H OUSTON M E T HO D I ST H OSPI TA L FO U N DAT I O N
NE WSLETTER VO L UM E 2
A LETTER FROM OUR CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIR
Contents Letter from our Co-Chair
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Campaign At-A-Glance
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Transformational Gifts
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Lifelong Connections
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Investigating Cancer
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Research Discoveries
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Training Doctors
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Stroke Education 9 Special Events
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When we announced Leading Medicine to the Power of M: Campaign for Our Second Century at the Rendezvous: Live Young gala in November 2017, campaign co-chair Rusty Walter and I had profound faith that our philanthropic community would embrace our goal of $500 million. But the momentum you have inspired in Houston Methodist’s campaign is nothing short of remarkable! Because of your generosity and the commitment of so many others in our community and beyond, more than $30 million was pledged toward our efforts to attract brilliance, accelerate research, train superstars and promote healing at Houston Methodist. Our campaign total as of September 30 stands at $349.2 million. Rusty and I are eternally grateful for your commitment to this unprecedented campaign. Highlights that pushed us into 2019—our Centennial year—include exceptional stories of generosity and inspiration. When we tragically lost beloved cardiologist Dr. Mark Hausknecht in July, an anonymous couple committed $1.5 million to honor his life and legacy through three unique funds. This commitment will be divided among a Centennial Chair in Anesthesia and Critical Care; a fund for Cardiovascular Telemedicine Services for Patients in Remote and Rural Areas; and a fund for Research, Education and Innovation in
Interventional Structural Heart Disease. The anonymous couple also named the ‘Mark J. Hausknecht, MD Cardiac Intensive Care Unit’ on the 10th floor of the Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower. The Walters’ $101 million cornerstone gift continues to drive this campaign thanks to its many matches and unique components, including the Centennial Chair Challenge—C³—which has sparked the creation of 22 C³ chairs toward our goal of 50. And, as of September 30, we have an overall count of 77 endowed chairs—aiming for 100 in honor of Houston Methodist’s 100-year anniversary of serving our community. Rusty and I are humbled and honored to help lead this campaign and, if you have not already, would love to have you join the team of major benefactors moving our institution ever forward. To those of you who have made your campaign commitment, thank you! We reach out for your guidance in helping spread the word to engage your friends and neighbors in the quest to take Houston Methodist from the best in Texas to the best in the world— and always with our patients’ lives at the center of our efforts.
Elizabeth Blanton Wareing Campaign Co-Chair
CAMPAIGN 19,269 GIFTS
AT-A-GLANCE
349.2 MILLION
$
RAISED TO DATE
77
ENDOWED CHAIRS
F R OM
1.1.13
TO
9 . 30 . 1 8
LEADING MEDICINE TO THE POWER OF M: CAMPAIGN FOR OUR SECOND CENTURY BEGAN COUNTING ON
JANUARY 1, 2013, AND THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT TOOK PLACE ON
NOVEMBER 9, 2017.
CAMPAIGN BY FOCUS AREA
11,216
24
%
SUPPORTERS
53
%
ACCELERATE RESEARCH $184M
CAMPAIGN BY FUND CATEGORY ENDOWMENTS $183.66M
ATTRACT BRILLIANCE $84M
11
%
12
%
PROMOTE HEALING $40M
TRAIN SUPERSTARS $41M
CURRENT USE $165.53M 3
TRANSFORMATIONAL GIVING
OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM Corporate partner Occidental Petroleum added $6M to its commitment bringing the company’s campaign gift total to a transformational $10M. Their gift will provide additional support for the Community Scholars Program by establishing a Centennial Chair, creating the Occidental Petroleum Health Outcomes – Quality of Life Improvement Program, and establishing a fellowship in palliative care.
THE ELKINS FOUNDATION The family foundation of James A. Elkins Sr., one of the founding trustees of Houston Methodist in 1919, pledged a campaign commitment to establish two significant Centennial Chairs: one in heart and one in neurology.
