and Central Virginia for showing us it sees the health of our family, friends and neighbors as a worthwhile, shared responsibility.”

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– Peter Buckley, M.D., dean, VCU School of Medicine

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Private Philanthropy Ignites COVID-19 Research

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W H EN Alpha A. “Berry” Fowler III, M.D., a professor in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine in VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine, first saw COVID-19 causing breathing complications and pneumonia in some patients, he immediately thought of applying his research with Vitamin C. We covered Dr. Fowler’s groundbreaking work using Vitamin C to treat sepsis in the inaugural issue of NEXT in Fall 2017. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s immune response to a viral or bacterial infection becomes excessive and actually does more damage than the original infection. The lungs tend to be particularly vulnerable when the immune system goes into overdrive, which can result in acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute lung injury or pneumonia.

“My colleagues and I hypothesized that if we started Vitamin C treatment just as COVID patients were beginning to show a need for oxygen support, we could calm the lung with Vitamin C as an anti-inflammatory therapy,” Dr. Fowler told us.

Those colleagues include Brian Davis, M.D., assistant professor of medicine in the Gastroenterology Division at Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, and Markos G. Kashiouris, M.D., MPH, an intensivist and assistant professor in VCU’s Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Davis has an open-label clinical trial underway at Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center using Dr. Fowler’s Vitamin C protocol, and has enrolled 20 veterans hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia.

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“So far, the Vitamin C protocol has been very well tolerated without significant side effects, and most veterans have an improvement in oxygenation while receiving Vitamin C. Since veterans represent one of the highest-risk groups for complications related to COVID-19, it is critical to develop safe and effective therapies that dampen the damage triggered by this virus,” Dr. Davis told us. Final analysis of this study will be submitted to a peerreviewed journal for publication later this year.

Drs. Davis, Fowler and Kashiouris recently received approval from the FDA to run a two-center safety trial using their Vitamin C protocol to treat 60 study participants with COVID-19 pneumonia. Once this trial, called EVICTCORONA-ALI, is complete, they hope to launch a much broader, multi-site clinical trial.

“We’re excited to begin this trial, but none of this would be possible without Harry Thalhimer,” Dr. Fowler said.

“I’ve known Harry for years and taken care of many of his family members. He’s been working behind the scenes to make sure we have funding. We’re not receiving any federal grants at this stage, so this trial will be completely supported by donors who are passionate about this area of research.”

Harry Thalhimer, MCV Foundation board member and past chair, has long been an advocate for the people of VCU Health and the work being accomplished on the MCV Campus, and his interest in this project is especially personal. “Berry Fowler treated my parents, my brother and my wife over the past 30 years. He’s legendary in his diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary disease, and through

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Facing Crisis Together

Alpha A. “Berry” Fowler III, M.D., professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine at the VCU School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, works on Vitamin C research in his lab in the Molecular Medicine Research Building on the MCV Campus. Photo: Tom Kojcsich, VCU University Marketing

Marsha and Harry Thalhimer celebrate Harry’s successful term as MCV Foundation board chair at the 2019 annual dinner and awards ceremony.

Photo: Kevin Schindler

my involvement I’ve grown to admire and respect Berry greatly; he’s become a friend,” Harry said.

“I told Berry I would do my best to help him raise the funding he needed. I reached out and in a very short time secured substantial personal commitments from the MCV Foundation and VCU Health families. The truth of the matter is that raising money for causes you believe in and people you believe in is easy. I know that people in this community have the utmost respect and admiration for medical leaders like Berry Fowler,” Harry told us.

If you feel inspired and would like to further this research effort, please contact Brian Thomas, MCV Foundation vice president and chief development officer, at 804-828-0067 or brian.thomas@vcuhealth.org. ●

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Nurses and staff on the Security Care Unit at VCU Health accept donated lunches last spring as they worked during an intense and important time of the pandemic. Photo courtesy of Nathan Cunningham

VCU Health Heroes Fund:

Food for Front-line Healthcare Workers All of the powerful connections that food has with our wellness, our comfort and our families are what make it such an impactful and meaningful gift and are why people across the region are giving meals to healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since early April, individuals, businesses, houses of worship and other groups have donated thousands of meals and $16,700 to buy food for front-line healthcare workers and support staff at VCU Health.

“Our team members want to be on their units near their patients as much as possible, and these meals allow that,” said Nathan Cunningham, manager of patient experience in the Department of Patient Centered Services at VCU Health.

“Donated meals are far more than just food. They are a show of gratitude and support from our community. That food fuels our team members and inspires our team members to keep working through difficult times.”

Nathan began fielding three to four inquiries per day about food donations this spring, and many of the inquiries involved offers of gift cards or cash donations. That is where the MCV Foundation was able to step in and help.

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The foundation was also receiving inquiries at the time about monetary donations that would provide food for hospital staff. So Brian Thomas, vice president and chief development officer at the foundation, worked with Nathan to establish the VCU Health Heroes Fund, which enables community members to make donations specifically for purchasing meals for VCU Health staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Having this fund as a reserve really helps ensure that we can maintain the meal distribution consistently and equally among shifts,” Nathan said. “In addition, we’re cognizant that a lot of our team members’ spouses have lost work, so we’re looking at how to prepare family meals that can be taken home at night. We also recognize that school closings mean a lot of children might not get that lunch for the day, so a lot of these funds help us provide meals for team members and families while they’re at home.”

If you are interested in helping provide meals for VCU Health care providers and staff members, contact Brian Thomas, vice president and chief development officer at the MCV Foundation, at 804-828-0067 or brian.thomas@vcuhealth.org. ●

MCV Foundation

Facing Crisis Together

Community Rallies to Donate Protective Supplies for VCU Health Our humanity shines brightest during a crisis, and that is especially true on the MCV Campus, where we have seen an outpouring of support for VCU Health as it responds to COVID-19.

In the spring, the health system staff were carefully monitoring which supplies would likely be exhausted quickly once Central Virginia began seeing cases.

“Within days of the first official COVID-19 case in Virginia, we had various organizations and private individuals reaching out and asking what we needed and how they could help,” said Nathan Cunningham, manager of patient experience in the Department of Patient Centered Services at VCU Health.

The health system identified supplies and equipment that would be helpful to strategically increase. Staff hoped to shore up supplies of masks, nitrile gloves, gowns, foot covers, head covers and face shields, which would be depleted quickly as cases increased.

After publishing the list online, calls came flooding in from businesses and community members. Labs, construction companies, tattoo parlors and other local businesses sent their existing stock of masks, gloves and other protective gear to VCU Health.

“It’s been extremely generous,” Nathan said. His team has been coordinating receipt and distribution of the rush of in-kind gifts to the health system. Both small and larger businesses

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have donated their resources. And individual residents also emptied their supply closets for helpful supplies like N95 masks.

In total, supporters have donated nearly $250,000 of gifts-in-kind to VCU Health. That figure includes donated meals for the healthcare staff in addition to important goods, such as gallons of hand sanitizer, gloves, masks, face shields, gowns and foot covers.

“Once we told people we were able to accept cloth masks, mask makers came out of the woodwork,” said Payton Hardinge, associate director of strategic initiatives for VCU Health.

“Our phones were overwhelmed as different industries and community groups reached out to see how they could help. It’s been heartening to watch the community step up as we ask for different things.”

At last check, more than 100 unique individuals or organizations have donated supplies or protective equipment.

Capital One donated thousands of P100 masks. Belle Isle Craft Spirits began producing hand sanitizer in addition to its popular moonshine. Volvo manufactured hundreds of face shields.

“Safety remains our number one priority,” Nathan said. “It’s such a relief for the staff to know our community is supporting them with these donations, which help make sure that all of our team members have adequate supplies to safely do their jobs and take care of our patients.”

VCU Health continues to accept in-kind donations. Call 804-628-0400, or email vcuhealthdevelopment@vcuhealth.org to connect with staff about their current needs. ●

VCU Health team members show their appreciation for the many community donations of supplies that help keep staff and patients safe. Photo courtesy of VCU Health

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Student Dispatches From the Front Lines

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SEEM I NGLY overnight the MCV Campus shifted focus to join the efforts aimed at responding to the COVID-19 crisis. Early on, we heard stories of students who coordinated child and pet care for VCU Health team members, and so many additional students have stepped up in inspiring ways wherever needed. The most heartening thing to see is how students have shown their commitment to compassionate, community-driven care in response to the challenges we face during the pandemic.

