Inspiring Stories

Contributors create chairs and professorships for many reasons — in gratitude for good care, for instance, or to help researchers make headway in investigating a disease. Below are excerpts from some inspiring stories from our donors.

	Cancer survivor rallies to the cause When Trish May recovered from breast cancer, she dedicated herself to raising awareness and research funds for the cause by founding the company Athena Partners®. Proceeds from the nationwide sales of Athena® water have helped make possible the creation of two endowments: the Athena Distinguished Professorship of Breast Cancer Research and its sister fund, the Athena Endowed Award for Excellence in Breast Cancer Research.
	A near-tragic accident A few years ago, Jamie Hunter was severely injured by a boulder in a climbing accident on Mount Adams in Washington. In gratitude for her care, her parents, John and Wendy Hunter, led a campaign to create the Jamie A. Hunter Endowed Professorship in Reconstructive Plastic Surgery.
	Smallpox hero honored UW Medicine alumnus William H. Foege, M.D., may be best known for developing the vaccination strategy that led to the eradication of smallpox. The creation of the William H. Foege Endowed Chair in Global Health was part of a larger gift, made by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to establish the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington.
	A famous scientist, a planned gift, a fond remembrance Emeritus faculty member, alumna and renowned hematologist Eloise R. “Elo” Giblett, M.D., used planned gifts to create the foundation for the Elo Giblett Endowed Professorship in Hematology. After her death, her niece Leslie Giblett completed the funding for the professorship.
	The future of stem cell research In creating the William and Marilyn Conner Professorship for the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, UW Medicine advocates Bill and Marilyn Conner hope that faculty will be well-supported in their work to develop therapies for diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and dementia. Eventually, through the Conners’ generosity, the professorship will become a chair.