Endowed funds that are part of the Paul R. Lichter, M.D., Research Discovery Fund: Thomas W. Breakey and Rutger W. Breakey Ophthalmic Research Fund Robert W. and Lynn H. Browne Glaucoma Research Fund Paul R. and Carolyn R. Lichter Glaucoma Research Fund Mary L. and Brian P. Campbell Research Discovery Fund Colette J. and Albert F. Kessel Research Discovery Fund Joel S. Mindel, M.D., Ph.D., and Susan Weis Mindel Ophthalmic Research Fund Oliver Family Ophthalmic Research Fund Edward Berger Endowed Research Fund
That’s the purpose of the Paul R. Lichter, M.D., Research Discovery Fund, which is providing grants to faculty whose early-stage work has the potential to advance vision science. The first round of grants will be distributed in early 2014. The Fund, which has topped more than $4 million in gifts and pledges, was created in honor of Dr. Lichter when he stepped down as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in 2012, a post he held for 34 years. He is also the Founding Director of the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center, which was established under his leadership in 1985. During his tenure, Dr. Lichter built a robust, world-class vision research program.
Detroiter Makes Lasting Gift to Vision Research Edward Berger, a native Detroiter who worked for the city in tax collections, was the last of four siblings, three of whom never married. None had children. “He survived all of his siblings, and his assets grew as a result,” explains Jon B. Gandelot, a Grosse Pointe Farms attorney who assisted Mr. Berger with his estate plans. “He suffered from age-related macular degeneration, and supporting the Kellogg Eye Center struck a chord with him.” When Mr. Berger passed away in 2012, Mr. Gandelot had U-M establish the Edward Berger Endowed Research Fund, part of the Paul R. Lichter, M.D., Research Discovery Fund. A portion of the estate was also designated for Alzheimer’s disease research at U-M. “Ed wanted to leave a legacy,” Mr. Gandelot says. He wanted to make sure that the world was better off as a result of him being here.”
“It means a great deal to me that this Fund will ensure the future of such important work, and I am grateful for the wide support it has received,” says Dr. Lichter. Contributors to the Fund include patients, alumni, colleagues, friends, and family, as well as Dr. Lichter and his wife, Carolyn. The Lichter Discovery Fund also serves as an umbrella fund for named endowments that share its goals (see list above). The Kellogg Eye Center has committed to making the Lichter Discovery Fund an ongoing fundraising priority due to our commitment to supporting high-reward, high-risk research.
Innovation in vision
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