Students, along with alumni and faculty, are among a group of more than 350 VCU volunteers who signed up to serve with the Virginia Department of Health Medical Reserve Corps, which supports the community during public health emergencies. In addition to offering their assistance with staffing and outreach efforts, students have been involved as contact tracers, data collectors and testing site assistants in the community.

Dawit Ayalew, a fourth-year student in the School of Medicine, helped with COVID-19 community testing at the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center and was honored to be among the volunteers.

“There are few things that truly make me feel [as] alive and engaged with those around me as being of help to my community during times of crisis,” Dawit said. “I was proud that I had the opportunity to showcase not just my medical knowledge but also my growth in organizational skills and communication.”

Several graduate students from the VCU School of Nursing traveled to work at facilities besieged by the COVID-19 outbreak in New York and Seattle to provide desperately needed care for patients sick with the virus. Clare Shanley, one of those students, earned her master’s degree in May from the VCU School of Nursing. She works as an emergency department nurse at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond and traveled to New York where she served at North Central Bronx Hospital.

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Dawit Ayalew, a fourth-year medical student at the VCU School of Medicine, is pictured volunteering at the East Henrico Recreation Center with the Henrico and Richmond Medical Reserves Corps in mid-May. Photo courtesy of Dawit Ayalew

“I wanted to find a way that I could help somehow,” Clare wrote. “A friend of mine had sent me an email that she received about this staffing agency. I got the email Monday morning and I called them, and I had signed on by Tuesday afternoon, and then I was on a flight to New York on Friday. The need was urgent, so they moved things along very quickly.”

On campus, nurse anesthesia graduate students began picking up shifts in the intensive care units to provide critical care nursing for COVID-19 patients.

“I could not be more proud of them for stepping up,” said Suzanne Wright, Ph.D., chair of the VCU College of Health Professions Department of Nurse Anesthesia. “These graduate students are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, a lot of them have families, and they’re all critical care nurses, so they have a depth of critical care nursing experience that is very needed right now.”

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Mathew Alexander, a VCU undergraduate alumnus and secondyear VCU medical student, is working with two other experts to report on the U.S. response to COVID-19 for the World Health Organization. Photo courtesy of Mathew Alexander

School of Nursing student Clare Shanley (left) pauses for a brief moment with a colleague at North Central Bronx Hospital. Clare is one of many students on the MCV Campus stepping up to serve during COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Clare Shanley

Research was another key area in which students helped develop our understanding of the virus. Second-year medical student Mathew Alexander is one of three experts providing information to the World Health Organization on the United States’ health policy response to COVID-19.

He joined two professors from the University of Central Florida as “country experts” on the U.S. for a WHO initiative called the Health System Response Monitor, which collects data on how countries around the world are responding to COVID-19.

“This is meant to be a tool for policymakers and health system leadership to not only inform their decisions in the [present] but also to look back in the future and understand, ‘What were some of the best strategies for containing, for testing or for mitigating the spread?’” Mathew said.

Mathew said he has learned a great deal from the project so far. He will continue to provide reports to the WHO on an ongoing basis and said he is glad to have a chance to inform policymakers and the public and to contribute to the global efforts to contain COVID-19. ●

Caring for Students:

Emergency Funds Help Those in Need While many students found meaning in their volunteer efforts, the spread of COVID-19 also caused economic uncertainty for students.

Dentistry students in particular saw clinics closed for weeks as they worried about future livelihoods on hold while their regular everyday expenses continued.

In another sign of the caring community on the

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MCV Campus, the School of Dentistry and the School of Pharmacy acted quickly to create emergency funds that could provide support for students most affected by the crisis. Both schools have reported being able to help students who were left financially vulnerable. And in the School of Pharmacy, one generous donor gave $25,000 to support this effort. ●

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Alumni Dispatches From the Front Lines Danny Avula, M.D., a 2004 School of Medicine graduate, is director of the Richmond City and Henrico County Health Departments, and has been vital to our region’s work to contain the virus in more than two dozen different longterm care facilities.

In May, he spoke with “PBS NewsHour” about why American nursing homes have been hit so hard by coronavirus.

“The reality is that, yes, this is where COVID-19 is taking its

“These experiences paved the way for my career as a local health officer.” – Danny Avula, M.D.

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steepest toll. This is who is feeling the brunt of this disease,” he said. “In so many of these situations, these are patients who have severe dementia and have a high degree of need hour by hour, minute by minute, in terms of support. … It’s really difficult to support that in a residential setting.”

Dr. Avula told us this summer that the support he received on the MCV Campus was essential to his work today. “The VCU School of Medicine provided incredible mentors like Dr. Michelle Whitehurst-Cook, who encouraged and supported me as I pursued nontraditional rotations in local and international public health,” he said. “These experiences paved the way for my career as a local health officer.” ● Priscilla Mpasi, M.D., a 2014 graduate of the School of Medicine, is contributing to the national discussion around COVID-19. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia pediatrician and co-chair of the Council on Concerns of Women Physicians of the National Medical Association spoke to Essence magazine about the disproportionate numbers of Black Americans dying from COVID-19. She also testified to the Pennsylvania State Senate about the impact of COVID-19 from the perspective of a pediatrician and health policy expert.

“I personally witness the impact of COVID-19 on children, from decreased well-child visits, decreased rates of vaccinations, education disruptions, food insecurity and housing instability,” Dr. Mpasi said in her remarks to the legislature. “Equally concerning are the missed appointments for children with chronic conditions and special healthcare needs. We see an increase in household injuries and anticipate an increase in childhood obesity, as well as anxiety and depression, especially in our adolescents.”

“My health policy work focuses on health equity and addressing racial discrimination and social injustice in healthcare delivery,” she told us. “My initial engagement in this area started as a first-year in the medical school’s I2CRP (International/Inner City/Rural Preceptorship Program).

The program provided the foundation to understand the

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Facing Crisis Together

Ginna Slattum, RN, a 2018 School of Nursing graduate, cares for patients in VCU Health’s Acute Care Medicine Unit.

She said one of the most important skills she learned during her training is critical thinking.

“VCU’s School of Nursing provided me with the toolkit to handle the clinical challenges I approach daily,” she said.

“As a nurse, my strength in critical thinking is the most important skill I can bring to the bedside when caring for a patient and collaborating with interprofessional teams, especially in uncertain times like these when recommendations change very fast.

“What I most enjoy about being a nurse is the connection,” she said. “Nurses have a unique ability to connect with patients through spending extended time with them, focusing on each individual as whole and embracing the role of a patient advocate. I cannot be more grateful for the patients who remind me why I go to work each shift.” ●

“I personally witness the impact of COVID-19 on children, from decreased well-child visits, decreased rates of vaccinations, education disruptions, food insecurity and housing instability.” – Priscilla Mpasi, M.D. “VCU’s School of Nursing unique challenges faced by underserved populations and developed my understanding of social determinants of health. It solidified my desire to pursue a career in primary care and health policy to target health disparities and work with health systems and policy leaders to strive for health equity across all communities.” ●

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provided me with the toolkit to handle the clinical challenges I approach daily.” – Ginna Slattum, RN

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Awards Honoring MCV Campus Leaders and Trailblazers

Photo: Thomas Kojcsich, VCU University Marketing

Michael Fallacaro, D.N.S., CRNA, FAAN, who served as professor and chairman of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia in the VCU College of Health Professions for 20 years, received the Robert Irby Award.

For much of Dr. Fallacaro’s time leading the department, it was the top-ranked program of its kind in the nation.

In 2011, Dr. Fallacaro established the Fallacaro Patient Safety Endowment for the Department of Nurse Anesthesia, which was the first endowment established for the department.

Shortly thereafter, every faculty member in the department also established an endowment.

Since Dr. Fallacaro set his example of philanthropic support, an additional 24 endowments have been created for the department.

Established in memory of Robert Irby, M.D., an MCV rheumatologist who was devoted to securing financial support for the MCV Campus, this award is presented to a faculty member who has assisted with major fundraising efforts. ●

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Each year, the MCV Foundation Board of Trustees honors people who have made significant contributions to help VCU Health achieve its mission here in Central Virginia and beyond.

“These engaged, committed, generous and visionary awards recipients have played critical roles in helping VCU Health advance lifesaving care, transformational research and preeminent education,” said Margaret Ann Bollmeier, president of the MCV Foundation. “We can’t thank them enough for what they have given directly, and for the influence they have had on inspiring others to give.” ●

Adrienne Maxwell, one of VCU Massey Cancer Center’s most tireless volunteers, received the Mickey B. Dowdy Award.

