2017 Houston Methodist Foundation Magazine/Annual Report

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2017

HOUSTON METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT



2017

ANNUAL REPORT CONTENTS

L E A DIN G M E D I C I N E TO T HE P O W E R O F M 2

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T H E WA LTE R S’ M AGN I F I C E N T G I F T 4 L E A DE R S I N G I V I N G 10

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E N DO W E D C H A I R S 14 T HE E XTE N D I N G AR M S O F C H R I ST 22 N E W GR A N D PA R E N TS 26

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C R O WN IN G AC H I E V E M E N T 28 T HE S O C I E TY F O R L E A DIN G M E D I C I N E 32 LI V I N G P R O O F 34

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T R A N S LATI O N A L R E S E A R C H I N I TI ATI V E 36

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TH E LO O K E S ’ G E N E R O SI TY 40 C O C KR E L L C E N TE R F O R ADVANC E D T H E R A P E U TI C S 44

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R E ND E Z VO US : LI V E YO U N G GAL A H I G H LI G H TS 46 LE A D E R S H I P 48 YEAR IN REVIEW 50 L ETT E R FR O M O U R C H A I R M A N 52

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LEADING MEDICINE TO T H E P O W E R O F

Houston Methodist has a promise to keep. From the day our doors opened in 1919 at the height of the Spanish influenza epidemic, we have held steadfast to “a commitment to a cause that is greater than any individual — a commitment to an institution of human service.” These last words are in quotation marks because they grandly conclude Houston Methodist’s first 70 years of history in the 1989 book “The Methodist Hospital of Houston — Serving the World” by Marilyn McAdams Sibley. The words rang true in 1919 and in 1989. And they ring true today as we approach our 100th anniversary in 2019. All 22,000 Houston Methodist employees are here to carry forward our mission: to provide high-quality, cost-effective health care that delivers the best value to the people we serve in a spiritual environment of caring, in association with internationally

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


recognized teaching and research. It’s a daring mission that demands relentless forward progress, and it is how we will maintain our constant, vigilant commitment to excellence and to being better tomorrow than we are today. In November 2017, Houston Methodist launched its second major fundraising campaign, Leading Medicine to the Power of M: Campaign for Our Second Century. This campaign is how we will ensure a future filled with promise. Already, our vibrant and eternally generous philanthropic community has stepped up like never before to help. Paula and Rusty Walter and Walter Oil & Gas Corporation provided the cornerstone commitment of $101 million, adding the extra $1 million challenge in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey to help the nearly 6,000 Houston Methodist employees who suffered loss from the flooding.

The Walters and our community of benefactors have advanced this $500 million campaign into high gear. Momentum is strong to move Houston Methodist into our next century of service with four key priorities: • Attract Brilliance • Accelerate Research • Train Superstars • Promote Healing Through creative challenges and matching funds, every commitment to the Leading Medicine to the Power of M Campaign will be leveraged for its maximum impact — the power of M and the power of Houston Methodist. We will establish 100+ endowed chairs in honor of our 2019 Centennial, and we will fortify our second and third Translational Research Initiatives to get more treatments and products to market and advance our search for cures. All of this is achievable with your help and by remembering our promise to our patients.

MARC BOOM, MD PRESI D EN T CHI EF EXECU TI V E OF F I CER HOU STON METHOD I ST houstonmethodist.org/foundation

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GIVING

WITH JOY, HUMILITY AND LOVE

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


The way Paula and Rusty Walter see it, when your life is blessed, you have a responsibility and obligation to be a blessing to others. Dozens of family members, friends, physicians, hospital leaders and staff stood and applauded Paula and Rusty Walter at the October 2017 announcement of their transformational $101million commitment to Houston Methodist. But the Walters turned the thanks around. “It really is our privilege to share this with you all,” Paula told the crowd, gathered in the unfinished atrium of Houston Methodist’s newest building to celebrate the Walters’ cornerstone commitment to

Leading Medicine to the Power of M: Campaign for Our Second Century. “Paula and I have grown to love this institution,” Rusty said. “We are grateful to be a small part of this Houston Methodist family.”

Humble. Understated. Faithful. Real. Magnanimous. The adjectives that friends and family use to describe the Walters are straight out of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in the Bible’s Book of Matthew. They are considered “salt of the earth,” a phrase used to describe fundamentally good, decent people. They believe in using their hard work and good fortune to advance medical miracles for the benefit of patients everywhere.

“I need to feel that the mission of the institution is in line with my personal beliefs, both spiritually and professionally, and that’s the case with Houston Methodist.” RUSTY WALTER

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The Walters’ most recent commitment is the largest in Houston Methodist’s nearly 100-year history.

As founders of the original and highly successful $10 million Translational Research Initiative (TRI¹) in 2013, the Walters issued another matching challenge by And it carries an astonishing creating TRI³ — or TRI Neuro — financial impact of $167 million, to establish a third $10 million thanks to matching challenges TRI for brain recovery and restowoven into the initiatives. ration projects. First, the Centennial Chair The Walter Innovation Fund Challenge — or C³ — seeks to boost represents the largest piece of the Houston Methodist’s endowed chairs Walter gift and provides resources to100, creating a meaningful symmetry for physicians, researchers and of 100 for 100 to celebrate the educators to collaborate on treatments institution’s Centennial anniversary that are effective across the spectrum Those who know the Walters in 2019 (see pages 14–21). of human diseases. well describe a fun-loving couple The challenge set forth by The unconventional choice whose family and faith come first. the Walters enables a $500,000 of $101 million for the total Walter They met later in life. Rusty was a match for up to 50 new commitcommitment holds the most powerful longtime bachelor, and Paula was ments of $1 million or more for a C³ clue to what motivates their raising her two young sons after chair. By the end of 2017, generous generosity, not just to Houston losing her first husband to leukemia. benefactors already had established Methodist but to organizations They brought out the best in one 14 new C³ endowments. throughout the region and the another. Rusty’s natural curiosity Endowed chairs have always world. Following the devastating and sense of humor blended been critical tools for academic floods of Hurricane Harvey, the perfectly with Paula’s warmth medical centers, providing resources couple redirected $5 million and generosity. that attract the most brilliant from their original $100 million When Rusty suffered a stroke medical minds from around the commitment to help Houston in 2013, their marriage and lives world by conferring prestige, Methodist employees who suffered rose to the challenges of recovery recognition and financial support loss of homes and property. Then and Rusty’s ongoing rehabilitation. for research, teaching and clinical they kicked in another $1 million Their focus on philanthropy and care programs. matching challenge. The Walters’ cornerstone meaningful medical research commitment also establishes the only intensified. Walter Neurological Restoration Initiative, an ambitious 10-year push to discover innovative ways to enable recovery from brain disease and injury. “At the end of the day, they just want to see people living better lives, so they can go home to their families, so they can live a little bit longer, so they can see their grandkids, so they can get up and move and go to football games or soccer games,” says their younger son, Rich Lewis. “They don’t just want to help others — they want to inspire people to help others,” says their older son, Chaz Lewis. “They want to allow people the blessing of sharing in the opportunity to do good and change the world.”

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


The resulting Houston Methodist Employee Relief Fund raised $8.4 million via nearly 400 contributors and helped nearly 6,000 Houston Methodist employees, many of whom lost everything. “God works through both of you, and he does amazing things,” Houston Methodist President and CEO Dr. Marc Boom told the Walters during the announcement. “We are just so blessed that you are part of our family.” In recognition of the transformational commitment, the Walters granted the hospital’s request to name its newest building the

Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower at Houston Methodist Hospital, which Dr. Boom called “a living and breathing symbol of the Walter family’s commitment” to the institution. Standing 22 stories and topped by a landmark spire, the Walter Tower will open in 2018. It features 366 patient beds, expanded high-tech operating room suites for

neurosurgery and cardiovascular surgery, two intensive care floors, six acute care floors and a helipad. The naming adds the Walter legacy to a list of philanthropic giants who helped Houston Methodist grow from a tiny 30-bed hospital to the best hospital in Texas and one of the best in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings. Generous leaders from the Houston community whose names grace Houston Methodist Hospital buildings include Alkek, Brown, Dunn, Fondren, Jones, Scurlock, Smith and, now, Walter.

“We really do believe that God is in the halls of Houston Methodist Hospital. And wherever God’s working, that’s where we want to be.” PAULA WALTER

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Rusty and Paula Walter have given the cornerstone gift of our Leading Medicine to the Power of M Campaign with a $101 million commitment that coincides with Houston Methodist’s Centennial anniversary in 2019. This largest commitment in the hospital’s history provides unprecedented resources for a host of creative initiatives — many of them designed to inspire further philanthropy from the community.