C. JAMES AND CAROLE WALTER LOOKE The C. James and Carole Walter Looke Presidential Distinguished Centennial Clinical Academic Scholar in Behavioral Health is the Lookes’ most recent transformational commitment to provide resources for a nationally respected leader in psychiatry and behavioral health.
HARRIET AND JOE FOSTER Longtime Houston Methodist benefactors Harriet and Joe Foster made two significant commitments – one current and one planned – to support the Cell Based Therapy Program in the Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology.
READ MORE IN THE UPCOMING EDITION OF THE HOUSTON METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT OR AT POWEROFM.ORG 4
LIFELONG
CONNECTIONS
Dr. Stuart Solomon, left, and Dr. Stuart Dobbs, far right, visit with with Ewing and Kay Werlein.
Former Houston Methodist Board chairman Judge Ewing Werlein and his wife Kay were about 12 hours away from losing their only son when faith and Houston Methodist physicians engineered a miracle. Ken Werlein, 48 at the time, had been suffering from what he thought was indigestion. By chance, he still had Dr. Stuart Dobbs’ cell phone number from a visit with him several years earlier. He texted to ask about an appointment. To his surprise, Dr. Dobbs called him right away and said he’d work him into his schedule. The next few hours were life-changing for the Werlein family. Dr. Dobbs didn’t like the symptoms he heard — this was more than indigestion. He referred Ken Werlein to his colleague and friend of 30 years Dr. Stuart Solomon, an interventional cardiologist who arranged an immediate visit and stress test. Suspecting an imminent heart attack, Dr. Solomon pushed his patient in a wheelchair to the 10th floor catheterization lab in the Fondren-Brown Building at Houston Methodist Hospital. A stent was inserted to open Ken Werlein’s 99-percent blocked Left Anterior Descending
(LAD) artery, referred to as the heart’s widow-maker for its reputation for causing instant death.
“THEY SAVED OUR SON’S LIFE,” JUDGE WERLEIN SAYS. “How could we not love Houston Methodist?” asks Kay. “We would do anything in the world to honor these doctors.” Both are grateful each day to see their son, the father of two young boys, live a healthy, productive and happy life. As the Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower neared its 2018 debut, the Werleins made a generous commitment to the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center and named a catheterization laboratory in Walter Tower after the Dobbs/Solomon team. It is a fitting place — rich in meaning for the benefactors and the doctors — and the couple hope it will continue the tradition of “saving more lives.” ‘The Cardiac Catheterization Lab in honor of Stuart Dobbs, MD and Stuart Solomon, MD’ is the Werlein’s latest commitment in a lifetime of giving back to Houston Methodist through service, volunteerism and philanthropy. 5
INVESTIGATING
CANCER THE FIRST KATZ INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Esnaola says the opportunity to grow the Houston Methodist surgical oncology program systemwide and expand its research infrastructure around cancer prevention and control were especially appealing in attracting him to Houston Methodist and back to his Houston roots. “The type of
our ability to translate our findings back to our patients, thereby improving their cancer Nestor Esnaola, MD, MPH, care and outcomes,” Dr. Esnaola MBA, a surgical oncologist and says. “We are incredibly grateful funded clinical investigator, for their visionary support.” has been named the first Katz As associate director, Investigator in the Jerold B. Dr. Esnaola will forge research Katz Academy of Translational collaborations focused on Research. A native Houstonian, cutting-edge radiomic techniques he was recruited from Fox Chase cancer research conducted blending radiology and computerCancer Center in Philadelphia to at this institution is not ized algorithms for early diagnosis serve as division chief of Surgical just innovative, but also and risk stratification, novel Oncology and Gastrointestinal truly interdisciplinary and dissemination and implementation Surgery in the Department of translational,” he says. strategies to optimize receipt Surgery at Houston Methodist He is the first recipient of and quality of cancer care Hospital and surgical director a transformational commitment across diverse populations, of the Houston Methodist from the Jerold B. Katz family and perioperative applications Cancer Center. He participates to fund physician-scientists in of immunotherapy to minimize in the multidisciplinary care of the early stages of promising treatment toxicity and improve patients with gastrointestinal and research. Each $1 million Katz cancer survival. colorectal cancers, hepaticoInvestigator endowment lasts five Dr. Esnaola’s recruitment pancreatico-biliary malignancies years, but the title remains forever is another step toward Houston and soft tissue sarcomas. As and recipients become part of Methodist’s goal to receive Associate Director for Cancer the prestigious Katz Academy of National Cancer Institute (NCI) Control and Population Sciences, Translational Research. designation. he will interface with ongoing “The Katzes are community outreach and not only acceleraengagement initiatives and help ting the rate of our ensure that the Cancer Center’s research, but also Evan Katz and clinical and research enterprise Marc L. Boom, MD continually addresses the cancer burden and the patient’s needs.
