MEET THE MCLOUGHLINS
“They’re an incredibly tight and supportive family. That makes a huge difference in terms of patient recovery—more than people realize.”
Paying It Forward Thankful for medical research that has benefited them, the McLoughlin family donates to help others. BY NANCY SOKOLER STEINER PHOTOGRAPHED BY PHILLIP GRAYBILL
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arbara and John McLoughlin have turned to Providence Saint John’s Health Center for their medical needs for close to six decades. A year after the couple moved to Santa Monica from the East Coast in 1962, Barbara delivered daughter Linda at Saint John’s. Siblings Patty, Cathy and Mike followed—all making their debut at the “family” hospital. Funds were tight in those early days with John just out of law school. Before delivering her third baby, Barbara insisted they wait in the car even as her contractions grew closer together. It was late in the evening, and she didn’t want to pay for an extra night. Today, the couple’s finances are secure. And in appreciation for research at Saint John’s that has benefited them directly, Barbara and John recently made a generous gift to support the work of three exceptional Saint John’s physicians, including a longtime friend of the family, geriatric psychiatrist David Merrill, MD, PhD, director of the Pacific Brain Health Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI). The McLoughlins met Dr. Merrill when John, retired from his successful career as a corporate
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SAINT JOHN'S MAGAZINE
attorney, began experiencing mild cognitive decline. John started receiving care from Dr. Merrill, who was then working at another institution. “My dad is a very bright, very cerebral, very accomplished man,” says daughter Linda McLoughlin Figel. “Dr. Merrill was just so amazing in helping us navigate those early stages, explaining what was involved and what it meant for my dad and our family.” Impressed with Dr. Merrill’s research and grateful for his care, John and Barbara made their first substantial philanthropic donation, a five-year grant to fund Dr. Merrill’s work on slowing cognitive decline. When he moved to Saint John’s in 2018, the funding followed him to PNI. The McLoughlin family this year renewed their pledge with another five-year grant. “The McLoughlins were a significant part of the reason I came here,” says Dr. Merrill. “They spoke enthusiastically about the hospital and the doctors, and that made me feel comfortable joining the Saint John’s family.” John’s treatment involves efforts “to slow down his cognitive decline and optimize his physical health,”