Gifts include the following: • Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter and Carole Walter Looke Presidential Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Disease Research • Emily Herrmann Cancer Research Laboratory • J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center at Houston Methodist • Emily Herrmann Chair in Cancer Research • Emily Herrmann Chair in Immunology Research • Translational Research Initiative 1 (TRI1) • Coordinated Stroke Intervention and Stroke Stem Cell Research Program (CSI Initiative) • Centennial Chair Challenge (C3) • Walter Neurological Restoration Initiative • Translational Research Initiative 3 (TRI3) – Neuro • Walter Fund for Innovation •H ouston Methodist Employee Relief Fund An additional $66 million in matching funds will bring the total philanthropic impact of this gift to $ 167 million. In recognition and honor of the Walters’ unparalleled commitment to Houston Methodist, the new 22-story North Tower is named the Paula and

Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower. 8 Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

Early in his life, Rusty’s father J.C. “Joe” Walter Jr. and mother Elizabeth instilled in young Rusty and his sister Carole Walter Looke the importance of giving back and sharing time and resources with their Houston community. As a proud University of Texas at Austin geology graduate and oil and gas wildcatter, the elder Walter was close to his children, spending time hunting and fishing with them despite an adventurous career and a lifetime of public service. He served more than 20 years on the board of Houston Methodist Hospital, where he underwent two successful bypass surgeries and a heart transplant that extended his life by nearly a decade. The J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center at Houston Methodist — where the 1,000th heart transplant was performed in 2017 — is named in his memory following a 2010 gift from Rusty, Carole and the family company, Walter Oil & Gas Corporation. Ron Wilson, president and CEO of Walter Oil & Gas, has known Rusty since their years at The University of Texas and has worked for the Walter family for 36 years. The Walters’ giving is an extension of their faith, he says, and an investment in meaningful medical advances. “Rusty is a man of God, a doer and a leader,” he says. “He has tremendous grit, the combination of passion and perseverance toward the big picture.” Combined with Paula’s resilience, Ron says they make a great team. “They give and serve in

accordance with their faith, and I can see time and time again the good fruits of their hearts and actions.” Neurologist Dr. David Chiu has treated more than 10,000 stroke patients in his life, but says he’s never met a patient as “intellectually curious and engaged about stroke and his condition” as Rusty. The couple provided seed funding for a sophisticated robotic restorative therapy for upper limb rehabilitation. They created the Coordinated Stroke Initiative, a program that launched what Dr. Chiu calls the finest digital stroke registry in the world, “a state-of-the-art game-changer.” “Rusty and Paula

Walter have been a professional and personal inspiration to me,” Dr. Chiu says. “They are setting out to change the world for the better.”

By inspiring others to give, the Walters launched the Leading Medicine to the Power of M Campaign into high gear from the start. “We’re leveraging this gift to encourage additional contributions which has proven to be a great success,” Rusty told the crowd at the announcement. “We’re well on our way to our goal of raising $500 million for Houston Methodist to propel this hospital forward as not only the best in Texas but possibly the best hospital in the world.”


THE NEW HOME OF

LEADING

MEDICINE houstonmethodist.org/foundation

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LEADERS IN GIVING

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


When former President George Herbert

President and Mrs. Bush part of their

Walker Bush had a lengthy stay in

extended family.

Houston Methodist Hospital in early 2017,

his wife Barbara didn’t leave his side.

took great joy in caring for her. She always

Even after she was hospitalized with her

treated everyone who cared for her like

own illness, she spent most of her time

a family friend, and was always warm

at her husband’s bedside and stayed with

and inviting, gracious and thankful,” says

him until his release.

Houston Methodist President and CEO

Dr. Marc Boom. “Mrs. Bush — along with

Theirs was a 73-year love story

“When Mrs. Bush needed us we

that saw them through his World War II

her husband — was a great advocate of

service as a naval aviator; the birth of six

Houston Methodist. She supported our

children and the death of their daughter

mission of providing faith-based care to

Robin from leukemia at age 3; the

those in need.”

upheavals of politics; and the public

scrutiny of eight years as Vice President

the couple, and in recognition of decades

of the United States and four years as

of care, it was a natural progression to

the

41st

U.S. President. They also served

as “first parents” while their son George W. Bush served two terms as the

43rd

Out of admiration and respect for

seek a prominent place in the flagship hospital to permanently honor the pair. When Dr. Boom proposed naming

U.S. President.

the high profile atrium of the hospital’s

Into their 90s, the Bushes re-

newest building — the Paula and Joseph

mained inseparable, focused on one

C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower — after the

another, their family and close friends.

Bushes in June 2017, their response was

They were the longest-married couple

immediate and gracious:

in presidential history.

“We are happy and intrigued with the idea of becoming a permanent part of an institution we have not only come to love and respect for its values and faith-based mission, but also trust for our own health care.”

On April 17, 2018, the world lost

one of the most beloved first ladies in American history with the passing of Barbara Bush. Although the Bushes were born in the northeast and spent their summers in Kennebunkport,

Maine, the outpouring of affection in

H.W. Bush Atrium in the Walter Tower

the days that followed underscored just

will feature a portrait of the first couple.

how interwoven the Bushes were into

A plaque will honor them as “longtime

the fabric of the Houston community.

friends and advocates” and “leaders whose

Houston Methodist leaders, physicians

dedication to public and community service

and staff have long considered

has left a lasting mark upon the world.”

The Barbara and President George

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The Barbara and President George H.W. Bush Atrium is a symbol of hope, healing and faith. It is the hub of the new Walter Tower, a meeting place for patients, families, physicians, researchers and staff to gather for strength, for camaraderie and for reflection.

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Not only did the Bushes bless the

research and other hospital priorities.

naming of the Bush Atrium — they also

Commitments of $250,000 and above

made a generous personal gift and gave

will include the benefactors’ names

Houston Methodist permission to reach

on commemorative plaques that will be

out to the philanthropic community to

installed next to the Bushes’ portrait.

raise funds in their honor to help fuel

The Bush Atrium area will be the most

research and health care programs as part

heavily traveled and open area of the

of the Leading Medicine to the Power of

Walter Tower and a meeting place for

M: Campaign for Our Second Century.

patients, families, staff and visitors.

Already, the Bush Atrium has

In a recent communication to

inspired hundreds of thousands of dollars

physicians and staff, Dr. Boom reflected

in contributions toward translational

upon Mrs. Bush’s life and the couple’s

Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


BARBARA AND PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W.

BUSH ATRIUM INITIATIVE Goal: $10M–$20M

Supports: Any program and any Houston Methodist hospital the contributor desires. Acknowledgement: All gifts will be acknowledged and commitments of $250,000 or more will be included in the commemorative plaques to be installed in the atrium next to the Bushes’ portrait. Timeline: To be listed on the plaque, gifts to honor the Bushes will be accepted from Fall 2017 through the end of 2019. Barbara and President George H.W. Bush Atrium Advisory Committee: Secretary James and Mrs. Susan Baker Peggy and Bill Barnett, Chair Maria and Neil Bush The Honorable Charles and Mrs. Anne Duncan Nancy and Rich Kinder Courtney and Jim Nantz Ginny and L.E. Simmons

impact upon Houston Methodist. “The Bushes recently honored Houston Methodist by allowing us to name the Barbara and President George H.W. Bush Atrium in the Walter Tower in recognition of them and their love and respect for Houston Methodist,” Dr. Boom said. “While she will be greatly missed, we are truly blessed to have known and cared for her over the last few years. We will always remember her fondly and she will

Barbara and President George H.W. Bush Atrium Contributors: The Honorable and Mrs. Hushang Ansary Barbara and President George H.W. Bush Dr. Earl G. Ellis Patrick J. Studdert and Family Courtney and Doug Swanson Kay and Ewing Werlein, Jr. Blake and Roswell F. Vaughan III For more information on the Bush Atrium and to make a gift in honor of the Bushes, visit powerofM.org or call 832.667.5816.

always be part of our shared history.” houstonmethodist.org/foundation

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CENTENNIAL CHAIR CHALLENGE | C3

VA S C U L A R C H A I R

also called the Pipo Chair by Alejandro Estrada for Piegatto

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


About Centennial Endowments

From Houston Methodist’s humble beginnings on Rosalie Street to its emergence as a premier academic medical institution, extraordinary talent has always been at the heart of its success. To recognize Houston Methodist Hospital’s 100th anniversary of service in 2019, a special new class of endowed chair was created, with a goal to establish 50 new endowed chairs for a total of 100 through the Centennial Chair Challenge (C³). The holders of these Centennial Chairs become part of a prestigious Walter College of Centennial Chairs. A generous gift from Paula and Rusty Walter established a matching fund that will provide $500,000 to every commitment of $1 million or more toward a Centennial Endowment. A significant component of the Leading Medicine to the Power of M Campaign, C³ leverages philanthropic dollars for an even greater impact and helps recruit and retain the most brilliant physicians and scientists in the world.

Candy and Tom Knudson Centennial Chair in Neurosurgery in honor of Gavin W. Britz, MD

Supporter: CANDY AND TOM KNUDSON / Chair Holder: GAVIN W. BRITZ, MD As longtime Houston Methodist supporters, Candy and Tom Knudson were looking for the perfect campaign commitment. When Dr. Britz saved their son-in-law’s life with an emergency neurosurgery procedure in December 2016, the Knudsons found their answer, dedicating the first Centennial Chair to support key neurosurgery programs at Houston Methodist and to honor the life-saving work of Dr. Britz, who was named the inaugural chair holder.

