(From left) Presby CEO Michele Volpe; Bob Cato, MD, chief of General Medicine; J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, EVP of the Health System and dean of PSOM; and CEO Ralph Muller at the "Donors of Distinction" wall.
Last month, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center’s honored both the physicians devoted to creating a healthier community and the donors committed to supporting that mission by combining the Spring Physician Appreciation Event with the unveiling of PPMC’s new “Donors of Distinction” wall.
Located in the Cupp Pavilion, the wall lists the names of over 400 generous donors who have supported research, education, patient care, and the promotion of health and wellness in West Philadelphia with gifts of $10,000 or more, including those members of the Ephraim D. Saunders Society. The society –comprised of individuals and foundations with total lifetime contributions of $1 million or more – is named for the Presbyterian minister who fulfilled his son’s dying wish by donating the parcel of land on which Presby now sits on the condition that it be used to “provide for the needs of the sick and disabled, regardless of race, color, or creed.” The inscription notes that every “modern-day, civic-minded leader” who is listed on wall has echoed the “transformational philanthropic nature of our hospital’s founder” and has contributed to the “grand tradition of generosity” that underscores PPMC’s mission.
“Addressing the patient as a whole person is a Presby hallmark,” said J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, EVP of the health system and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. “Patients come here because they know their providers are overseeing leading-edge research into the most innovative treatments. You are the embodiment of clinical excellence, generosity, and compassion, and you’ve instilled significant confidence in our community, our city, our nation, and the world.”
“I consider it the best part of my work and an honor to be in the company of committed individuals that care and bring the newest approaches to their patients,” said PPMC CEO Michele Volpe. “A donation, when in honor of a physician, is a way of saying ‘thank you’ that reflects permanence and visibility for years. It is a reflection of that bond, that trust, between a physician, the treatment team, the patient and their family.”
“This wall serves as an inspiring representation of our faculty, donors, staff, and all those who have come together to create outstanding patient care,” said CEO Ralph Muller. “This is a proud record of tradition and a reminder to all who walk this hall of what is possible with such supportive partners.”