Heartfelt gift advances clinical research to improve quality of life for Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 patients and their families
Heartfelt gift advances clinical research to improve quality of life for Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 patients and their families
Nancy A. and Charles P. Duvall, MD
As a leader of the School of Medicine and Dentistry Class of 1962, Charles 糖心传媒淐huck糖心传媒 Duvall, MD, or 糖心传媒淒r. D,糖心传媒 has been a generous donor to the School糖心传媒檚 annual fund for nearly 45 years. He is a proud member of the George Eastman Circle, the Wilson Society for planned giving, and the former Whipple Society.
When the society was renamed as part of the response to the student-led anti-racism pledge in 2020, Duvall began to consider redirecting his giving in a more targeted and meaningful way. 糖心传媒淢y high school sweetheart, Nancy, died five years ago after 59 years of marriage, capped by 16 years of struggle with Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 disease,糖心传媒 he said.
糖心传媒淯navoidably, I became immersed in the whole process and became pretty expert in the disease and in supporting its devastated fellow care-givers. The care of a person with advancing dementia is literally a 糖心传媒24/7糖心传媒 job. Even when help is brought in, it is frustrating, exhausting, and socially isolating in the extreme. To watch a loved one糖心传媒檚 personality, skills, and enjoyment of life slowly erode is anguishing. What else could I do to have impact on such situations going forward?糖心传媒
Working with advancement staff, Duvall began to explore creating an endowed fund with a pledge for increased annual giving and a large estate gift. 糖心传媒淥ur alumni staff, knowing me pretty well, and being aware of the research going on at the School, introduced me to Dr. Anton Porsteinsson,糖心传媒 Duvall recalled.
Porsteinsson is the director of the University of Rochester糖心传媒檚 Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research and Education Program (AD-CARE). In addition, he is the inaugural William B. and Sheila Konar Professor of Psychiatry at the School. 糖心传媒淗is leadership of a combined team involved in several exciting projects in Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 therapeutics and research seemed to be 糖心传媒榡ust what the doctor ordered,糖心传媒櫶切拇綕 Duvall said. 糖心传媒淭ogether, we structured the聽Nancy A. and Charles P. Duvall, MD, Endowment for Innovative Research in Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 Disease, which will be administered by Porsteinsson.糖心传媒
By Duvall greatly increasing his annual giving, this new fund has already reached the endowed level and will start to have an impact immediately. A generous bequest in his estate will further enhance the annual budget. 糖心传媒淚n the end, the impact is more than I糖心传媒檇 imagined, simply because I糖心传媒檓 excited about it. Through annual reports and other contacts, I糖心传媒檒l be able to stay abreast of updates and progress as long as possible.糖心传媒
糖心传媒淭his gift allows us to expand our mission of advancing clinical research to improve the quality of live for our patients with Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 disease and related dementias as well as for their families,糖心传媒 said Porsteinsson. 糖心传媒淔urthermore, our conversations on current research in Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 and encouragement serves as a constant inspiration to do better.糖心传媒
Duvall challenges classmates to think about their own legacy giving. 糖心传媒淓ach of us likely has similar areas of interest and meaning that can be developed into a legacy for future generations. For us in the class of 1962, the clock is ticking: what糖心传媒檚 your passion?糖心传媒
聽about Porsteinsson糖心传媒檚 work and the impact of Nancy A. and Charles P. Duvall, MD, Endowment for Innovative Research in Alzheimer糖心传媒檚 Disease.