For almost 30 years, Adrienne has dedicated her time, expertise, leadership and generosity to the cancer center. A natural leader and passionate advocate, she helped found Massey Club, Massey’s leadership annual giving society, which now brings in nearly $2 million annually in unrestricted funds to support the center’s greatest needs.

Concerned about the lack of awareness in the Richmond community regarding research being conducted at Massey and a desire to raise money for women’s cancers, Adrienne encouraged her friends to join her and create a fundraising event. With her guid-

ance, this committee of devoted volunteers received support from local businesses and organizations to produce the first Women & Wellness Signature Luncheon 25 years ago. Adrienne continues to be instrumental in the success of this event, this year gathering former event chairs to form the Legacy Committee, which helped raise record-breaking funds. Her continued support toward the research of women’s health has been the reason this event has raised more than $5.5 million over the event’s lifetime.

Established in honor of Mickey Dowdy, who served as president of the MCV Foundation from 1993 to 2006, this award recognizes a volunteer who has played a lead role fundraising for the MCV Campus. ●

Photo: Kevin Schindler

MCV Foundation

Honoring MCV Campus Leaders and Trailblazers

Photo: Kevin Schindler

David Sarrett, D.M.D., longtime faculty member and dean of the VCU School of Dentistry, received the Jerome F. Strauss III Award.

He has been an academic leader, dental community leader and faculty advocate throughout his more than 25 years on campus. In addition to acting as a collaborative partner in fundraising efforts on behalf of the School of Dentistry, Dr. Sarrett has given and pledged his own resources to ensure programs, research and scholarship will continue to thrive at the school.

In 2013, Dr. Sarrett and his wife Beth established an endowed scholarship at the school to encourage dental

MCV Foundation

Roger Boevé, a leader, donor and friend of the MCV Campus for many years, received the Eugene P. Trani Award.

Roger served nine years on the MCV Foundation Board of Trustees and is now a member of the foundation’s Leadership Council. In his time on the board, he chaired the Development Committee, served on the host committee for the inaugural Discovery Series RVA, and opened his home, along with his wife Anne, so their friends and neighbors could meet and ask questions of MCV Campus faculty and leadership.

Roger also has served more than 10 years on the Massey Advisory Board and is an external advisory board member for VCU’s

students to enter academic dentistry and/or research in the dental field. In addition, Dr. Sarrett further established himself as a philanthropic leader at the school and across campus when he made a $100,000 commitment to the new Adult Outpatient Pavilion in which the dental clinic enterprise will be housed.

In 2018, Dr. Sarrett and Beth cemented their legacy and vision for the school’s future when they shared their intention to endow a chair in general practice through a $1 million estate gift.

Established in honor of Jerry Strauss, M.D., Ph.D., former dean of the School of Medicine, this award

Weil Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Research. Most recently, Roger helped establish and now serves as chair of the Pauley Heart Center Advisory Board.

An advisory board had been discussed for many years, and Roger readily agreed to help faculty launch the board and personally contacted most of its 11 members to ask them for their service. He enthusiastically took the initiative and the leadership role required to make the longtime dream a reality.

Established in honor of Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D., who served as president of VCU from 1990 to 2009, this award recognizes exceptional dedication and support of the MCV Campus. ●

Photo: Kevin Morley, VCU University Marketing

is presented to a VCU administrator, faculty or staff member who has demonstrated extraordinary service and stewardship to MCV Campus alumni, donors or other members of the community to support and advance the mission of the MCV Campus. ●

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MCV Foundation News

MCV Foundation Welcomes 10 New Trustees

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T H E F OU N DAT ION is fortunate to have a talented board of trustees who volunteer their time and talent to advise and serve its mission.

Their efforts amplify the work of the foundation in the community and help share the mission of VCU Health with a broader audience of potential supporters.

This June, the trustees elected eight new trustees. Additionally, the board welcomed two new ex officio representatives from the MCV Alumni Association and the VCU Board of Visitors.

“We are excited and honored to have this impressive group of leaders join the foundation’s board,” said Margaret Ann Bollmeier, MCV Foundation president. “We know these are uncertain times for everyone, so their willingness to serve and support VCU Health’s important mission to advance patient care, research and education means that much more.

I look forward to working with each of them in the coming weeks, months and years.”

Our trustees are instrumental to the foundation’s success, from their steadfast support of the MCV Campus to their hard work to secure philanthropic gifts and commitments in support of VCU Health’s mission to provide great care, expand knowledge through innovative research and provide a world-class education to the next generation of healthcare professionals.

“I am constantly amazed by our trustees’ level of engagement, and I look forward to working with our new members over the coming year,” said Wyatt Beazley IV, board chair.

“Simply put, the foundation could not achieve all that it is able to do without this talented group of volunteers eager to serve in advancing the mission.” ●

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Mike Bisceglia is president and co-founder of Stauer Watch and Jewelry Company and the president and founder of Metrix Media. Mike recently chaired the board of directors for the Virginia Foundation for Public Media, which owns several Virginia PBS and NPR stations and manages a $190 million endowment. His board memberships include the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation, The Powell Center and Connect Network. ●

Alex Cecil is managing director and chief compliance officer for BB&T Securities.

He is an active member of the Securities Industry Financial Markets Association’s general counsel/CCO leadership group. He is a member of the board of managers for BB&T Securities.

His first experience on the MCV Campus was his delivery as a newborn, and he also is a proud parent to a thirdyear student in the medical school. ●

“We are excited and honored to have this impressive group of leaders join the foundation’s board.”

– Margaret Ann Bollmeier, MCV Foundation President

Sheila Corcoran’s experience spans more than 20 years in finance and asset management. Most recently, she was a partner with Empyrean Capital Partners for 13 years. Prior to that she was a vice president at Goldman Sachs in the equities division for six years and spent four years in the corporate banking division with SunTrust. She is a member of the Virginia529 College Savings Plan’s Investment Advisory Committee and serves on the board of governors for St. Catherine’s School. ●

Oscarlyn Elder is Truist’s wealth investment platform executive. She has more than 25 years of experience in investment and financial services. She currently serves as a board member and on the Executive Committee of the Virginia Council on Economic Education. She also serves on the board of The Doorways and chairs its Investment Committee. ●

Paul Croston is the managing partner of the Richmond and Roanoke offices of KPMG LLP, a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services. He has also worked with VCU Massey Cancer Center for more than 12 years as a volunteer and member of the Massey Advisory Board. ●

Peter Farrell serves on the VCU Board of Visitors and is its representative to the foundation.

He is managing partner of Tuckahoe Holdings. Previously, he was an associate at Cary Street Partners. Peter represented the 56th District in Virginia’s House of Delegates from 2012 to 2018.

He also serves on the boards of Cristo Rey Richmond High School and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. ●

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MCV Foundation News

Louis Formica, D.D.S, is president-elect of the MCV Alumni Association board and serves as the MCVAA representative on the foundation’s board. He earned his doctorate in dental surgery from the VCU School of Dentistry, where he is an assistant professor and general practice group director. Dr. Formica also is part of the faculty’s private practice at VCU Dental Care. ●

Moses Foster Jr. is the founder, president and CEO of the advertising and marketing firm West Cary Group. Prior to forming WCG, Moses spent nine years at Capital One, where he held multiple senior-level marketing positions. He serves on the board of directors for Venture Richmond and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce. ●

Welcoming New Trustees

Liza Jarvis Scott is the director of asset management at Dominion Energy where she manages the pension fund and other trust assets.

Before Dominion, Liza spent 10 years as a director at Spider Management Company in Richmond. She is currently on the board of directors for the UVA Foundation and is a member of the Investment Advisory Committee for Virginia529 College Savings Plan. ●

Stephen Goddard is the founder of The London Company and heads the firm’s investment and management teams. He has more than 30 years of investment experience, beginning his career as an analyst for Scott & Stringfellow. He counts being born at MCV as his earliest engagement with the campus. Since then, he has trusted VCU Health for his own patient care, and his wife Cheryl has served on the Massey Advisory Board. ●

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MCV Foundation

New Lifetime Honorary Trustees At the June meeting, the foundation appointed three new lifetime honorary trustees to honor their outstanding service and dedication to the MCV Campus.

