From the Dean’s Desk | The Power of Giving

The initial vision of our medical school was to develop a small program dedicated to educating physician investigators with a passion for scientific inquiry, exceptional critical thinking skills and broad clinical expertise. When Norma and Alfred Lerner came forward with an incredibly generous $100 million gift, the vision fully took shape. With the school’s financial foundation secured, thus began the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM) of Case Western Reserve University.

Since then — it’s hard to believe it has been nearly 20 years! — we have granted 408 medical degrees. One-fifth of our graduates have trained or are currently training in residencies and fellowships at Cleveland Clinic, and 18 of our alumni have joined Cleveland Clinic as staff – tangible evidence of the power of giving.

We are deeply grateful for the support of our donors, many of with whom we have had longstanding relationships. For example, the relationship between Cleveland Clinic and the John P. Murphy Foundation dates back to 1978. Most recently, CCLCM was the beneficiary of a $1 million gift to establish the John P. Murphy Fellowship in Medical Humanities. I invite you to read more about the impact of this generous gift in “Gift Establishes a Medical Humanities Fellowship.”

Our students who are historically underrepresented in medicine benefit greatly from the KeyBank Minority Medical Student Scholarship, which eliminates the financial barriers that most medical students face so that they can pursue a career in medicine without worrying about finances. We cannot thank KeyBank enough for their support in this regard.

Small donations make a collective impact. Each year, numerous donors contribute toward our “Sponsor a Stethoscope” campaign, which began as a partnership between the CCLCM Class of 2018 and the Cleveland Clinic Alumni Association. Each incoming student is given a personalized stethoscope, the iconic tool of a physician, to welcome them to the profession. For the five years the students use their stethoscope, it serves as a reminder of why they chose to study medicine.

Philanthropy has the power to support important programs, such as the CCLCM Program in Medical Humanities, and to develop innovative programming, especially around interprofessional education, student well-being and additions to the curriculum including climate change and professional identity development.

The opportunities for support are immense, and with the help of visionary donors, we are able to not only continue training future physicians highly skilled in the science of medicine, but also future physicians who are well-versed in the art of medicine. Our students leave CCLCM knowing the importance of empathy; how to listen to patients; the negative impacts of socioeconomic and environmental issues, and healthcare disparities; the importance of self-care; how to work effectively on teams; and so much more. Our graduates are the physicians you want when you or your loved ones need medical care. This is the power of giving.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can support our work in teaching, mentoring and inspiring the caregivers of the future, please contact me directly or visit our Philanthropy website.

Bud Isaacson, MD
Executive Dean