Dr. Ronny W. and Ruth Ann Barner Centennial Chair in Spiritual Care

Supporter: ANONYMOUS / Chair Holder: THE REV. CHARLES R. MILLIKAN, DMin Established with an anonymous gift, this Centennial Chair is named after longtime West University Baptist Church spiritual leaders Dr. Ronny Barner and his wife Ruth Ann, who have spent nearly five decades at the Houston church. The inaugural chair holder is Houston Methodist’s own spiritual care leader, the Rev. Dr. Charles R. Millikan, vice president for spiritual care and values integration. Resources from this Centennial Chair will support, maintain and advance Houston Methodist’s ability to provide faith-based care to all patients.

J.C. “Rusty” Walter III Centennial Chair

Supporter: ELIZABETH C. WALTER Established by longtime Houston Methodist supporter Elizabeth C. Walter, this Centennial Chair is a tribute to her son, Rusty Walter, who, along with his wife Paula, pledged the cornerstone $101 million commitment to the Leading Medicine to the Power of M Campaign. The widow of J.C. “Joe” Walter Jr., who served more than 20 years on the Houston Methodist board, Elizabeth dedicated the J.C. “Rusty” Walter III Centennial Chair to support a holder in the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center. Her late husband lived nearly a decade after his successful heart transplant at Houston Methodist and the J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center, named in his memory, is also supported by a generous gift from the Walter family.

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CENTENNIAL CHAIR CHALLENGE | C3 O P H T H A LM O LO G Y CHAIR also called the Ombre Chair by Germans Ermics

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


Lois and Carl Davis Centennial Chair in Multiple Sclerosis

Supporter: LOIS AND CARL DAVIS This is the first of three Centennial Chairs established by the Davises in support of the Leading Medicine to the Power of M Campaign. As principal supporters of Houston Methodist, the Davises have provided resources for programs in heart and vascular, multiple sclerosis, cancer and digestive disorders. The Lois and Carl Davis Centennial Chair in Multiple Sclerosis, which will be appointed in the coming months, honors Lois’ mother, Florence Eberhardt. In conjunction with the Davis Centennial Chair in Multiple Sclerosis, the Davises set up the Florence Eberhardt Multiple Sclerosis Fund to provide additional resources for research, education, scholarly activities and other programmatic support related to advancing patient care and treatment options for patients with multiple sclerosis (see pages 22-25).

Lois and Carl Davis Centennial Chair I Supporter: LOIS AND CARL DAVIS / Chair Holder: MIGUEL VALDERRÁBANO, MD Established to support translational research and medical education in the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, this Centennial Chair was one of the first appointments and was awarded to inaugural holder Dr. Miguel Valderrábano, one of Houston Methodist’s most innovative clinical investigators and director of cardiac electrophysiology. Dr. Valderrábano has pioneered new treatments for atrial fibrillation and electrophysiology research and also directs the optical mapping electrophysiology laboratory at the Houston Methodist Research Institute. Support from the chair will fund pilot studies on more effective and less invasive treatments to improve patients’ quality of life as they age.

Lois and Carl Davis Centennial Chair II

Supporter: LOIS AND CARL DAVIS / Chair Holder: NEAL KLEIMAN, MD This second Lois and Carl Davis Centennial Chair in support of the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center was awarded to inaugural holder Dr. Neal Kleiman, who is highly respected internationally as a pioneer in the field of coronary stenting, arterial thrombosis and structural heart disease. Dr. Kleiman leads numerous clinical trials, is chairman of the EVENT registry that spurred numerous research papers in interventional cardiology and has educated dozens of fellows who will become the next generation of leaders in interventional cardiology and advanced structural interventions. In addition to the Davis Centennial Chairs, the couple also established the Walter Eberhardt Fund for Cardiovascular Wellness and Prevention, honoring Lois’ father, Walter Eberhardt.

Winters Family Distinguished Centennial Chair in Cardiovascular Education in honor of Christopher, William and Scott Winters

Supporter: BARBARA AND WILLIAM L. WINTERS JR., MD Chair Holder: MIGUEL QUIÑONES, MD Revered Houston Methodist cardiologist Dr. William L. Winters Jr. and his wife Barbara established this Distinguished Centennial Chair in honor of their three sons. Inaugural holder Dr. Miguel Quiñones and Dr. Winters worked together in echocardiography and clinical cardiology for more than four decades, and Dr. Quiñones took over as editor-in-chief of the Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal when Dr. Winters, who founded the publication, retired. Resources from the Winters Family Distinguished Centennial Chair will support the Journal, as well as education, clinical and scholarly activities of the chair holder. houstonmethodist.org/foundation 17


CENTENNIAL CHAIR CHALLENGE | C3 18

T R A N S L AT I O N A L RESEARCH CHAIR also called the Magis Chair by Herman Miller

Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


Peter S. and Elizabeth Blanton Wareing Centennial Chair

Supporter: ELIZABETH AND PETER WAREING Elizabeth Blanton Wareing grew up volunteering at Houston Methodist Hospital, where both her grandfathers and father served on the board and both sides of the family were instrumental in the institution’s growth. Following in that tradition, Elizabeth serves on three Houston Methodist boards and is chair of the Leading Medicine to the Power of M Campaign with Rusty Walter. She and her husband Peter established the Peter S. and Elizabeth Blanton Wareing Centennial Chair to provide resources for the chair holder’s research, education and clinical and scholarly activities that promote the mission of Houston Methodist. The Wareings will determine the designation area for this endowment in future months as Houston Methodist nears its Centennial.

Crowning Achievement Centennial Chair in Nursing Excellence

Supporter: ANONYMOUS / Chair Holder: LIISA ORTEGON, DBA, RN Established with an anonymous gift, this Centennial Chair is the first in Houston Methodist’s nearly 100-year history to support the institution’s more than 5,200 nurses. The position is held by Liisa Ortegon, DBA, RN, senior vice president of operations, chief nursing executive and entity business practices officer at Houston Methodist Hospital. The Crowning Achievement Centennial Chair in Nursing Excellence is one part of an anonymous commitment that also includes the Crowning Achievement Awards for Excellence in Nursing (see pages 28–31), a matching challenge fund that will support nursing at Houston Methodist community hospitals. The Crowning Achievement Centennial Chair in Nursing Excellence will support educational and scholarly activities at Houston Methodist Hospital that advance nursing excellence and reward exceptional performance through bonuses and paying for education programs and recertification for nurses.

John F. III and Ann H. Bookout Centennial Endowment in the Houston Methodist Research Institute

Supporter: ANN AND JOHN BOOKOUT This commitment by the Bookouts establishes the first Centennial Chair in support of Houston Methodist’s Clinical Academic Scholar Program, which will be used to retain or recruit top-notch clinician-scientists for the Houston Methodist Research Institute. John Bookout III serves on the Houston Methodist Research Institute board with his father, John F. Bookout, who is chairman emeritus. This chair is the second endowed position established by Ann and John Bookout and represents another first at Houston Methodist in the continuing legacy of the Bookout family.

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CENTENNIAL CHAIR CHALLENGE | C3

O RT H O P E D I C S CHAIR also called the Brazil Chair by Daniel Widrig

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


Ann and Billy Harrison Centennial Endowment in Alzheimer’s Research

Supporter: ANN AND BILLY HARRISON The Harrisons are major supporters of the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist. Billy serves as a member of the President’s Leadership Council and the Neurological Institute National Council. He and Ann named the Harrison Patient & Family Consultation Suites in honor of Billy’s mother, Pat, and also named the Harrison Family Neuroimaging Laboratory. In addition, the couple supports schizophrenia research led by Dr. Joseph Masdeu and they are Lifetime Members of The Society for Leading Medicine. Ultimately, the Harrison Centennial Endowment will establish a Centennial Chair to support the Alzheimer’s research of a clinical academic scholar, clinician or other hospital leader.

Henrietta and Terence Hall Distinguished Centennial Endowment in Orthopedic Surgery

Supporter: HENRI AND TERRY HALL / Chair Holder: SHARI LIBERMAN, MD As Founding Members of the first Translational Research Initiative as well as members of The Society for Leading Medicine, the Halls are grateful for their care, including Terry’s treatment by Houston Methodist’s Orthopedics & Sports Medicine team, particularly Dr. Shari Liberman, who is the inaugural Henrietta and Terence Hall Distinguished Centennial Clinical Academic Scholar in Orthopedic Surgery. The Centennial position is the first Clinical Academic Scholar in Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and the department’s second endowed position. Dr. Liberman is a hand and upper extremity orthopedic surgeon and the assistant program director of the Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program.

Cathy and Ed Frank Centennial Endowment

Supporter: CATHY AND ED FRANK The Franks are Founding Members of the first Translational Research Initiative in the Houston Methodist Research Institute and members of The Society for Leading Medicine. Cathy and Ed have been instrumental in helping spread the word about Houston Methodist and in paving the way for others to become involved. They will determine the Houston Methodist designation area for this endowment in the future, and the commitment will provide resources to support the research, education and health care conducted by a Houston Methodist academic or clinical leader.

Deborah C. and Clifton B. Phillips Centennial Endowment for Clinical Research in Transplant Medicine

Supporter: DEBBIE AND CLIF PHILLIPS Houston Methodist Transplant Task Force member Debbie Phillips and her husband Clif established this Centennial Endowment to support Dr. A. Osama Gaber and his team in the Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center. Ultimately, resources from the Phillips Centennial Endowment will be used to fund a chair, a clinical academic scholar, a clinician or other hospital leader who will work toward advancing transplant medicine and finding new and better treatments for transplant patients.