Roger Boevé served on the foundation board from 2010 to 2019, chairing its Development Committee. He served on the host committee for the inaugural Discovery Series RVA. He and his wife Anne are longtime supporters of both Massey Cancer Center and the Pauley Heart Center. They also have opened their home so their friends and neighbors could meet and ask questions of MCV Campus faculty and leadership. A long-term civic, charity and community leader, Roger continues to volunteer with many civic and church endeavors. Roger serves on the Massey Advisory Board and as an external advisory board member for VCU’s Weil Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Research. Most recently, Roger helped establish and now serves as chair of the Pauley Heart Center Advisory Board. ●

MCV Foundation

Lee Krumbein served on the MCV Foundation board for 13 years. A native of Richmond and a self-styled serial entrepreneur, Lee has started, purchased and sold multiple businesses over the last 30 years in both retail and finance. Lee formerly chaired the board of the Virginia College Savings Plan as an appointee of Gov. Jim Gilmore and also chaired the VCSP’s Investment Committee. Lee is a graduate in business administration from the University of Georgia, as well as Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development. He is married to current trustee Susan Kornstein, M.D., professor of psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology at VCU School of Medicine and the executive director of the VCU Institute for Women’s Health. ●

L. Preston Hale, R.Ph, served on the MCV Foundation board from 2005 to 2015 and chaired the foundation’s Finance and Audit Committee during his service. He graduated from the VCU School of Pharmacy in 1972.

Soon after, Preston designed and developed the Compute-Rx Pharmacy System, which was one of the first PCbased pharmacy automation systems.

At CRx he was vice president of development and was instrumental in the development of a long-term care and hospital pharmacy system. Preston is a past chairman of the VCU School of Pharmacy National Advisory Council and past vice president of the Pharmacy Division, MCV Alumni Association. He is a past president of the Virginia Pharmacists Association. ●

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MCV Foundation News

MCV Foundation Staff Update

Photo: Kevin Schindler

Ann Deppman Director of Gift Planning Ann Deppman joined the MCV Foundation in September as director of gift planning.

In this capacity, she provides strategic leadership and supports planned giving efforts across the MCV Campus in partnership with development officers. She enjoys the opportunity that planned giving offers to help tailor gifts to a donor’s unique needs and interests.

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Ann brings more than 13 years of leadership experience, most recently as director of gift planning for Oberlin College, where she led successful efforts to increase institutional support through outright and planned gifts. Ann is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Middlebury College, and she earned her law degree from Vermont Law School.

Ann and her husband Vance have four grown sons. In their spare time, they enjoy biking and walking their two small dogs in addition to sharpening their skills as amateur home baker (Ann) and chef (Vance). They look forward to getting to know the Richmond community, especially the local restaurants and parks. ●

Each year we recognize trustees who complete their terms of service. This year, seven trustees finished their terms and are joining the Leadership Council, including Bronwyn Burnham; Hobie Claiborne; Charlie Caravati, M.D.; John Luke; David Lyons; Jim Revere, D.D.S.; and John Slyh, CPA. We appreciate their many years of service and leadership. The Leadership Council was established in 2017 to strengthen the foundation’s relationships with its former trustees. ●

MCV Foundation

MCV Foundation Societies Go Virtual

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he disruptions caused by COVID-19 meant many of the foundation’s plans had to be canceled in order to mitigate the spread of the virus and keep our friends safe. Many MCV celebrations and opportunities to connect around our shared goals were put on hold. The absence of these time-honored traditions was felt heavily during the spring.

“We were especially disappointed that the pandemic prevented us from hosting the events and programs that many look forward to each year,” said Brian Thomas, vice president and chief development officer for the foundation.

The foundation’s plans to honor award recipients, celebrate the MCV Society and connect with the Discovery Society members were put on hold. Our endowed scholarship brunch, a beloved tradition, was canceled.

“Connecting with our friends and supporters is among the most rewarding work we do each year,” Brian said.

“Transitioning to a virtual format became imperative for us so that we did not lose these valuable moments of coming together in support of the MCV Campus.”

Over the summer, the development team partnered with an event planning company to reimagine how our most beloved traditions and events might be translated to an online format.

The virtual environment opened opportunities for education and socializing among the foundation’s supporters.

The foundation has hosted or planned many events this fall, including four Discovery Series events in Williamsburg and Richmond that raise awareness of VCU Medical Center’s great care and support innovative research on the MCV Campus. Virtual events also created opportunities for engagement among our MCV Society members who have included the foundation in their estate plans.

“Our goal was to ensure that we could safely celebrate and engage with our community as we continue working hard together to move the MCV Foundation’s and VCU Health’s mission forward,” said Margaret Ann Bollmeier, president of the foundation. “While the virtual opportunities could never fully replace the ability to gather in person, they are a strong reminder of how much we have to look forward to when that day comes, and they also have opened up new possibilities for engagement.”

If you are interested in learning more about how to join the Discovery Society or become a member of the MCV Society, please contact Brian Thomas, vice president for development and chief development officer, at 804-828-0067 or brian. thomas@vcuhealth.org. ●

One of the things the foundation has missed the most is the opportunity to connect with and celebrate our friends through events like the MCV Society (left) and educational opportunities like the Discovery Series (right). Thankfully, we were able to host virtual formats of these events during the fall, but we eagerly await the day it is safe to gather again in person. Photos: 2019 MCV Society by Chris Ijams and 2019 Discovery Series RVA by Kevin Schindler

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MCV Foundation News

Trustee’s Corner This regular feature highlights the stories and diverse talents of the leaders who serve on our board of trustees.

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R ICH A R D W EN Z EL , M . D. , M . S c . , joined the MCV Foundation Board of Trustees in 1999. He is one of the leading infectious disease epidemiologists in the world.

He is emeritus chair and professor of the Department of Internal Medicine at VCU School of Medicine and former president of the MCV Physicians medical practice.

Dr. Wenzel is the founding editor of two journals: Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology and Clinical Performance and Quality Health Care. Having served on the editorial board of the New England Journal of Medicine from 1992 to 2000, he has been the journal’s editor-at-large since 2001.

As a leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Wenzel has been quoted in national news outlets including The New York Times, NPR and CBS News. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has participated in more than a dozen regional, national and international webinars about implications and safety measures related to the virus.

Dr. Wenzel also is an author of fiction, having used his expertise to craft narratives in “Dreams of Troy”and “Labyrinth of Terror.”

Based on what is known about past pandemics and how technology has evolved, did you or the medical community expect a pandemic like COVID-19 could happen?

I was not surprised with the arrival of the new pandemic.

Looking back 40 years, I note the emergence of HIV in the 1980s, SARS in 2002-2003, H1N1 influenza in 20092010, MERS in 2012, and now SARS-CoV-2 causing

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COVID-19. All of these are zoonoses, having leaped from animals to people, causing pandemics. We are witnesses to the ineluctable march of pandemics at roughly 10-year intervals. These are all predictable pandemics, not “Black Swans,” not the totally unpredictable events bringing dangerous consequences. Instead, the only uncertainty about pandemics is exactly when they’ll appear and how severe. We should no longer be surprised.

What is the historical significance, in terms of medicine and public health, of what we’ve been through this year?

This is an unprecedented pandemic in terms of its medical, social and economic impact, contagiousness, and uncertainty.

The last one of this prominence was the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, 100 years ago. Every child and young adult who looks back to this period in the next 100 years will recall living through COVID-19, what each saw and did that year, the stories their parents recited, and how it disrupted their lives. As an optimist, I think we will have more therapies and an effective vaccine in the next year.

Have any lessons been learned in case another pandemic threatens us in our lifetime?

The memory of past pandemics fades quickly after the infection subsides. We seem to view each one as a unique thunderbolt falling unexpectedly from the sky, and we’re forced to relearn the same lessons each time. Instead, what we

Richard P. Wenzel, M.D., M.Sc., is one of the leading infectious disease epidemiologists in the world. He is an emeritus chair and professor at VCU School of Medicine, founding editor of two scientific journals, editor-at-large for the New England Journal of Medicine, and an author of fiction. Photo: Jeff Cherry Design & Photography

blood of progress to an increasing quality of existence of people around the globe. In the interim, the educational activities will bring attention to the institution and further attract leading clinicians, scientists and administrators seeking an academic community striving for excellence in all facets of medicine. should do between pandemics is build robust preparedness and assume the next one will be worse than the present one.

The lessons are clear: we need robust surge capacity, a national pandemic response team with periodic simulations to rehearse our responses to a pandemic, a designated leader and the recognition that we are a part of a global world. We need a national plan and a designated national spokesperson with an appreciation for science to lead a team with skills for explaining the policies needed for control.