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RESEARCH
DISCOVERIES
Ennio Tasciotti, PhD, is the beneficiary of an award from Houston’s Men of Distinction organization. Their generosity will help fund Dr. Tasciotti’s research in creating an innovative cardiac patch that has the potential to greatly improve the quality of lives for children born with congenital heart defects.
The generosity of philanthropic organizations make it possible for us to push the frontiers of medical science forward. One example is the award from Houston’s Men of Distinction organization to Dr. Ennio Tasciotti as a beneficiary of its annual awards luncheon. Dr. Tasciotti, professor of Regenerative Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and director of our Center for Biomimetic Medicine at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, has been investigating the use of nano- and biomaterials
for drug delivery and regenerative medicine for the past decade. The Men of Distinction Annual Awards Luncheon was founded in 2007 to recognize the contributions of a select group of outstanding men in our community. Proceeds from the luncheon provide funding for projects that focus on research, treatment, education and patient care for children. Prior to this year’s event, the annual luncheon had raised more than $4 million for a
variety of programs within the Texas Medical Center. Funding from Men of Distinction will help support Dr. Tasciotti’s work in creating a cardiac patch that can be made from a child’s own stem cells while they are developing in utero. Because congenital heart defects can be diagnosed late in the first trimester, this process would allow us to capitalize on the time between early diagnoses and the need for surgical interventions. This promising patch would not only repair structures and restore heart function, it would integrate with surrounding tissues and grow with young patients — alleviating the need for recurring surgeries resulting from the chemically altered tissue and plastic materials that are commonly used today. Dr. Tasciotti believes that philanthropy plays a crucial role in the ability to take medical discoveries from the laboratory and put them to use at patients’ bedsides. “Having worked in the Texas Medical Center for over 10 years, it is amazing to see the growth and advances in basic and clinical research that are happening here,” he says. “Much of our work wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support from organizations including Men of Distinction, whose leaders believe in ideas that have the potential to advance health care and improve the lives of future generations.” 7
TRAINING DOCTORS Orthopedic Fellows Work with Houston’s Pro Athletes, Including the Houston Texans
medicine at Houston Methodist and associate professor of clinical orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, the program has received major support Being the best includes training from the Houston Texans, the best. That’s why thriving inspiring Houston Methodist to residency and fellowship recognize the team’s generosity programs are hallmarks of a by naming future fellows the world-class academic medical Houston Texans Scholars. center like Houston Methodist. Each year, three orthopedic Fellowship programs, whether surgeons who have completed in sports medicine or in other their residencies undergo an specialties, play an important intensive one-year training program role in boosting a hospital’s in advanced sports medicine reputation for patient care and techniques. The fellows are research excellence. immersed in both clinical activities The orthopedics sports as well as research — and because medicine fellowship at Houston Houston Methodist is the official Methodist — where young health care provider for the surgeons work with some of the Houston Texans and several nation’s most talented athletes — other professional sports teams illustrates how fellowship pro— the fellows spend much of grams pair the most promising their time treating elite athletes young physicians with leading in high-stakes situations. specialists in their field. Led by On a given day, a fellow might Dr. David Lintner, chief of sports accompany Dr. Lintner, a team
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orthopedist for the Texans, to their training facility to evaluate injured players in the morning, followed by clinical visits and surgeries in the afternoon, and then a game in the evening. “The breadth of experience our fellows get — working with athletes across multiple sports — really makes the Houston Methodist program stand out,” Dr. Lintner says. “They gain a nuanced understanding of how, for example, one player’s ankle injury impacts the entire team and affects roster decisions.” “The orthopedic sports medicine fellowship at Houston Methodist is one of the best of its kind in the nation. We’re proud to be longstanding supporters of a program that not only trains the brilliant sports medicine surgeons of tomorrow, but that also helps make Houston a premier sports community,” says Jamey Rootes, president of the Houston Texans.