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PHILANTHROPY DRIVEN BY FAITH

Lois carefully sets a picture frame down on her living room floor, resting it against a chair. The frame displays two separate black-andwhite photos. On one side is a picture of her father, walking proudly in a white tuxedo jacket and black bow tie. The other picture is of Lois’ mother. She is young, elegantly dressed and holding a blooming bouquet of roses. Her smile is natural and effortless.

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

“I don’t really have a picture of my mother other than this,” Lois says. Lois’ mother, Florence Eberhardt, died from multiple sclerosis (MS) at the age of 24, when Lois was only four years old. Her father, Walter Eberhardt, passed away from a heart attack at 45 — one year after his photo was taken in that white tuxedo jacket, walking Lois down the aisle.


With an extraordinary gift, Lois and her husband Carl Davis have found a way to pay special tribute to Lois’ parents, helping to fight the diseases that took them too young, and shining a light on the centrality of faith — in medicine and in their lives. The Davises established three new endowed chairs and two current-use funds at Houston Methodist that will serve to drive new innovations in the fight against

cardiovascular disease and multiple sclerosis. They established two Lois and Carl Davis Centennial Chairs at the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, as well as the Walter Eberhardt Fund for Cardiovascular Wellness and Prevention. Additionally, they established the Lois and Carl Davis Centennial Chair in Multiple Sclerosis and the Florence Eberhardt Multiple Sclerosis Fund.

“The Extending Arms of Christ” is a 98-foot long by 16-foot tall mosaic mural comprised of more than 1.5 million tiles. Designed by Bruce Hayes and created in Florence, Italy, in 1963, the mosaic was painstakingly relocated from its original exterior location on Fannin Street to the new Walter Tower in 2018.

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To commemorate and celebrate these remarkable contributions in a manner that reflects their heartfelt meaning and intent, Houston Methodist has chosen to designate two prominent locations in the new Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower in memory of Lois’ parents. For Lois’ father, the fourth floor of Walter Tower is named the Walter Eberhardt Cardiac Catheterization Labs. For her mother, “The Extending Arms of Christ” mosaic — the iconic artwork that will greet each visitor in the atrium of Walter Tower — is named in memory of Florence Eberhardt.

Florence Eberhardt

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

The mosaic is a fitting tribute, as so much of the Davises’ lives — from their generosity of spirit to their community involvement to their everyday interests — is powered by faith. “I love the concept of Christ and the outstretched arms,” Lois says. “Faith is critical to healing. Critical. Every day we see the power of prayer making a big difference.” “The Extending Arms of Christ” mosaic was originally constructed in Florence, Italy. It is 98 feet long and made up of 1.5 million glass tiles.

It was placed on the front entrance to Houston Methodist Hospital on Fannin Street in 1963. The growth and development of the Texas Medical Center over the years had obscured this Houston landmark. It has now been relocated to the Barbara and President George H.W. Bush Atrium (see pages 10–13), where it will once again stand as an emblem of Houston Methodist’s calling to provide compassionate, spiritual care. The left side of the mosaic depicts medical


forerunners, from the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates to Florence Nightingale. On the right are images of more recent medical advances. At the center is Jesus, his arms reaching out through the past and future years to embrace, support and strengthen those who dedicate their lives to helping others. “My mother was diagnosed with MS in the mid-1930s,” Lois says. “There was not much that they could do for her then. With my father, by all appearances he was in pretty good health. He wasn’t overweight, he had stopped

smoking 10 years before, he liked to walk. It just happened. It would be wonderful to spare somebody all that heartache.” With their contribution, Lois and Carl are helping to advance treatment for multiple sclerosis, and new ways to stop heart disease before it starts. The Walter Eberhardt Fund supports Houston Methodist’s new Center for Cardiovascular Wellness and Pre- vention, a unique and comprehensive

center dedicated to pioneering new wellness and prevention measures at the cutting-edge of medical science. The Catheterization Labs, named for Lois’ father, are where patients will benefit from the innovations that allow for safer, less invasive surgical procedures. The Davises’ philanthropy is driven by faith. Faith in God, in their family and each other. And faith that their support will bring healing and compassion to patients in need. “As we have been blessed,” Lois says, “we hope to bless others.”

Walter Eberhardt

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Kim and Robert Marling knew that becoming grandparents would be a life-​changing experience, but nothing could have prepared them for the immense joy they felt when their first grandchild, Anika, was born last December at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital. “We had no idea this experience would be so extraordinary,” Kim says. “Our hearts are so full.” They are grateful that their daughter Brittney delivered Anika safely. And the couple appreciates the passion of the nurses and doctors, the technology and

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

the tranquil environment of the birthing center at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital. The Marlings took a step that will help other families have their own remarkable experiences here by establishing the Marling Family Childbirth Center Excellence Fund. It supports education and training for clinicians and nurses assigned to the center, including its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). It also provides resources for continuous updates to ensure state-of-the-art medical equipment and


care, and funds will help send clinical staff to professional conferences. In gratitude for their gift, the hospital named the birthing center in their honor, the Marling Family Childbirth Center. Patient rooms will be named after the Marlings’ grandchildren, beginning with Anika. “Understanding the level of care the hospital provides and the joy that a new baby brings, to us is immeasurable,” Robert says. “To be part of that for others is a dream come true for Kim and me.” The couple was impressed with the birthing center even before Anika’s birth when they toured it with Debra Sukin, PhD, CEO of Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital. They liked the suites for labor and delivery, as well as the private suites mothers share with their newborns. “We were delighted to learn the hospital has a Level III NICU,” Kim adds. “It really gave us a sense of security.” Level III nurseries serve very tiny and very sick newborns. Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, which operates in partnership with Texas Children’s Hospital,

also offers access to pediatric subspecialists in cardiology, neurology, infectious disease, surgery and ophthalmology, among other specialties. “When it was time for our grandchild to be born, we were praying for a healthy baby,” Robert says. “If not, we knew that she would be in a position to receive the best care possible.” Excellent health care in their own backyard is important to the Marlings. The Woodlands has been their home since the early 1990s when Robert came to oversee Woodforest National Bank’s growing presence in Montgomery County. From the beginning, they knew they’d found the perfect place to raise their three children. Community service is a priority for Kim and Robert and they both serve on several boards. Giving back to Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital has been a fulfilling experience, they say. “My goal is to have every grandchild’s name on that hospital,” Robert says. “This is our first gift. I hope there will be many more.”

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CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

AWARDS HONORING

OUR NURSES

Every Friday, Houston Methodist Hospital’s executive vice president Roberta Schwartz, PhD, includes a ‘Compliments’ column in her weekly email newsletter to all employees. The heartfelt notes from patients and family members describe a culture of compassion and excellence — and almost all are directed toward special nurses or nursing units. Houston Methodist’s mantra of putting patients at the center of everything we do places our 5,200 nurses on the front line of health 28

Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

care — they are the heart and soul of Houston Methodist’s eight hospitals. “Nurses are at the bedside 24/7, there through the thick and thin with patients, during the very difficult times that often happen in the middle of the night, and with patients through some of the worst days of their lives,” says Katherine Walsh, DrPH, RN, vice president and chief nursing officer at Houston Methodist St. John Hospital. “Nurses are really the glue that hold patient care


Methodist’s annual giving society — to grow chapters at each community hospital location. And it activates the Centennial Chair Challenge — C³ — that adds $500,000 to every $1 million-plus Centennial Chair commitment, thanks to the generosity of Paula and Rusty Walter’s cornerstone campaign commitment (see pages 4–9). Resources from the Crowning Achievement Awards will help create $1 million endowments at each of our community hospitals to support bonuses for exceptional nurses and enhanced nursing programs, including recertifications, educational pursuits and nursing research projects, at Houston Methodist San Jacinto, St. John, Sugar Land, together, making sure their physical, The commitment was West/St. Catherine, Willowbrook emotional, educational, social and designed with a two-fold leveraging and The Woodlands hospitals. spiritual needs are met.” opportunity as part of the Leading Chief nursing officers and leadership Now, for the first time in the Medicine to the Power of M: at each community hospital will institution’s history, a generous, Campaign for Our Second Century. collaborate to determine award anonymous benefactor has It establishes a $1.5 million challenge winners and priority projects. recognized nurses’ immeasurable fund that matches gifts of $25,000 The Crowning Achieve­­ment contributions with a $2.5 million to $125,000, dollar-for-dollar, in Centennial Chair in Nursing Excellence commitment — which will have a support of nursing at Houston supports a nursing leader at Houston $4.5 million philanthropic impact — to Methodist’s community hospitals. Methodist’s flagship hospital in the establish the Crowning Achievement Founding Members of Crowning Texas Medical Center. Inaugural Awards for Excellence in Nursing Achievement become Lifetime holder Liisa Ortegon, DBA, RN, and the Crowning Achievement Members of The Society for senior vice president of operations, Centennial Chair in Nursing Excellence. Leading Medicine — Houston chief nursing executive and entity houstonmethodist.org/foundation

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A NOTE FROM A GRATEFUL PATIENT

“I can’t thank you all enough for the wonderful care I received. The nurses and PCAs are the best, loving and caring people. May God bless each and every one of you because Houston Methodist Hospital would not be the best hospital without you.”