We need to reinstate the PREDICT program to examine and catalog newly emerging viruses in Asia and Africa that might cross species and jump to people. We should keep a log of what worked and what failed in our earlier pandemic responses and in our response to the economic challenges.

Why are donations to an organization like the MCV Foundation, which supports patient care, research and education, important to battling pandemics?

Donations allow talented scientists and public health investigators to ask critically important questions affecting health in individuals and populations, explore their ideas and publish their findings. These donations are the life-

MCV Foundation

What else should people know about COVID-19?

What we’ve learned about COVID-19 is that it is highly communicable and deadly, more so than seasonal influenza. It is transmitted by respiratory droplets, and 20% of infected “super-spreaders” account for 80% of transmissions, suggesting aerosol spread, not just large droplet transmission.

The vast proportion of transmissions occur indoors, not outside. Masks, social distancing and contact tracing with quarantine of contacts work to limit transmission. With cases of infection and deaths rising internationally, and with currently rising rates in half of the states in our country, some at record levels, we need to fight our instincts to drop our guard and to resume public openings too soon and too casually.

Any words of encouragement for the rest of us?

Albert Camus, author of “The Plague” said, “Sometimes, carrying on, just carrying on, is the superhuman achievement.” ●

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Medical College of Virginia Foundation Statement of Financial Position For the year ended June 30, 2020 | Amounts in thousands

ASSETS Operating investments Cash and cash equivalents

$ 9,416

Short-term investments

85,813

Total operating investments

95,229

Endowment long-term investments

514,488 3,194

Funds held for others

33,001

Other assets

Total Assets: $ 645,912

LIABILITIES

NET ASSETS

Debt service obligations

$ 4,480

Accounts payable

With donor restrictions Time and/or purpose

795

Obligation under split-interest agreements

1,797

Funds held for others

3,194

$ 320,490

Perpetuity

245,996

Without donor restrictions Board designated

43,158

Other

26,002

Total Liabilities: $ 10,266

Total Net Assets: $ 635,646 Total Liabilities and Net Assets: $ 645,912

Medical College of Virginia Foundation Financial Highlights For the year ended June 30, 2020 | Amounts in thousands

DISBURSEMENTS TOTALING $26.3 MILLION BY PROGRAM

2020 DISBURSEMENTS

66.3%

Educational, research and general

17.2%

Faculty salaries and support

$4,517

16.1%

Scholarships and awards

$4,227

0.4%

Indigent patient care

$17,396

$118

This is a condensed version of the MCV Foundation’s FY20 audited financial statement. Our independent auditor issued an Unmodified Opinion on the complete financial statements, which can be obtained by writing or calling the MCV Foundation office, or by visiting our website.

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MCV Foundation

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MCV Foundation Financials

Financial Commentary

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FOR THE FIS CAL YEAR ended June 30, 2020, the foundation received contributions of $31.3 million and planned gift expectancies of $8.9 million. Fundraising across the MCV Campus totaled $62.3 million in fiscal year 2020, representing 77% of funds raised across all of VCU. Despite a volatile year across global markets and economies, the foundation’s endowment portfolio grew to $514.5 million and yielded a steady return of 3.2% for FY20.

The outperformance relative to the custom benchmark during the fiscal year was primarily generated from manager selection. The most significant component of outperformance came from the portfolio’s hedged equity managers, who delivered the highest return of any asset class in the portfolio on an absolute basis. Over the longer term, the portfolio’s annualized return of 8.1% remains above the 6.7% annualized return generated by the custom benchmark for the trailing 10-year period ending June 30, 2020.

As we celebrate the close of the Make It Real campaign, we know there is still more work to be done. We continue to partner with colleagues across the MCV Campus and VCU’s central development and alumni relations office to improve the quality of care, research and education that is saving lives in Central Virginia and beyond. We are especially grateful to you, our donors. We are inspired by you and you are what make all of this work possible. ●

MCV Foundation

MCV CAMPUS FUNDRAISING

62.3 % 77 480 214

$

MILLION

PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL RAISED FOR VCU

ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS

ENDOWED CHAIRS AND PROFESSORSHIPS

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MCV Campus News

Welcoming a New Partner in Improving Health

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THE MCV FOUNDATION is delighted to welcome a passionate and committed partner to campus who will work with us to achieve our mission of inspiring and stewarding philanthropic support for VCU Health.

In July, Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health System announced that Arthur L. Kellermann, M.D., will serve as senior vice president for health sciences at VCU and CEO of VCU Health System, effective Oct. 1.

“We look forward to working with Dr. Kellermann because we know he is motivated by the same goals as our donors and the things that make the MCV Campus at VCU Health great,” said Margaret Ann Bollmeier, president of MCV Foundation. “A passionate leader in this position who recognizes the power of philanthropy can help us inspire generosity that touches, changes and saves countless lives.”

Dr. Kellermann’s leadership on the MCV Campus and at satellite locations around the state will integrate seamlessly with the MCV Foundation’s work in providing scholarships, professorships and funds for research and lifesaving patient care at the VCU Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy; College of Health Professions; VCU Health System;

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and Massey Cancer Center.

The MCV Foundation supports these MCV Campus partners at VCU Health in achieving their fundraising goals, communicating their messages and achievements, and stewarding the funds they’ve raised. As an independent entity, we collaborate with the schools and the care and research centers that will be under Dr. Kellermann’s guidance to ensure that the impact of every invested dollar is maximized to improve the health of people in Central Virginia and beyond.

“I am drawn to VCU because of its commitment to the community, the commonwealth and our country. It is an institution that is open to all and plays a pivotal role in the delivery of healthcare with unique and critical services,” said Dr. Kellermann in a statement from VCU. “I am excited to work with the high caliber of students, staff and faculty at the university and its health system — people who strive to make a difference. Given the breadth of talent across the university and its health system, the potential for VCU to advance health and healthcare is limitless.”

We at the MCV Foundation look forward to working with Dr. Kellermann every day in pursuit of that potential. ●

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Arthur L. Kellermann, M.D., will serve as senior vice president for health sciences at VCU and CEO of VCU Health System, effective Oct. 1.

Photo courtesy of VCU Public Affairs

MCV Foundation

Securing the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain VCU’s Medicines for All Institute Partners with Alum-Owned Business Frank Gupton, Ph.D., uses advanced manufacturing processes to address drug shortages.

Photo: Kevin Schindler

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he United States has a big drug problem. Around 80 percent of the medications consumed in the U.S. are manufactured abroad in countries like India and China, leaving the U.S. vulnerable to drug shortages and supply chain disruptions for commonly needed critical medicines.

One partnership on campus is working to eliminate that vulnerability. VCU’s Medicines for All Institute and Phlow Corp., a Richmond-based public benefit company, announced in May a strategic partnership that will leverage Medicines for All’s advanced manufacturing processes to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients for critical and short-supply medications.

Phlow’s CEO Eric Edwards received his bachelor’s in biology and medical and doctoral degrees in pharmaceutical sciences at VCU. Dr. Edwards and Phlow have secured a $354 million contract with the federal government to support this project.

We spoke with Phlow co-founder B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., CEO of VCU’s Medicines for All Institute and the Floyd D. Gottwald Jr. Chair in Pharmaceutical Engineering and chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at VCU, to learn more about this innovative partnership.

Could you briefly explain the new partnership between Phlow and Medicines for All? What we’re working on together is figuring out how we can bring back pharmaceutical manufacturing to the United States. We also need to think about creating the starting materials to make the active ingredients. The countries that currently manufacture those are vertically integrated – making starting materials, active ingredients and the

MCV Foundation

finished product. We also need to be able to do all three to get that drug to the customer.

Can you describe how this partnership impacts the work you’re doing with Medicines for All? We started with a grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to reduce cost and increase access to HIV medication. We’re applying those principles to the work with Phlow. Now, we are looking to use a new manufacturing platform that is continuous, more automated and less labor intensive.

How will this work impact COVID-19 medications?

The COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on the need to address this issue. We are focused on essential drugs required to treat COVID-19 patients. A lot of these drugs are not available due to acute demand and chronic shortages. We are also working on COVID-19 drugs with the Gates Foundation and developing processes for drugs such as remdesivir and other antiviral drugs.

Several companies announced or are seriously considering a move to Richmond or nearby. What business development do you expect out of this?

