Dartmouth Medical School
For Release: May 21, 2005
Contact: Deborah Kimbell 603-653-1913
Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Launch $250 Million "Transforming Medicine" Campaign
LEBANON, NH - Amid growing evidence of the impact Dartmouth medicine is having on the region, the nation, and the world, trustees of Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center today announced the largest fundraising campaign in the institutions' history, with a goal of $250 million. The money will be used to strengthen and enhance critical programs, advance cutting edge research and scholarship, attract and retain faculty, physicians, and staff; and provide needed facilities for the continued growth of the academic medical center.
"Today, in heath care policy, practice, medical education, patient empowerment, understanding of disease, advances in diagnosis and treatment, this medical center and medical school are making a difference," said Norman C. Payson, MD, in remarks Saturday morning at a public launch event at the medical center. Former president and CEO of Oxford Health Plans, Payson, of Hopkinton, NH, is a Dartmouth Medical School alumnus, and current member of the medical school's Board of Overseers.
The formal announcement of the launch was made by Alfred L. Griggs, Chairman of both the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) and Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital boards of trustees: "Today we launch a historic campaign with an ambitious goal. We must make it possible for these institutions to flourish. We must allow them to meet their potential and fulfill their promise. Together we will transform not just medicine, but lives, here in the Upper Valley, in the regions of New Hampshire and Vermont, and throughout our country and our world."
The campaign, only the second in the history of the medical center, will run through 2009. Although publicly launched Saturday, the campaign has been accepting advance gifts since July 1, 2002. As of today, nearly $91 million has been committed toward the goal, Griggs announced.
The Campaign: Transforming Medicine, is part of Dartmouth College's $1.3 billion campaign, launched in November 2004. In remarks Saturday, College President James Wright said, "The College and the medical school have developed common values and a shared commitment to integrative education that builds bridges between the faculties of Medicine, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Business at the College, and all the clinical enterprises of DHMC. ... This campaign is also one of the keys to the continuing preeminence of the overall Dartmouth experience."
Of the $250 million fundraising goal for the Transforming Medicine Campaign, $85 million is designated for support of faculty, primarily through the establishment of endowed chairs for senior faculty and endowments for junior faculty development. This funding is critical for retaining and recruiting faculty and physicians, as well as protecting scholars and researchers from fluctuations in grant funding, said Griggs. Funding will also go toward endowment for scholarships for medical school students. $98 million will go toward key clinical and research programs, most notably within the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, and the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, as well as research activities in areas such as neuroscience, cardiovascular research, immunology and infectious disease, orthopaedics, and genetics.
$67 million will be raised to build needed new research facilities on the medical center campus in Lebanon, as well as to contribute to the building of Norris Cotton Cancer Center North in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Construction of the Translational Research Building, a new home for the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, and an Advanced Imaging Center will allow for greater integration and collaboration within the medical center, among scientific disciplines and clinicians and researchers.
"This campaign is about building on our strengths and accelerating our accomplishments, all in the interest of providing better care, more effective treatments, and more targeted therapies, to our patients and our community," said Board Chair Griggs. "Only with philanthropic dollars can we take the steps we need to take to fulfill the extraordinary promise and potential of these great institutions."
The Transforming Medicine Campaign Executive Committee will be co-chaired by Peter D. Williamson, MD. An internationally renowned expert in the field of epilepsy, Williamson has done pioneering work as a neurologist at DHMC, successfully diagnosing and treating some of the most complex cases in the world. "Philanthropy is critically important to our ability to continue to expand our knowledge and ability to care for our patients," said Williamson.
Also present at the public launch of the campaign were the leaders of the medical school and medical center: Stephen P. Spielberg, MD, PhD, Dean of Dartmouth Medical School, James W. Varnum, President of Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, Thomas A. Colacchio, MD, President of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic, and Gary M. DeGasta, Director of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, VT.
Lead gift commitments made during the advance phase of the campaign included the following.
Dean LeBaron pledged $5 million to Dartmouth Medical School to establish LeBaron Commons in memory of his father, Dr. Francis E. LeBaron. LeBaron Commons will connect the Borwell Research Building to future research facilities, promoting collaboration, communication, and interaction within the Dartmouth medical community.
Jennifer and Peter Brock generously contributed over $5 million to the Dartmouth Medical School Department of Genetics. Their support is helping DMS attract some of the world's leading geneticists, It is also supporting research that has profound implications for understanding of heart disease, cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses.
The Theodora B. Betz Foundation invested over $5 million in the work of Dr. Mark Israel and his team at Norris Cotton Cancer Center in the study of brain tumors. The Foundation's commitment has helped equip scientists with the tools needed to develop effective treatments and to ultimately lead to a cure for cancer.
Johnson & Johnson contributed over $3 million, primarily funding the Johnson & Johnson - Dartmouth Community Mental Health Program. This program, developed by Dr. Robert Drake and his colleagues, helps people with mental illness and learning disabilities reclaim their lives by helping them manage their illness and gain independence by obtaining and retaining employment in their communities.
Dr. and Mrs. Norman C. Payson contributed $2 million to provide scholarships for NH students to attend DMS and to sponsor a select group of DMS students who pursue an MBA at the Tuck School of Business in addition to their medical education.
The John L. Steffens Endowment in International Health was established with contributions totaling $2 million from The Foundation for Treatment of Children with AIDS and John L. Steffens. The funds will support Dartmouth Medical School's efforts in international health, focusing on the DARDAR project in Tanzania, Africa.
The Byrne Foundation generously contributed over $1.5 million in support of the Palliative Care Program at DHMC, led by Dr. Ira Byock, a nationally-recognized expert in the field. The Byrne Foundation's long-time, ongoing commitment over the years has strengthened the program, which is poised to become a leader in end-of-life care.
Dr. Peter Williamson and Susan Williamson pledged $1 million for the creation of the Alexander G. Reeves, MD, Professorship in Neurology. The professorship will reward a faculty member whose teaching epitomizes DMS' educational mission and whose scholarship contributes to the advancement of neurology.
An anonymous commitment from a senior member of the DMS faculty of $1 million to the Campaign will establish a Faculty Development Fund for the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences (CECS) at Dartmouth Medical School. The fund will support senior CECS faculty and provide funds for them to take advantage of new research opportunities.
The Friends of CHaD have pledged $10 million for children's care and pediatric research at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. This support will help fund programs and services that promote the health and well-being of the children in our region.
The Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center have pledged $4 million in support of cancer research and patient care at Norris Cotton Cancer Center. The Friends' generous support will help fund world-class research, educational programs, and innovative clinical trials that help save lives of cancer patients.
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