business practices officer, says she was speechless — except to say that she was “absolutely amazed and honored” when she learned about Crowning Achievement. The support is both humbling and motivating. Her message to the benefactors? “Thanks for investing in nursing and realizing how valuable and worthy our nursing professionals are.” The endowed funds will award special bonuses, help nurses pay for important specialty recertification 30

Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

exams and, Liisa says, the endowment can incentivize excellent nurses who seek higher educational opportunities, such as earning doctorate degrees. “We need more nursing leaders and educators.” Crowning Achievement has generated an enthusiastic buzz among nurses systemwide. Houston Methodist community hospitals on the “pathway to excellence,” a precursor to re­ceiving ANCC (American Nurses Creden­tialing


Center) magnet designation, will have more resources for projects that can help achieve full magnet status, a designation already credited to the Texas Medical Center, San Jacinto, Sugar Land and Willowbrook hospitals. Liisa and Katherine are Houston Methodist leaders who started their careers as bedside nurses, and they have countless examples of nurses paying for certifications, small research projects

and patient surprises from their own pockets. Stories of nurses’ generosity abound, from arranging a last-minute wedding for a dying patient, to surprising a limitedincome Astros fan with a jersey and cap while he was hospitalized during the 2017 World Series. Nurses’ job satisfaction comes from feeling valued, doing meaningful work and knowing they are making a positive difference in the world, the nursing leaders say.

Crowning Achievement is the first time community hospital nurses have been singled out for recognition in such a significant way, Katherine says. Liisa adds that Crowning Achievement is an investment in nursing that will inspire nurses throughout Houston Methodist to continuously elevate the level of quality, safety and service to patients and to pursue new opportunities to learn and grow in their chosen profession. houstonmethodist.org/foundation

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PART OF A

HEROIC

FIGHT MEDICAL TO HELP

FUND

DISCOVERIES

When Barbie and Bruce Ross

Houston Methodist Emergency

became Lifetime Members of

Care Center at Voss, but

The Society for Leading

symptoms began to disappear

Medicine with a generous

by the time she checked in.

gift to Houston Methodist’s

Her attending physician was

Translational Research

worried enough to call an

Initiative in early 2016, they

ambulance, though, and checked

had no idea that within months her into the hospital for tests. Barbie would battle her own serious health threat.

It turned out Barbie had a transient ischemic attack

Barbie, only 52 at the

(a warning stroke) caused by

time, became alarmed one

restricted blood flow to her

afternoon when her right arm brain due to a blockage in

32

Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

weakened, her right hand

her carotid artery. A team,

went numb and her words got

including Barbie’s primary

confused. She rushed to the

physician Dr. Robert Jackson,


Barbie and Bruce Ross are members of The Society for Leading Medicine.

neurologist Dr. John Volpi

a tough situation easy to

a culture of concern and

life for patients with serious

and neuroradiologist

understand.”

respect and kindness. The

diseases makes this a

immediately assembled to

had an angioplasty to open

way I was cared for by every cause worth fighting for. physician, nurse, technician Barbie is doing fine

address the problem.

the artery, and had two

and everyone else there

Dr. Orlando Diaz, was

The next day, Barbie

Barbie’s husband Bruce stents inserted to keep it

now. “We sing the praises

was very comforting.”

of Houston Methodist

rushed to the hospital from

open. She recovered in the

The Rosses remain

work. “Dr. Diaz thoroughly

neurological ICU for seven

committed to support trans-

walked me through what

days, and moved to a regular lational research efforts

was going on,” Bruce says.

room for three more days

to speed the process of

“He pulled up a computer

until she was discharged.

making revolutionary new

animation to show me how

“My whole experience

treatments available to

Methodist was doing and

the artery was blocked,

at Houston Methodist and

patients. For them, knowing

in the impact it makes in

told me he had seen this

the care I received there

the huge impact these

our community, but having

many times and knew exactly

was extraordinary,” Bar-

discoveries could have on

experienced it firsthand

survival rates and quality of

has been truly amazing.”

how to fix it. The team made bie recalls. “There is such

more than ever,” she says. “My appreciation is very personal. We always believed in what Houston

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33


LIVING PROOF

In the world of cancer

his father, W. Temple Webber

research, Temple Webber’s Jr., in 2014. 8-inch abdominal sarcoma “The mass was attached represented less than

to the abdominal wall and

1percent of all adult cancers. lying across the ureters of Such sarcomas are rare,

my kidney,” Temple says.

receiving limited publicity

and even less research

in Canada when Mary

funding than the more

looked down and saw

common cancers.

her husband’s ankles

shockingly swollen —

But to Temple and

The two were hiking

Mary, his wife of 30 years, “like elephant ankles.”

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

it was a poorly timed

It was their first clue that

threat that came out of

something was terribly

nowhere — and only a

wrong, and thus began

week after the death of

their cancer journey.


Mary & Temple Webber

By the time they

biopsy, and the insidious

therapy sessions with a

returned to Houston,

fibrous mass — possibly

standard drug mixture

Temple’s internist had

a decade in the making —

nicknamed “the Red Devil”

arranged for tests and

was discovered.

for its cranberry color and

treatment at Houston

its often harsh side effects.

Dr. Wade Rosenberg

Methodist Hospital, where operated, and Dr. Eric

This was followed by five

he and his family —

Bernicker took over the

through the T.L.L. Temple

cancer treatment.

Foundation — are long-

time benefactors. Temple

Methodist provides and

also serves on the Presi-

the preparation before-

dent’s Leadership Coun-

hand are just amazing

Methodist’s timeliness,

cil and the Neurological

— they got it right,” Mary

the compassion, the care,

“The care that Houston

weeks of radiation.

“There was never any

fear,” Temple says. “I trust these people. Houston

Institute National Council. says. Days after the surgery, the friendliness — these qualities speak volumes He underwent ultra- Temple was scheduled sounds, a CT scan and

for four 72-hour chemo-

about a hospital.”

The couple wish more people were aware of the Houston Methodist Cancer Center’s comprehensive services. And they support its goal to become a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer center. Philanthropy and NCI designation would help recruit and retain even more outstanding faculty, and would support research, more clinical trials and the development of better treat­m ents, Dr. Bernicker says, including for some of the rarer cancers like sarcomas. The Webbers believe in its future. Now, 3½ years out from treatment, Temple is retired and focusing his time and energy on philanthropy and traveling with Mary. When they turned 60, they went on a lengthy road trip, hitting favorite restaurants and bookstores across the country. His prognosis is good. He considers himself at 100 percent. “Because of Houston Methodist, we have plenty to look forward to, and life is good.”

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35


TRI

TRANSLATIONAL

RESEARCH

INITIATIVE

FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE — THE TRI STORY

Five years ago, Paula and Rusty Walter (see pages 4–9) had the idea to create a philanthropic matching fund to help push promising research from the laboratory to the patients who desperately need new treatments. The Walters’ idea blossomed into the Translational Research Initiative — TRI — and continues to inspire supporters who are committed to this Houston Methodist entrepreneurial model of medical research. 36

Already, TRI has three separate initiatives, each with the goal to establish a $10 million philanthropic investment pool to fund research projects with the potential to help the most people. “Philanthropy is helping us blaze a new pathway for translational research,” says Mauro Ferrari, PhD, president and CEO of the Houston Methodist Research Institute. “The scope of the projects now underway is unprecedented.”

Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

From using nanomedicine to prevent premature labor to commercializing sophisticated software for corrective facial surgery, these examples of funded TRI projects can help improve patients’ lives. Licensing is pending for the first TRI invention with commercial possibilities — a wearable brain stimulator to help in stroke recovery.

PROJECT

1

Symmetry through Software — the AnatomicAligner

Lindsay Fortune, a 23-year-old Texas A&M senior, knew there was something ‘off’ about her face. It wasn’t symmetrical. She avoided photos, even selfies with friends. When her grandmother referred her to Dr. Jaime Gateno, chair of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at Houston Methodist, Lindsay learned that a bone in her face never stopped growing. The condition — unilateral condylar hyperplasia — not only caused physical pain, but it made her dislike the way she looked. Dr. Gateno and Dr. James Xia, director of the surgical planning laboratory, have treated thousands of patients with all types of facial irregularities with the help of complex mathematical formulas and sophisticated computer software. Their customized AnatomicAligner System — 17 years in the making — is now ready for testing in preparation for FDA market submission. It allows them to plan, predict and execute the most difficult craniomaxillofacial surgeries. TRI support will now allow Drs. Gateno and Xia to test the software at about 20 top academic institutions.


BEFORE surgery Lindsay’s bone structure was not symmetrical.

SOFTWARE calculates adjustments needed for symmetry.

AFTER undergoing two extensive surgeries in 2017, Lindsay is now in the final weeks of her braces and has a newfound confidence that helped her land several job interviews — and an accounting position with a major corporation in Houston.

