Stepping Forward Giving Back Archives
Jacobs’ funding gift expands support for surgical residents
May. 2, 2019—Exactly 88 years from the day he was born at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, J. Kenneth Jacobs, MD, professor of Surgery, emeritus, returned to the institution to present a financial gift to the Section of Surgical Sciences to support the future education and research efforts of surgical residents.
Bladder cancer research fund honors mentor’s lasting influence
Mar. 28, 2019—The Terry Burke Fund for Bladder Cancer Research at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is supporting a range of discovery research aimed at improving outcomes for bladder cancer patients, and it is helping train the next generation of bladder cancer physician-scientists.
New directorship honors Boehm’s devotion to patients
Dec. 13, 2018—In 1938, Frank Boehm’s parents fled Nazi Germany, where relatives on his father’s side would later be rounded up and sent to the death camps, never to return. “Fortunately, my dad had the vision and foresight to get out of Germany while he still could,” Boehm said.
Cancer fight personal for VICC Ambassadors chair
Nov. 29, 2018—Cancer made itself known to Ashley Larcinese in 2004 for the first time — when she was earning a graduate degree in information technology from Belmont University and was introduced to Nashville entrepreneur Sonny Clark, the mentor who took her under his wing and helped launch her career. He was fighting leukemia at the time.
Annual Pumpkin Patch helps cancer research funds grow
Oct. 25, 2018—Each October, as Missy Cook helps unload trailers full of bright, plump pumpkins with hundreds of volunteers, she’s reminded why the Cooper Trooper Foundation Pumpkin Patch exists — because her son, Cooper, 10, is alive after surviving a rare cancer that was found when he was just 8 weeks old.
Couple’s gift expands legacy of hearing, speech research
Oct. 11, 2018—Anne Marie Tharpe, PhD, might not have become a worldwide authority on pediatric hearing loss if she hadn’t been looking for something to do during study hall in her high school years in Memphis. One day, she and a friend volunteered to work in a classroom with deaf children.
Breadth, depth of commitment define Junior League’s support
Jun. 7, 2018—On a Thursday afternoon at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, volunteer Gena Moran pops into a patient room on the fifth floor to invite a young patient and her family to participate in a bingo game about to begin in the hospital’s butterfly garden.
Ingram sees recent cancer diagnosis as second chance
Apr. 19, 2018—“When it’s you, it’s a whole different feeling,” Orrin Ingram said, gazing at logs burning in the fireplace.
Echocardiography pioneer Greene endows directorship
Feb. 1, 2018—His hands have flickered across saxophones, guided airplanes and held stethoscopes. With a nimble skill set and a steady demeanor, R. Glenn Greene, MD, excelled in careers that others just dream of pursuing. He was a union musician before graduating college, a physician who helped pioneer echocardiography and a commercial pilot.
Fellowships reflect Michal’s deep commitment to children
Dec. 7, 2017—Mary Michal, MD,’60, may have entered Vanderbilt University School of Medicine by mistake, but she’s remained devoted to its mission by design.
Mathis strives to make her cancer journey meaningful
Nov. 9, 2017—Amanda Mathis, chief financial officer of Bridgestone Americas, was just 35 when she first felt a lump in her right breast.
Friends of Children’s Hospital gift to enhance two programs
Jun. 8, 2017—The Friends of Children’s Hospital, an organization of volunteers who support Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, has made its largest single gift — $1 million over three years — to be split between two Children’s Hospital programs: the Program for Children with Medically Complex Needs and Pediatric Cancer.
