An estate gift from the late Charlotte and Donald Test Jr. of Dallas will provide transformational support for research in severe mental disease in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The landmark bequest builds on the couple’s lifetime giving to establish the Henry and William Test Endowment Fund.
Named for Donald Test’s late sons, and Charlotte’s stepsons, the endowment will bolster the department’s expansive research portfolio, promising a secure funding source for pathbreaking discoveries in areas such as schizophrenia, coordinated care models, brain imaging and neuromodulation.
“This is a tremendous act of generosity and a humbling vote of confidence in the psychiatric research we conduct here,” said Jeff Balser MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of VUMC and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “The Tests’ foresight has already been the driver of many discoveries that translated to improved, precise care options for patients with psychotic disorders and their families. Their legacy will live on, advancing not only our work here but the field of behavioral health at large.”
Henry and William were diagnosed with schizophrenia as teenagers at a time when there wasn’t much societal awareness of the disease. Charlotte Test previously noted that Donald’s and her philanthropic motivations arose from helping other families with schizophrenia, “to save others the agony and hurt this disease causes — a disease that affects the lives of the whole family.”
They became connected to Vanderbilt through Dallas psychiatrist Jack Martin, MD, a 1953 graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine who cared for Henry and William.
For more than a quarter of a century, the Tests made gifts to the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Stephan Heckers, MD, MSc, chair of the department, holds the William P. and Henry B. Test Chair in Schizophrenia Research and the Donald and Charlotte Test Clinical Directorship in Psychosis Programs. Over the course of their giving to VUMC, the Tests developed a close relationship with Heckers, understanding his vision for the department and his dedication to helping patients and families throughout the full course of illness.
Among other gifts, the Tests supported research and treatment of schizophrenia and related disorders, the opening of the Coordinated Specialty Care clinic for early-stage psychosis patients, and the training of interns and postdoctoral fellows. They endowed the Charlotte and Donald Test Jr. Chair in Psychiatry, currently held by Neil Woodward, PhD. In 2019, Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital opened the Charlotte and Donald Test Jr. Center, a new unit that expanded the hospital’s inpatient capacity.
“It is impossible to grasp the full impact of the Tests’ generosity on all aspects of our program and on those we serve,” said Heckers. “I am deeply grateful for this visionary bequest gift and the opportunities it brings to accelerate detection, diagnosis and personalized treatment efforts, particularly at a time when funding for research is unpredictable. Charlotte and Donald were remarkably humble and always driven to help people suffering from schizophrenia. I was so fortunate to know them.”
Donald Test Jr. died in July 2016, and Charlotte Test died in September 2024.