Our state economic development group has been extremely supportive of what we’re doing and has been a great partner with us in helping attract companies to co-locate with us, which will help us accelerate what’s going on between Petersburg and Richmond. ●

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MCV Campus Giving

Honoring a Beloved Neurosurgeon With a lot of Heart

A half century of MCV Campus neurosurgery leadership includes Harry Young, M.D.; Alex Valadka, M.D., H’93; and Donald Becker, M.D. Photo courtesy of Dr. Valadka

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MCV Foundation

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“IF THE training is hard, the war is easy,” is a favorite saying of Harold F. Young, M.D., professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and holder of the James W. and Francis G. McGlothlin Chair. These words carry a deep meaning for Dr. Young.

After completing his residency in 1969, he served with the 312th Evacuation Hospital in Chu Lai, Vietnam. Of the many young soldiers’ lives he saved there, one was Donald Mason.

The film “Vietnam War Miracle” recounts the story of how Donald was hit by shrapnel from a grenade during a night raid and sustained a traumatic brain injury. His fellow soldiers managed to get him to the emergency field hospital where he was cared for by Dr. Young, who saved his life. Despite losing 30% of his brain, Donald went on to lead a life of impact and service, which included fostering at-risk infants and volunteering with the Red Cross.

A gifted and renowned neurosurgeon, what patients and colleagues comment on most is Dr. Young’s wonderful way of relating with people.

Dr. Young served as chair of VCU School of Medicine’s Department of Neurosurgery from 1985 to 2015 and trained current chair Alex B. Valadka, M.D., F.A.C.S. “I was in the second class of residents that Dr. Young picked after he became chair. When I matched at MCV, Dr. Young called me and said, ‘I promise, it’s going to be the best six years of your life,’” Dr. Valadka told us.

During his residency, Dr. Valadka witnessed Dr. Young’s complete devotion to his patients.

“He never had to explicitly say anything; it was so obvious in everything he did. He kept his office door open and you could always hear him on the phone talking to patients and saying, ‘Hey, how ya doing?’”

While the residents were in the weeds, focusing on all the details of a neurological exam, Dr.

MCV Foundation

Young would walk in and just start chatting with the patient. “He had a way of connecting with all people, whether he was talking to a CEO or someone who was disadvantaged. He was also an impressive clinician. It was like the book “Blink;” he could make a diagnosis in a matter of seconds,” Dr. Valadka said.

Dr. Young and his team worked incredibly hard.

“We would start evening rounds at 7 or 8 p.m. or even later, and they would go for a few hours. Dr. Young was usually with us and also came in every Saturday and Sunday. He really cared about us as people.

When my wife Patty was working evening shifts as a nurse in cardiac surgery, he would have the entire group of us on rounds go trooping over there to say hi to her.”

Dr. Valadka also learned from Dr. Young’s wife Terri that his dedication continued at home. Countless nights he would come in the door with a stack of pink message slips and drop some clothes along a path toward the telephone so he could return his patients’ calls and set their minds at ease.

Charles Crone, MCV Foundation board member, is a patient and friend of Dr. Young.

“My first back surgery was in the early ’90s and I had a second surgery a few years later. We became friends through that first surgery. Harry is just an amazing person. He goes above and beyond the call of duty and I wish we could clone his bedside manner. You want the brilliant doctor, but you also want the bedside manner that makes the journey more bearable.”

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Dr. Harry Young, Ginny Crone, Charles Crone and Terri Young became friends after Charles’ surgery and have gone on a number of memorable trips together. They are pictured attending the Chocolate Festival in Perugia, Italy.

Photo courtesy of Charles and Ginny Crone

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MCV Campus Giving

Harry Thalhimer honors Dr. Harry Young and celebrates his life’s work at the annual MCV Foundation board dinner.

After serving on the MCV Foundation board from 1994 to 2016, Dr. Harry Young became a Lifetime Honorary Trustee in 2017.

He is pictured with Harry Thalhimer, past chair, and Margaret Ann Bollmeier, MCV Foundation president. Photos: Kevin Schindler

“My theory with surgeons is that a chance to cut is a chance to cure. Harry would say surgery is your last option, let’s try some other things first. He never rushed patients into surgery, which I would say is very rare for a surgeon. It exemplifies the type of person he is — very caring and always looking out for the interests of the patient,” Charles told us.

Charles and fellow MCV Foundation board member Harry Thalhimer have worked to honor Dr. Young’s legacy as a clinician and professor by raising funds in support of The M. Theresa and Harold F. Young Endowed Chair in Neurosurgery. This chair will allow the VCU School of Medicine to attract a world-class faculty member who will pursue neurosurgical clinical care, research and education in the tradition of Dr. Young.

“Harry Young is one of the top historical figures in healthcare on the MCV Campus,” said Harry Thalhimer.

“He’s seen every member of my family for treatment. It’s easy to raise money for someone and something you believe in. He’s a great human being and he’s done so much to help people. Everybody has stories about Harry Young calling at midnight to check up on them. He’s a healing guy and everyone we’ve approached wants to be a part of this.”

It’s also fitting that Dr. Young’s wife Terri is honored through the endowed chair. “There’s not enough that can be said about Terri,” Charles said. “Harry was at the hospital and she held the family together and kept everything going.

Harry needed her to do her job with the family for him to

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be successful, and she did an outstanding job with their four children.”

During his exceptional medical career, Dr. Young has provided life-enhancing care to thousands of patients, trained dozens of residents and influenced neurosurgical practice across the country. He was honored at a ceremony in 2016 celebrating his 30 years as chair of the Department of Neurosurgery. “Despite a big thunderstorm, we still had a huge crowd of alumni and faculty. Person after person got up and spoke about Dr. Young. It reminded me of the scene at the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life” — he had no idea of the incredible impact he was having on people,” Dr. Valadka told us.

Dr. Young’s legacy continues, and he still sees patients after stepping down as department chair. And as good fortune would have it, his protégé Dr. Valadka is in the office right next to him. “He still keeps his door open and you can hear him on the phone, talking to patients and saying, ‘Hey, how ya doing?’”

If you would like to be a part of something special and honor the legacy of Dr. Harry Young by contributing to The M. Theresa and Harold F. Young Endowed Chair in Neurosurgery, please contact Brian Thomas, MCV Foundation vice president and chief development officer, at 804-828-0067 or brian. thomas@vcuhealth.org, or Joy Sanders Malkin, assistant dean of development and alumni affairs in the VCU School of Medicine, at 804-827-4939 or joy.sanders@vcuhealth.org. ●

MCV Foundation

Gottwald Grateful for Years of Care at VCU Health

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rateful for the care he and his family have received at VCU Health, Bruce Gottwald and his wife Nancy recently donated $250,000 to honor several doctors who’ve been the experts they’ve needed at various times in their lives.

“I met with Dr. Peter Buckley earlier this year,” Bruce said. “As we discussed the health system, I reflected on the role its doctors and nurses have played in my life and our community. We are all fortunate to have a place like VCU Health here in Richmond for ourselves, our families and any one of our neighbors who needs it. Making this gift was something I was happy to do to recognize the importance and expertise we have in town, right here at VCU.” Bruce and his family have been generous supporters of VCU and VCU Health for decades. Bruce served on the MCV Foundation Board of Trustees in the late 1970s and is now on the foundation’s Leadership Council; he is a former member of the VCU College of Engineering Foundation Board of Trustees; and he and Nancy have supported Massey Cancer Center, the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, the College of Engineering and many other entities across the university.

“It has been an honor getting to know Mr. Gottwald,” said Dr. Buckley, dean of the VCU School of Medicine. “The Gottwald family has a long history of supporting the MCV Campus. They’ve made an impact at VCU and throughout Central Virginia. We’re thankful and fortunate that community-minded people are committed to serving and saving lives alongside us every day.”

Bruce’s most recent gift of $250,000 was made in honor of three physicians who have taken care of him and his family over the years.

Kenneth A. Ellenbogen, M.D. Martha M. and Harold W. Kimmerling, M.D., Chair of Cardiology The gift in honor of Dr. Ellenbogen will help the Pauley Heart Center Innovation Fund to support critical unrestricted research infrastructure and personnel needs, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

MCV Foundation

Bruce Gottwald (left) speaks with MCV Foundation board member Harry Thalhimer at a foundation Leadership Council meeting. Photo: Eric Peters

Warren L. Felton, M.D. Professor, Division of Neuro-Opthalmology The gift in honor of Dr. Felton will support the Department of Neurology Current Fund where it will help advance the clinical and research mission of curious scientific discovery exemplified by the department’s physician scientists.