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2

Giving Hope to Stroke Patients More than 650,000 Americans suffer from ischemic strokes each year. It remains the leading cause of serious long-term disability, yet there currently is no effective treatment for the paralysis, loss of sensation and other health problems that can last for the remainder of stroke patients’ lives. Dr. Santosh Helekar and Dr. David Chiu with the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute’s Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology are testing the first device that provides non-invasive magnetic stimulation of multiple regions of the brain. Invented by Dr. Helekar and Dr. Henning Voss of PROJECT

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

Weill Cornell Medical College, the stroke helmet is portable, runs on batteries and can be triggered by a smartphone app. They believe that repeated stimulation of multiple regions of a brain impacted by stroke could help rewire brain circuits, activating new areas of the brain to control paralyzed muscles. Initially funded through the TRI, Drs. Chiu and Helekar conducted a small randomized clinical trial which provided data to finalize licensing of the device’s technology. A medical manufacturing company has optioned the helmet and enabled the completion of clinical trials. Pending the results, the licensed technology has the potential to make the device available to patients everywhere.


3

Nanomedicine to Keep Endangered Babies Safe Physicians treating a pregnant woman are treating two people. In the case of preterm labor, which affects one in four women during pregnancy, this two-patients-in-one scenario is particularly dangerous. The most effective drugs to prevent premature birth can be toxic to unborn babies, causing damage to the heart, brain and kidneys. PROJECT

treating pregnant women for preterm labor. Investigators developed drug-coated and drug-carrying liposomes that can carry treatment for preterm labor directly to the mother’s uterus, without crossing the placenta and hurting the unborn baby. The proposed system is called LIP-IND-ORA (LIPosomeINDomethacin-Oxytocin Receptor Antagonist). Houston Methodist’s Biana Godin, MSc, Pharm, PhD, an expert in designing nanomedicines, says A TRI-funded study underway through a collaboration encapsulating the medicine will offer pregnant between Houston Methodist and the John P. and women safer and more effective treatment for preterm Katherine G. McGovern Medical School is investigating labor, while also protecting the fetus. Good Manufacturing the use of nanomedicine to protect the fetus when Practices (GMP) production of the candidate is underway. houstonmethodist.org/foundation

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


FAITH,

HOPE AND HEALING

CAROLE AND JIM LOOKE

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41


CAROLE AND JIM LOOKE’S

INSPIRATIONAL GIFT A lifetime of family milestones connects Carole Walter Looke and her husband Jim to Houston Methodist Hospital. Her eight children were born here. And her father, J.C. “Joe” Walter Jr., underwent two successful bypasses and a heart transplant under the steady hands of the late, legendary Dr. Jimmy Howell — giving him some 10 extra years of life in which to know and love every grandchild. When Carole’s beloved older brother Rusty Walter suffered a stroke in 2013, Houston Methodist and Dr. David Chiu oversaw his treatment and rehabilitation. And just a few months later when Jim fell from a deer stand in Central Texas, he was quickly flown to Houston Methodist Hospital, where nurses prayed with him. He tells of an out-of-body, spiritual experience during that time in which God gave him the opportunity to spend more time here on earth with his family. The Looke/Houston Methodist connection embraces life, family, health and, most of all, faith.

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

Faith is the motivating factor behind the Lookes’ transformational $11 million commitment to create matching funds — $5 million each — for the Houston Methodist Cancer Center and the J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center. Another $1 million will support Houston Methodist’s spiritual pastoral care program. The commitment is among the top 10 largest gifts ever made to Houston Methodist and helped gain early momentum for the launch of the Leading Medicine to the Power of M: Campaign for Our Second Century. The Lookes’ commitment models Paula and Rusty Walter’s campaign cornerstone gift by providing matching challenges, a longtime strategy of the Walter family and their family-owned Walter Oil & Gas Corporation. “By partnering with Paula and Rusty to include matching opportunities for other donors, my parents felt they could enhance the scope and impact of their gift. They really want to help the hospital take things to the next level,” says Steven Looke, the Lookes’ oldest child and a member of the Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center Task Force and the Houston Methodist Research Institute Board of Directors.


“My parents feel a responsibility to continue what my grandfather started and to do whatever they can to see that Houston Methodist has continued growth and success.” The Looke Cancer Matching Fund and the Looke Transplant Matching Fund will match dollar-for-dollar commitments up to $500,000, with 60 percent of each gift and match placed in endowment — to ensure steady, reliable support in perpetuity. The matches allow benefactors to double the impact of their gifts, bringing alive the campaign promise of leveraging resources “to the Power of M.” “Tremendous support from the Lookes and Walters helped make the J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center one of the best in the nation,” says Dr. A. Osama Gaber, Center director and holder of the J.C. Walter Jr. Presidential Distinguished Chair in the J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center at Houston Methodist. “This most recent matching challenge — for both transplant and cancer — takes us to an even higher level of translational research potential.”

In recognition of the Lookes’ generosity, Houston Methodist has named the 21st floor of the Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower the C. James and Carole Walter Looke Family Pavilion — “Looke 21,” for short. In addition, the spiritual retreat on the first floor of Walter Tower is named the C. James and Carole Walter Looke Sanctuary for Faith, Hope and Healing. To those who know Carole and Jim and their extended family, the commitment is a demonstration of how they share their powerful Christian faith. Steven says his parents’ transformational commitment is a testament to the strong fit between the Walter/Looke families and Houston Methodist’s culture. His mother’s generous heart and eternal optimism and his father’s high energy and strong work ethic create a dynamic combination. “Mom’s always been about God and family, and the same with my Dad — that’s who they are,” Steven says. The Lookes’ campaign commitment toward cancer, transplant and spiritual care is the latest in their family’s long giving history to Houston Methodist.

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COCKRELL CENTER FOR

ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS

JUDY MUÑIZ, LEFT, IS BATTLING HER THIRD CANCER DIAGNOSIS IN 14 YEARS. THIS TIME, HOWEVER, SHE AND HER DAUGHTER LISA FISH (MIDDLE) AND DR. MAEN ABDELRAHIM, DIRECTOR OF THE COCKRELL CENTER FOR ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS (CCAT), HOPE JUDY WILL BECOME THE FIRST PATIENT TO TEST A KNOWN MIGRAINE DRUG THAT HAS POTENTIAL TO TREAT PANCREATIC CANCER.

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation


Judy Muñiz beat breast cancer in 2004. Eleven years later, she conquered stomach cancer. Now 73, she is fighting for her life to rid her body of pancreatic cancer. “I hope and pray this is it — I’m tired, my body’s tired,” she says. She is from Albuquerque and her daughter Lisa Fish lives in Las Vegas. They fly to Houston Methodist Hospital several times a month so Judy can receive chemotherapy and check in with her physician, Maen Abdelrahim, MD, PhD, B Pharm, director of the Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutics (CCAT). Dr. Wade Rosenberg removed Judy’s tumor here in late 2017; the goal now is to cure and prevent recurrence. “She’s a strong woman — she’s a fighter,” says Dr. Abdelrahim. “She is fighting not only her own cancer, but fighting on behalf of others yet to be diagnosed.” Trained as a pharmacist, oncologist and research scientist, Dr. Abdelrahim has been studying pancreatic cancer for more than 12 years. He believes a drug combination that he patented in 2008 — using a longtime known drug helpful in treating migraines — can be combined with other therapies to target proteins that stimulate pancreatic cancer cell growth. If his most recent clinical study is approved, he has promised Judy she will be the first tested as a potential candidate for the Phase I trial.

Grateful for the hope and care CCAT provides her mother, Lisa gave a generous gift to support Dr. Abdelrahim’s research. Her mother tears up when she speaks of the gift and her “angel team,” which includes her husband Tony Muñiz, her son-inlaw Ted Venners and Lisa. “I was 5 when my dad died of pancreatic cancer,” Lisa says. “Too young to have been able to do anything for him, now I have the chance to do whatever I can for my mom, which is why I made the donation for the trial. And, fortunately, other people will be able to benefit from its results.” CCAT, funded through a generous endowment created by The Cockrell Foundation in 2009 and supported annually, has about eight Phase I clinical trials underway, with another 10 pending approval. Patients at Houston Methodist Hospital and five community hospitals are part of ongoing studies. Dr. Abdelrahim says the Center provides a bridge between the bench and the bedside and opens the door for patients seeking more treatment options to help them live longer. “Hope can come through the research,” he says. Indeed, a basket of hope sits in Judy’s lap as she prepares for her infusion. Inside are colorful handmade Easter bunnies and eggs she will give to fellow cancer patients. For them, as for Judy, every new day is one for celebration.


2017 GALA

:

Drs. Marc and Julie Boom, Lisa Oren, Claudia and Roberto Contreras

Chaired by Claudia and Roberto Contreras, co-chairs Lisa and Josh Oren and honorary chairs Janet and Ernest H. Cockrell, Houston Methodist’s biennial fundraising gala raised $3 million for research, education and patient care for the system’s eight hospitals. Presented by The Honorable and Mrs. Hushang Ansary and Vizient, the gala recognized three honorees whose inspirational generosity will propel Houston Methodist into the future of leading medicine — Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III, the Jerold B. Katz Foundation and Freeport LNG. Emceed by KPRC news anchor Dominique Sachse, the evening included remarks by hospital leadership including Mark Houser, chair of the Houston Methodist Research Institute Board of Directors; Mauro Ferrari, PhD, president and CEO of the Houston Methodist Research Institute; Marc Boom, MD, president and CEO of Houston Methodist; and Greg Nelson, chair of the Houston Methodist Board of Directors. At the conclusion of the program, campaign chair Elizabeth Blanton Wareing announced Leading Medicine to the Power of M: Campaign for Our Second Century — a bold and historic fundraising initiative. As of November 9, 2017, Houston Methodist was $311 million toward the $500 million goal which supports unparalleled patient care, world-class education and groundbreaking research.