STROKE EDUCATION
Swadesh Khurana (pictured above) was a caring, loving woman with a zest for life, according to her daughter-in-law, Dr. Sippi Khurana. The Khurana family created an endowment to support a number of innovative stroke-related initiatives at Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital in her memory.
Swadesh Khurana might have survived a hemorrhagic stroke a decade ago if she had access to critical stroke care in her own Willowbrook-area neighborhood, according to her family. Instead, she had to be transported to the Texas Medical Center, where the life-saving measures were applied too late. “Time is a factor in stroke, so we started thinking about what we could do so that other people wouldn’t have to go through this,” says her husband, Bal. “We approached Houston Methodist Willowbrook ready to do whatever it took after my son,
Ajay, and his wife, Sippi, suggested we do something for the community in which we live.” The family created the Swadesh Khurana Endowment, which helped support the hospital’s designation as a primary stroke center with the ability to deliver clot-busting agents and timely neurosurgical interventions for neighboring residents. The family’s mission to enhance stroke care then became an ongoing effort. The Khuranas support professional development opportunities that include annual monetary awards given to a nurse caregiver and an ancillary staff
member in recognition of providing excellence in stroke care. Awards are also given to local EMS teams in recognition for the fastest times in administering the clot-busting drug, tPA, to stroke patients. The Khurana family also believes that outreach activities can have an important impact in the community. Initiatives they support include a video used in area schools that teaches methods for recognizing strokes, health fairs, seminars and a lecture series. “My wife was a very charismatic healing human being,” says Bal, “so we asked that The Swadesh Khurana Healing Garden at Houston Methodist Willowbrook be named after her.” Their grandson, Shaan, age 9, has forfeited birthday presents for the last five years. He asked for donations for the garden instead, which have been used to add a water feature and quotes of healing and hope. “Our family’s goal is to continue to save and improve the lives of people in the community,” says Dr. Sippi Khurana, a rheumatologist and immunologist who serves on the Houston Methodist Immunology Center Task Force. “We’re willing to do whatever we can to make sure people have what they need in the future, whether through sponsoring the creation of mobile stroke units, using telemedicine technologies or advancing stem cell research. We have a lot of hope for the future.” 9
SPECIAL EVENTS WALTER TOWER GRAND OPENING: MAY 2, 2018
Left: Neil and Maria Bush and Peggy and Bill Barnett Right: Dr. Marc Boom and Rusty and Paula Walter
PEAK PERFORMANCES: JULY 30, 2018
Above: Tom and Lesha Elsenbrook, Rod and Cam Canion, Drs. Marc and Julie Boom, and Nancy and Jack Dinerstein. At Right: Johnny Duncan, Carlos Duncan, Charles Duncan, Leslie Duncan and Anne Duncan.
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FAITH & MEDICINE: OCTOBER 2, 2018
Left: Ann and John Bookout Right: Lou Houser, Libbie Nelson and Wendy Moreland.
THE SOCIETY’S BRUNCH WITH THE BEST: SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 Above: Catherine Masterson, Carrie Miller and Elisabeth Millard. Right: Sarah Underwood and Huntley Kubitza.
NEWSLETTER CREDITS: President & CEO, Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation: Susan Coulter, JD Managing Editor: Katie Lipnick Editors: Katelyn Furman, Patti Muck Writers: Patti Muck, Joe Milano, Rolando Garcia Art Director & Designer: Karen Holland, Richards/Carlberg Photographers: Robert Seale, Terry Vine, Richard Carson, Jenny Antill Illustrators: Bruce Morser, Stan Miller
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LEADING MEDICINE TO THE POWER OF CAMPAIGN FOR OUR SECOND CENTURY
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powerofM.org