Harold F. Young, M.D. Professor and James and Frances McGlothlin Chair, Department of Neurosurgery The gift in honor of Dr. Young will help establish the M. Theresa and Harold F. Young Neurology Chair. Read more about the chair on page 30.

To learn how you can support physicians who have made a difference in your life, contact Brian Thomas, MCV Foundation’s vice president and chief development officer, at brian.thomas@vcuhealth.org or 804-828-0067. ●

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MCV Campus Giving

The Hidden Front Line

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I N T H E W EEK S following the terrorist attacks on Sept.

11, 2001, Becky Perdue received an anthrax vaccine so she could continue to do her job at Virginia’s state laboratory for public health testing. The side effects were not easy to deal with, but the precautionary step was essential for someone working on the front line, training laboratory professionals across the commonwealth how to complete biological and chemical testing.

“That was the first time people really saw that labs exist,” said Becky, who is an MCV Foundation board member and 1962 graduate of what is now the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences at the VCU College of Health Professions. “These days, labs are finally becoming even more well-known because of coronavirus. People are seeing that somebody has to complete their testing. It’s us. We’re always on the front line.”

The important, yet sometimes overlooked role lab professionals play in public health is why a recent influx in giving to the department has been so important.

“Donations to the department assist us in purchasing the reagents, supplies, equipment and test kits needed to adequately train our students,” said Teresa Nadder, Ph.D., chair of the department. “Our alumni are employed in hospital, reference and public health laboratories, many of whom are the leaders in the profession and have played essential roles in providing accurate COVID-19 testing results to our communities. Donations also assist us in providing student scholarships during a time when financial stress is commonplace and the need for more lab scientists is growing.”

Much of the recent giving to the department is thanks to Becky and a letter she sent fellow alumni last year. In it, she talked about her decision to include a gift to the department in her estate plans.

Joan Shumaker, a 1970 graduate of the program, also has made plans for a gift through her will to support the department. “I was an alternate going into that class,” she said. “They took a chance on me, and if they hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have had the career path that I’ve had. I hope my gift will help other students, particularly those who were given a chance like I was.”

“Especially now, there is great power in what our alumni can do when they come together through philanthropy,” said Susan Parish, Ph.D., dean of the VCU College of Health Professions. “The virus is providing us overwhelming evidence about the important work our medical laboratory scientists perform each day, given that they are on the front lines of the testing that is a centerpiece of how we fight the pandemic.”

“In our profession, we don’t make big money, but I’ve always tried to make the point that it isn’t the amount that matters, it’s whatever you can give,” Becky said. “It helps no – Continued on page 36 matter what it is.”

Becky Perdue (center), tours the new Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences learning space with Greg Prince, Ed.D., and Teresa Nadder, Ph.D., chair of the department.

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MCV Foundation

Becky Perdue, an MCV Foundation trustee and 1962 graduate of what is now the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences at the VCU College of Health Professions, has encouraged other alumni to explore planned giving options to support the college.

Photos: Kevin Schindler

“These days, labs are finally becoming even more well-known because of coronavirus. People are seeing that somebody has to complete their testing. It’s us. We’re always on the front line.”

MCV Foundation

– Becky Perdue, MCV Foundation Trustee

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The Hidden Front Line:

Making a Gift Through Your Will Gifts through your will support students, faculty and programs well into the future, and they may be structured in several ways, including as unrestricted, directed to a specific purpose, or to establish an endowed fund in memory of you or a loved one.

“It was a very easy process,” said Becky Perdue about her experience making a gift through her will. “I received the forms, read over them, signed them and turned them in.

Most people don’t really understand that it is a simple procedure. Thinking about it and deciding to get it done is the main thing.”

Joan Shumaker’s gift included shares of stock, which she said is something others should consider.

“It’s a win-win, because you can still use the stock dividends to your advantage during your retirement,” she said. “Then, when the time comes, they can benefit someone else.”

Doris Costley, a 1971 graduate of the department, said that when the time came for her and her husband to update their wills, including a bequest to her alma mater was simply something they knew they wanted to do.

“We like to give to scholarships because I know there are a lot of people who need extra help going to college,” Doris said. “We just feel like it’s something that a lot of people could use.”

For those who have included the MCV Campus in their will,

Joan Shumaker, a 1970 graduate of the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, has included gifts of stock in her bequest to the College of Health Professions. She said it has been a way to give that benefits both her and her alma mater.

Photo: Kevin Schindler

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it is important to also document that decision with the appropriate school or unit. In doing so, you can ensure your gift will be used in the way you see fit for many years into the future.

“It’s almost like organ donation,” Joan said. “Life goes on, and to think that you could create something that would help someone else contribute to society and to the health of other people, there’s nothing better than that.”

Advantages to making a gift through your will: •

Gifts through your will cost nothing now, yet give you the satisfaction of knowing you have provided support for the MCV Campus in the future.

• You retain control and use of your assets during your lifetime.

• You may modify your bequest if your circumstances change.

• Membership in the MCV Society, which includes invitations to special events and programs.

If you would like to learn more about how making a planned gift arrangement can ensure your legacy of support for the causes most important to you, please contact Ann Deppman, director of gift planning at the MCV Foundation, at 804-828-4599 or ann. deppman@vcuhealth.org. ●

MCV Foundation

Pharmacy’s White Coat Ceremony Inspires Support John and Pam Beckner’s support has made the school’s white coat ceremony even more successful. While the ceremony did not exist when he was a student, he saw the importance of the annual tradition when he was a keynote speaker and was inspired to help ensure its future with a challenge grant from him and his wife.

Photo courtesy of VCU School of Pharmacy

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W H EN John Beckner, Pharmacy Class of ’78, delivered the keynote address at the VCU School of Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony, the experience had a lasting impact. He was impressed by the meaningful ritual and the sense of community he felt among the students.

He and his wife Pamela Beckner committed $25,000 to the Make It Real Campaign for VCU to help offset the cost of the white coats. The cost is funded by the school’s admissions office and its student services budget when needed.

The white coat ceremony is a tradition for students entering healthcare fields such as medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.

When first-year Pharm.D. students accept their white coats, they are committing to

MCV Foundation

the highest standards of professional and ethical behavior in their field.

The ceremony didn’t exist when John was a student on the MCV Campus, but seeing its significance for students today inspired the Beckners to support this cause.

“The white coat ceremony is a rite of passage into the pharmacy profession,” John said. “Pam and I wanted to support something that was especially meaningful to students. We felt that the white coat was the perfect fit for what we wanted to do.”

A trustee for the MCV Foundation, John currently serves as senior director of strategic initiatives at the National Community Pharmacists Association. But he has spent most of his 42-year career in pharmacy management, most notably as director of pharmacy and health services at Ukrop’s Super Markets for 17 years.

Throughout his career, John has hired many School of Pharmacy alumni, giving them their first professional positions in the field. Helping pharmacists get their start in the profession has always been important to him, he said. Through this gift, he will continue to help pharmacists at the onset of their careers.

“VCU students are truly a cut above,” John said.

“They are energetic and passionate, and they have a thirst for learning. That’s why my wife and I are thrilled to give back to the School of Pharmacy.”

If you would like to support students at the School of Pharmacy, contact Louie Correa, senior director of development, at 804-828-3016 or lacorrea@vcu.edu. ●

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Fueling Innovation at School of Nursing

Steve (left) and Lisa Bresenoff Feierstein (middle) attend an event hosted by the VCU School of Nursing’s Langston Center for Innovation in Quality and Safety. They have worked closely with the center’s director Michael Bleich, Ph.D., RN (right), to support innovation initiatives at the school. Photo courtesy of the VCU School of Nursing

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ST E V E A N D L IS A Bresenoff Feierstein have always been forwardthinking people. Thirty-one years ago, they co-founded Active Healthcare, a company that has helped innovate the medical equipment business.

“That’s always how I’ve walked in my shoes as a nurse,” said Lisa, a 1978 graduate of the VCU School of Nursing. “I knew that my path was going to be very nontraditional.”

Lisa says her nursing education provided a springboard to leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation ini-

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tiatives. She also earned an M.B.A. with a minor in healthcare administration. Together she and her husband founded a company that centers innovation in healthcare supply delivery at its core, and they remain driven by the potential of creativity and design thinking to drive success and positive outcomes for patients. That success and innovative spirit is one of many reasons the School of Nursing honored her as one of 120 outstanding alumni during the school’s 120th anniversary.