David and Estela Cockrell, Janet and Ernest Cockrell, Stephanie and Ernie Cockrell

Above: Paula and Rusty Walter Below: Elizabeth Blanton Wareing Claudia Contreras and Mark Houser present gift to Freeport LNG Chairman and CEO Michael S. Smith

Nicole and Evan Katz

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LEADERSHIP

Houston Methodist Board of Directors Gregory V. Nelson, Chair John F. Bookout, Chairman Emeritus Ewing Werlein Jr., Senior Chair Marc L. Boom, MD, President and CEO Carlton E. Baucum, Vice Chair Mary A. Daffin, Vice Chair Elizabeth Blanton Wareing, Secretary Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III, Treasurer David M. Underwood Jr., Asst. Secretary Joe Bob Perkins, Asst. Treasurer Emily A. Crosswell Martha Smith DeBusk Gary W. Edwards Juliet S. Ellis Ron A. Gentry, MD Mark A. Houser Bishop Scott J. Jones Rev. Kenneth R. Levingston Vidal G. Martinez W. Benjamin Moreland Robert K. Moses Jr. Thomas J. Pace III, DMin Rev. Edmund W. Robb III Spencer A. Tillman Todd W. Trask, MD, President of the Medical Staff Advisory Kelty R. Baker, MD, President-Elect of the Medical Staff Rev. B.T. Williamson Life Members Ernest H. Cockrell James C. Dishman Charles W. Duncan Jr. Connie M. Dyer Isaac H. Kempner III Sandra Gayle Wright, RN, EdD

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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

Houston Methodist Research Institute Board of Directors Mark A. Houser, Chair John F. Bookout, Chairman Emeritus Ewing Werlein Jr., Senior Chair Marc L. Boom, MD, President and CEO, Houston Methodist Mauro Ferrari, PhD, President and CEO, Houston Methodist Research Institute Elizabeth Blanton Wareing, Vice Chair John F. Bookout III, Secretary Steven D. Arnold David C. Baggett Jr. Timothy B. Boone, MD, PhD Giorgio Borlenghi Carrie L. Byington, MD Joseph R. “Rod” Canion Stephen Chazen Augustine M.K. Choi, MD John P. Cooke, MD, PhD Dan O. Dinges Antonio Gotto, MD, DPhil Catherine S. Jodeit Evan H. Katz Rev. Kenneth R. Levingston Kevin J. Lilly Steven S. Looke Vidal G. Martinez Gregory V. Nelson Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Martha S. Walton Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation Board of Directors John W. Johnson, Chair John F. Bookout, Chairman Emeritus Ewing Werlein Jr., Senior Chair Marc L. Boom, MD, President and CEO Elizabeth Blanton Wareing, Vice Chair Emily A. Crosswell, Secretary Dorothy M. Ables Michael M. Cone Charles W. Duncan Jr. John S. “Steve” Dunn Jr. Marvy A. Finger Raleigh W. Johnson Jr. Vidal G. Martinez W. Benjamin Moreland Robert K. Moses Jr. Gregory V. Nelson David M. Underwood Jr. Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III James V. Walzel Marc A. Watts

Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital Board of Trustees Rick Peebles, Chair Pete Alfaro, Vice Chair David P. Bernard, Secretary Wayne Baldwin Marc L. Boom, MD Dennis Brown, PhD R.D. Burnside Mary Hartman-Brown Ralph Kunz Rev. John N. Newsome Shariq Rauf, MD Gilbert Santana Gary T. Schmidt Chris Siebenaler James Strangmeier, MD Donald Whitman, MD Houston Methodist St. Catherine Hospital Board of Trustees Marc L. Boom, MD Kevin Burns Ramon M. Cantu Houston Methodist St. John Hospital Board of Trustees Marc L. Boom, MD, Chair Chris Siebenaler, Vice Chair Daniel Newman, Secretary Raj K. Bhalla, MD, President of the Medical Staff Franz Schneider, MD, President-Elect of the Medical Staff Levi Benton John D. Kennedy Rev. Jerry Neff, DMin Katherine Walsh, PhD, RN Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Board of Trustees William F. Schwer, Chair Suehing W.Y. Chiang, Vice Chair Chris Siebenaler, Secretary Marc L. Boom, MD Gary W. Flores, MD Gene Huebner, MD Jeffrey Jackson, MD Lonnie Meadows Rev. Martin Nicholas Sutapa Sur

Houston Methodist West Hospital Board of Trustees Vidal Ramirez, Chair Ramon M. Cantu, Vice Chair Wayne Voss, Secretary Marc L. Boom, MD William A. Callegari Todd Holt, MD Stuart I. Levin Rahul B. Mehta Rev. Charles B. Simmons, DMin Robert Vanzant, MD Manish Wani, MD Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Board of Trustees Reginald Lillie, Chair Ken Werlein, Vice Chair Keith D. Barber, Secretary Mukarram Baig, MD Marc L. Boom, MD J. David Cabello Benjamin Harvey, MD Linda J. Humphries Audre F. Levy, PhD Lee Robison Barbara Schlattman Debra F. Sukin, PhD, MHA, FACHE Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital Board of Trustees Marc L. Boom, MD, Chair Debra F. Sukin, PhD, MHA, FACHE, Secretary Ralph Alexander Ramon M. Cantu Lucas Duvall, MD Bishop Robert “Bob” Hayes Jr., DMin Cathy Nash Ann Snyder, PhD Raj Syal, MD Samuel “Dave” Warren

President’s Leadership Council Senior Cabinet Steven D. Stephens, Chair Robert J. Allison Jr. Eva C. Bisso Kelli L. Blanton Marc L. Boom, MD Stephen I. Chazen David A. Cockrell Clayton Erikson Daniel M. Gilbane Eric J. Haufrect, MD David D. Kinder John P. Kotts William Gentry Lee Jr. Michael C. Linn Rahul B. Mehta Cynthia PickettStevenson Veronica SelinkoCurran, MD Douglas E. Swanson Jr. David M. Underwood Jr. Members At-Large Gina B. Andrews Arch H. Aplin III Matthew K. Baird Jonathan Baksht Bruce R. Bilger George M. Britton Jr. Muffin Clark M. Scott Cone Claudia Contreras Isabel G. David Nancy S. Dinerstein David R. Dominy Carolyn W. Dorros Celia J. Dupré Jenny Elkins W. Lawrence Elliott Thomas L. Elsenbrook Jeffrey H. Foutch Linda C. Gill Laura Laux Higgins Vicki A. Hollub Steven J. Kean Jeffrey E. Margolis George M. Masterson Andrew D. McCullough Jr. Mary Ann McKeithan Denise D. Monteleone Joel L. Moore W. Benjamin Moreland Rick Perez Michael J. Plank Melanie C. Rothwell Scott E. Schwinger Ward Sheffield Sue H. Smith Cullen R. Spitzer Alan L. Stein Marcy E. Taub Tadd Tellepsen Franco Valobra Karen D. Walker Scott Wegmann Paul Yetter Kelley C. Young Physician & Scientist Advisors Eric H. Bernicker, MD Robert E. Jackson, MD Christof Karmonik, PhD Daniel E. Lehane, MD Keith O. Reeves, MD


Houston Methodist Cancer Center Council Daphne Bernicker, Chair Dorothy M. Ables, Vice Chair Jud Bailey Carin M. Barth Vicki L. Baucum Scott A. Davis Ann H. Elvin Heather Firestone Alan L. Kaplan, MD Cissie Rauch-Kaplan John W. Lodge III Christine Lukens Dale Martin Peggy D. Martin Maryanne W. McCormack David A. Modesett Diane Modesett Rick Moore Jane L. Parker Glenn R. Smith Betty A. Sommer Christine M. Underwood Physician-Scientist Representatives Eric H. Bernicker, MD E. Brian Butler, MD Jenny Chang, MD, Director Daniel E. Lehane, MD Bin S. Teh, MD Stephen T. Wong, PhD, PE Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center Council Connie M. Dyer, Chair Cynthia PickettStevenson, Co-Chair Robert J. Allison Jr. Seth M. Barrett J. Denny Bartell Marc L. Boom, MD Kenneth E. Breaux John R. Butler Jr. P. Embry Canterbury Carl M. Carter III Gerardo A. Chapa Mary A. Daffin Ray Davis Denis A. DeBakey Joann P. DiGennaro William J. Doré Jr. William J. Doré Sr. Nan Duhon Danielle Ellis Eva K. Farha William E. Gipson Marc P. Gordon David Greenberg Miguel A. Hernandez Wendy Hines Jo Ruth Kaplan Fadila Kibsgaard William E. King William E. Kline, PhD Cynthia G. Kostas Huntley Anderson Kubitza Carole E. Looke John M. McCormack Mason L. Mote Taylor Norris Robert Peiser Frank D. Perez Douglas R. Quinn Virginia Steppe Tony Vallone Elizabeth C. Walter

