Jan and Harry Jacobson
Jacobsons endow two new chairs
Dr. James Loyd
A major gift from Dr. Harry and Jan Jacobson will fund two new endowed chairs in the Department of Medicine, one in the division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and one in the division of Cardiovascular Medicine.
The new chair in the Pulmonary area will honor Dr. Jacobson’s father, Rudy W. Jacobson, who suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Dr. James E. Loyd, professor of Medicine, will hold the chair.
A faculty member since 1983, Loyd, who received his bachelor and medical degrees from West Virginia University, has come to devote his career to the study of this disease over the past decade.
“We could think of no other person in the Pulmonary division more suited to hold the chair,” said Jacobson, vice chancellor for Health Affairs. “Jim is an outstanding clinician and a remarkable physician. We are honored that he will hold this chair.”
With no effective treatment short of lung transplant, IPF is a lethal disease thought to occur in as many as one out of 10,000 people. Among people awaiting lung transplant, more die from IPF than from any other disease.
“This new endowed chair is a wonderful opportunity,” Loyd said. “This will allow us to devote more of our time and attention to understanding and finding ways to treat this critically important disease.”
The Jacobsons have also funded a new chair in Cardiology in honor of Dr. Jacobson’s mother, Lisa M. Jacobson, who suffered from coronary artery disease. The selection process is under way to name a person to fill this chair.
“Jan and I feel very fortunate to be able to make these gifts,” said Jacobson. “When I came to Vanderbilt in 1985, an endowed chair was made available. I know first hand what this can contribute to attracting and retaining great faculty.”
This is the third chair endowed by the Jacobsons. Dr. Matthew D. Breyer holds the Catherine McLaughlin Hakim Chair in Nephrology, funded by the Jacobsons in honor of the late Cathy Hakim, who died of metastatic breast cancer. Hakim was married to Dr. Raymond M. Hakim, now adjunct professor of Medicine who was on the full-time faculty in Nephrology from 1987 to 1996.
“Our School of Medicine is so fortunate to have Harry and Jan Jacobson as its leaders, friends, and now benefactors. The two chairs funded by Harry and Jan Jacobson will provide an enduring legacy of excellence for our school,” said Dr. Steven G. Gabbe, dean of the School of Medicine.
“Gifts of endowed chairs become part of our immutable legacy to the future, and this philanthropic spirit sparks a joy and attachment to any Department that can honor the memories of their donors,” said Dr. Eric G. Neilson, Hugh J. Morgan Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine. “The gifts of the two Jacobson chairs by Jan and Harry Jacobson are wonderful opportunities for us to grow intellectually and strengthen our mission in the science of medicine.”