MCV Foundation

“Nurses have the ability to be at the forefront of innovation and leadership,” Lisa said. “And we need to be sitting around the table when we discuss the future of healthcare.”

In 2013, the School of Nursing also recognized Lisa with an outstanding alumni award, and she and Steve have remained connected to campus through Reunion Weekend events.

Both she and Steve began to think about how they might give back to support causes they care about, and they connected with Jean Giddens, Ph.D., dean of the School of Nursing, and quickly were impressed with her leadership and creative vision. Through her, they connected with the Langston Center for Innovation in Quality and Safety’s mission and its director Michael Bleich, Ph.D., RN. “It was all Dean Giddens working diligently and creatively coming up with various ideas until one sparked our soul calling of merging innovation, education and entrepreneurship,” Lisa said. “We were excited to support innovation at the Langston Center.”

The couple helped establish the Bresenoff-Feierstein Fund for Innovation and Leadership to provide flexible support for strategic needs at the school. Through this support, the school has created a competitively reviewed grant fund for faculty or students to support innovation and design thinking when it comes to testing and evaluating medical device prototypes that have potential for scalability. The fund also supported the creation of the Bresenoff-Feierstein Innovation Series so the center can bring top scholars to campus in innovation, quality and safety with the goal of influencing practice, policy and research and encouraging innovation and leadership best practices.

“The university leadership has been eager to embrace the whole notion of innovation and quality to help set the school apart,” Steve said. “Michael and Dean Giddens have built a strong collaboration with us to help advance these areas.”

The Feiersteins are excited to see how their support for the School of Nursing has broadened and expanded into a wide range of areas that neither they nor the dean could have envisioned from the start.

“I’m so proud that we’ve had a hand in helping nurses get at the essence of their full potential,” Lisa said. “And we’re both looking forward to a strong future.”

If you would like to support innovation at the VCU School of Nursing’s Langston Center, please contact Pamela Lowe, senior director of development at the VCU School of Nursing, at 804-827-0020 or plowe@vcu.edu. ●

MCV Foundation

About the Langston Center The Langston Center for Innovation in Quality and Safety is housed at the VCU School of Nursing. The center promotes patient-centered, populationfocused and cost-effective initiatives designed to improve healthcare. The Langston Center offers a unique arena of opportunities to advance leadership, quality and safety science, decision and implementation science, and innovation.

Established in 2015, the Langston Center is a partnership between VCU Health System and the School of Nursing. Named after retired nursing dean Nancy Langston, Ph.D., the center continues her legacy by advancing science to improve patient care.

The center’s director is Michael R. Bleich, Ph.D., RN, who also serves as senior professor.

A nationally recognized scholar and thought leader, Bleich most recently served as the center’s interim director after joining the school for a year as a visiting senior professor. ●

The Langston Center for Innovation in Quality and Safety is housed at the VCU School of Nursing. Photo: Kevin Schindler

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Four-time Survivor Gives Back for Cancer Research

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AT AGE 4 0, Kathy Funk received her first cancer diagnosis. After hearing the sobering news, she remembers vividly the advice a nurse gave her as she left her doctor’s office: Get over to VCU Massey Cancer Center. Kathy has rarely been so grateful for the advice that saved her life.

“I have had a total of four bouts with cancer,” Kathy said. “Each time, Massey has done what they’ve needed to do to treat and help me heal.”

Kathy and Wayne do not take life for granted. When she was first diagnosed, they were parenting three teenagers and worried about whether Kathy would be around to see them graduate high school, go off to college and start families. Today, she is grateful to have watched her children grow older and she has enthusiastically welcomed eight grandkids, one of whom recently turned 21.

Now, the Funks are eager to give back. In their view, Richmond is lucky to have Massey here in Central Virginia, and the research efforts underway hold the key to better prevention and treatment of cancer.

“Research has come a long way, but we know there are improvements on the horizon,” Wayne said. “Research is the key to it all.”

Last year, Kathy learned she had inherited a gene that gives her a higher risk for several types

“We want to improve cancer treatment in the future.”

– Kathy Funk

of cancer and a few other conditions. Knowing this, too, inspired them to want to support research for their family members who may also have the gene.

“We want to improve cancer treatment in the future,” Kathy said. “We want our family to be assured that they don’t have to go through what their mother and grandmother have gone through.”

Kathy and Wayne made their gift unrestricted in order to allow the center’s director, Robert Winn, M.D., to allocate the funds at his discretion to the research and projects with the most promise for improving treatments and care for cancer patients.

“It’s important that those who have been fortunate should give back what they can,” Kathy said. “For us, it’s both a way to thank Massey, but it’s also about ensuring a better future for everybody. We know my treatments benefited from support that funded breakthroughs, and we hope that others will benefit from gifts like ours.”

If you would like to learn more about VCU Massey Cancer Center’s lifesaving work and strategic priorities, contact Martha Quinn, executive director of development for Massey, at 410-274-7871, or mquinn3@vcu.edu. ●

Kathy and Wayne Funk have given generously to support VCU Massey Cancer Center. Kathy is a four-time cancer survivor and credits Massey with saving her life and allowing her to be able to enjoy a fulfilling life with her family, especially the grandchildren she’s welcomed and watched grow older. Photo: Kevin Schindler

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Mentoring and Supporting the Next Generation of Dentists

Tamesha Morris, D.D.S., graduated from the VCU School of Dentistry in 2003. After supporting student scholarships for many years, she recently established the Dr. Tamesha Morris Scholarship Fund to provide support and encouragement for future students at the school.

Photo: Kevin Schindler

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CH I L DHO OD trips to the dentist are among some of the most vivid memories for Tamesha Morris, D.D.S. She recalls being unafraid and finding the visits comfortable — two things she strives for now in her own practice. Dr. Morris knew she wanted to become a dentist by the 10th grade after researching possible careers. She enjoyed helping people, and she also liked working physically with her hands and had honed sharp spatial perception skills through years of painting and sewing.

MCV Foundation

“It just seemed natural for me,” Dr. Morris said. “I knew that’s what I wanted to be.”

During dental school, she recalls a real sense of camaraderie among the classmates she still keeps in touch with and the rigorous but excellent education she received in labs and clinics.

“We were pushed, and it was greatly appreciated,” she said. “It was hard, but I learned a lot.”

After nearly a decade of being the sole owner of a thriving dental practice in Northern Virginia, she is expanding her reach by partnering with young and retiring dentists who are looking for a managing partner. She’s also been reflecting more as she writes a memoir on how important it is to have people in your life who believe in your goals and invest in your future success. For many years, she gave back to support the Dr. Francis M. Foster Sr. Student National Dental Association Scholarship, which was created in memory of a beloved faculty member she knew during her time as a student.

“Having him there when I was a student was reassuring and allowed me to see myself in the profession,”

Dr. Morris said. “I wanted to make sure I was able to continue to support other students coming up who would understand his importance and legacy when he was on the faculty.”

Recently, Dr. Morris established the Dr. Tamesha Morris Scholarship Fund at the VCU School of Dentistry to help ensure future generations of dentists receive the support she did as a student. Her scholarship is something she hopes will offer encouragement for students to keep going and succeed.

She also hopes to be a mentor to those entering the field to help share what she’s learned along the way.

“I feel like it’s our duty, as professionals, if you make it to a certain level,” Dr. Morris said. “It’s our obligation to help the next person. During this next chapter of my career, I want to return what I’ve learned and earned to the next generation of dentists.”

If you would like to learn more about how you can support student scholarships at the School of Dentistry, please contact Gloria Callihan, associate dean for development, at gfcallihan@vcu.edu or 804-828-8101. ●

“It’s our obligation to help the next person. During this next chapter of my career, I want to return what I’ve learned and earned to the next generation of dentists.”

– Dr. Tamesha Morris, D.D.S., Class of 2003

We made it real. You made it possible.

The Make It Real Campaign for VCU, the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the university’s history, closed June 30. Because of you, the $750 million goal was shattered.

All of us at the MCV Foundation and on the MCV Campus thank you for your generosity!

Funds raised during this capital campaign will transform and enrich the lives of VCU’s MCV Campus students, alumni, faculty, university professionals, patients, caregivers and researchers for years to come.

Visit campaign.vcu.edu to learn more about the campaign and the impact your generosity has had on the university and beyond. ●

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Box 980234 Richmond, Virginia 23298-0234

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