Center for Performing Arts Medicine Advisory Board Robert E. Jackson, MD, MACP, Chair C. Richard Stasney, MD, Founder E. William Barnett Janice H. Barrow Ginger Blanton Anthony K. Brandt, PhD Sharon Bryan Albert Y. Chao James W. Crownover Françoise Djerejian Deborah K. Duncan Gina Eandi, RN Victor Fainstein, MD Jeremy Finkelstein, MD J. Todd Frazier Robert Freeman, PhD Elizabeth Ghrist Susanne M. Glasscock Carole J. Hackett, BSN, EdM, RN Richard L. Harper, MD Eric J. Haufrect, MD Patricia P. Hubbard Christof Karmonik, PhD Tom Krouskop, PhD, PE Michael W. Lieberman, MD, PhD Sharon Ley Lietzow Judy E. Margolis Vidal G. Martinez Hoyt T. “Toby” Mattox Edwards U. McReynolds, MD Rev. Charles R. Millikan, DMin James M. Musser, MD, PhD Judy Nyquist Nicholas A. Phillips Patricia Rauch Keith O. Reeves, MD L.E. Simmons Jerome B. Simon Lois F. Stark Apurva A. Thekdi, MD Ron Tintner, MD Laura Jennings Turner Kevin E. Varner, MD Richard E. Wainerdi, PhD, PE Margaret Alkek Williams Aline Wilson Stephen T. Wong, PhD, PE Ed Wulfe Robert A. Yekovich, DMA

Neurological Institute National Council Gary W. Edwards, Chair William E. Chiles, Co-Chair James P. Bailey Jr. James R. Bath Everett E. Bernal Randee K. Bernal Eddy S. Blanton Ginger Blanton John F. Bookout J. David Cabello Frank Gay Paula Gay Kate H. Gibson Robert H. Graham Titus H. Harris III Billy Harrison Mary F. Johnston Elise Joseph Thomas C. Knudson Gregory A. Kozmetsky Jack B. Moore James W. Oden Cabrina F. Owsley Leon M. Payne Arthur A. Seeligson III Donna S. Stahlhut Roxane R. Strickling Henry J.N. “Kitch” Taub II Anne G. Thobae Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD Dancie Perugini Ware Elizabeth Blanton Wareing W. Temple Webber III Steven B. Wyatt Houston Methodist Immunology Center Task Force Lloyd S. Burke, Co-Chair James G. Frankel, Co-Chair Sandra L. Burke Louis B. Cushman Stevan L. Dinerstein, MD Annie Criner Eifler Carol Frankel Jennie Getten Sippi K. Khurana, MD Carolyn C. Light David W. Light III Fairfax Crow Randall Angela E. Richnow Mary Eliza Shaper Ann G. Trammell David M. Underwood Jr. Houston Methodist Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease & Transplantation Task Force Deborah Keener Brown Alan Conover Sherrie Conover Paula D. Criel Kathy Ghobrial Tami Houston Edward A. Jones Burt H. Keenan Lawrence W. Kellner Linda G. Lykos Eugene A. O’Donnell Elizabeth Rotan Patricia Sloan Samuel Sloan

Houston Methodist Jack S. Blanton Sr. Eye Institute Task Force Hilary A. Beaver, MD Jack S. Blanton Jr. Leslie D. Blanton David M. Brown, MD Jorie Jackson Frances M. Jones, DDS Andrew G. Lee, MD Herbert Lyman Jean Lyman Alice McPherson, MD Kevin Merkley, MD Aaron Miller, MD Rick Raanes Vanessa Raanes Sandy Rosenberg Florence Rutherford Michael G. Rutherford C. Richard Stasney, MD Charles Wykoff, MD Houston Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation & Education SM (MITIE ): Surgical Innovations Task Force Bridget Butler Wade, Co-Chair John C. Moriniere, Co-Chair Marcos J. Basso Henry S. Bragg Sr. Michael Ellington Douglas V. Getten Dana L. Myers, MD Jon Phillip Spiers, MD, JD Jamie Taussig Randa Weiner John B. Young Jr. Anat K. Zeidman Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Brain & Bone Collaborative J.D. Bucky Allshouse Lauren G. Anderson Eric Brueggeman Christopher J. Canetti Clint Cannon Jennifer Davenport Jon D. Deutser Jace Duke Heather Firestone John Granato Debbie Hance Joshua D. Harris, MD Vijay Jotwani, MD Terry Lohrenz Mark Loveland Larry Margolis Patrick McCulloch, MD Hannah McNair Keith Morris Cynthia Levin Moulton Randy Nelson Jason Ostrom Kenneth Podell, PhD Margaret D. Reppert James C. Rootes S. Shawn Stephens Ennio Tasciotti, PhD Donald Trull Kevin E. Varner, MD Daryl W. Wade Barry D. Warner

Houston Methodist Lynda K. and David M. Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders Task Force Rob Fondren, Co-Chair Duncan K. Underwood, Co-Chair James J. Braniff III Jeffrey D. Cohen Jay Golding Pedro Durán Gomez C. Loren Vandiver Brock Wagner Karen Wagner Marie Wise William Wise Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Task Force Jeffery A. Smisek, Chair Vicki L. Baucum Martha Smith DeBusk Myrna Deckert Jan Follansbee Kenneth G. Follansbee Sr. Anita W. Garten David B. Garten Vicki H. Hitzhusen Gayle G. Kennedy Huntley Anderson Kubitza Steven S. Looke W. Gregory Looser Michael M. Metz Deborah Phillips Ahmed A. Rabie Edmund W. Robb Nora Smati Terrell Eastman Sprague Helen Streaker Steven Thorpe Ellis L. Tudzin Christine L. Underwood Jennifer Vondran As of March 31, 2018

houstonmethodist.org/foundation

49


2017

YEAR IN REVIEW 169%

INCREASE IN FUNDRAISING OVER 2016

TOTAL COMMITTED

$ 141,452,520

69

ENDOWED CHAIRS

83

TRI FOUNDING MEMBERS

SOCIETY MEMBERS

TRI1 COMPLETE AND

RAISED $5,552,352

RAISED $6,480,173 FOR TRI2

50

Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

542


UNIQUE DONORS

3,283

CAMPAIGN BY FOCUS AREA

2,699

INCOME SOURCES

AMOUNTS RAISED BY CAMPAIGN PILLAR

PIE CHART INCLUDES EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH

23

%

55

%

ATTRACT BRILLIANCE $72M

ACCELERATE RESEARCH $173M

12

% PROMOTE

10

HEALING $36M

% TRAIN

SUPERSTARS $32M

4 3 %

FOUNDATIONS

93

%

INDIVIDUALS

% CORPORATIONS BUSINESSES & ORGANIZATIONS

GIFTS

MANY THANKS

houstonmethodist.org/foundation

51


LETTER FROM OUR CHAIRMAN Before we launched the Leading Medicine to the Power of M: Campaign for Our Second Century late last year, powerful momentum was underway for Houston Methodist’s second fundraising campaign. Thanks to your generosity and active advocacy, 2017 was a stellar year for philanthropy in which you helped us raise nearly $142 million toward important initiatives to advance patient care, translational research and medical education. Paula and Rusty Walter jump-started the campaign with their cornerstone commitment of $101 million, the largest philanthropic gift in Houston Methodist’s history. The Walters are the epitome of matching challenges, committed to multiplying the impact of every gift. They inspire giving as a truly joyful and meaningful experience that allows for unique, highly creative strategies and programs. For example, the Centennial Chair Challenge — C³ — provides a $500,000 Walter match for every $1 million, $1.5 million or $2.5 million given toward an endowed chair. With your help, 14 new Centennial endowments were created in 2017, and these chairs are the best tools we have to retain and recruit the most brilliant physician-scientists. By year’s end, Houston Methodist counted 69 endowed chairs toward our goal of reaching 100 chairs for the hospital’s 100th anniversary in 2019. Established by matches from the Walters and the Jerold B. Katz Foundation, the Translational Research Initiative now has 83 Founding Members and three separate $10 million TRI funds, with a fourth in its infant stage. A generous anonymous donor created the first endowed chair in nursing and the Crowning Achievement Awards for Excellence in Nursing, with matches provided to commitments of $25,000 and more. Gifts at that level also will grant lifetime membership in our premier annual giving organization, The Society for Leading Medicine, where membership increased significantly to 542 last year. With such exceptional growth in engagement and resources comes greater responsibility to steward these gifts with respect, sound judgment and accountability. Thank you to all who serve on our boards and councils — your guidance and leadership are more important than ever as we move forward and put these commitments to work to provide outstanding patient care programs, unequalled educational opportunities and research that results in better lives for patients everywhere. J O H N W. J O H N S O N , C H A I R Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation Board of Directors

CREDITS

52

President and CEO, Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation: Susan Coulter, JD Managing Editor: Katelyn Furman Editors: Katie Lipnick, Patti Muck, Nathan Cernosek, Samantha Hea, Rolando Garcia, Joe Milano Writers: Patti Muck, Nathan Cernosek, Joe Milano, Flori Meeks Art Director and Designer: Karen Holland Photographers: Terry Vine, Robert Seale, Richard Carson, Jody Horton, Jenny Antill Artists: Bruce Morser, Matt Cook, Carole Wilmet, Stefano Vitale

Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation



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