The foundation’s generosity will create the Pluta Professorship in Breast Care and enhance the Pluta Comprehensive Breast Care Program at Wilmot

The Pluta Cancer Foundation has committed $4 million to UR Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute. The investment will establish the endowed Pluta Professorship in Breast Care to support ongoing faculty excellence. It will also name the Pluta Comprehensive Breast Care program at Wilmot, providing immediate funds to advance recruitment and retention initiatives and clinical trials around Wilmot’s developmental therapeutics efforts.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Pluta Cancer Foundation for these investments and for its longtime commitment to cancer patients, survivors, and the community,” says David Linehan, MD, CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center, dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and senior vice president for health sciences. “The foundation’s generosity will enhance research opportunities, support innovative teaching initiatives, and attract leading experts in cancer care.

“The Pluta Cancer Foundation and Wilmot are singularly focused on helping those with a cancer diagnosis at all stages of their treatment, care, and recovery,” says Ron Pluta, chair of the Pluta Cancer Foundation board. “We’re proud to make this commitment, which is possible through the generosity of all our donors over the years. This truly aligns with our mission to support cancer patients and invest in the professional development of those on the frontlines of patient care.”

The Pluta legacy began in 1975 when the family named the Pluta Cancer Center at Genesee Hospital. When the hospital closed in 2001, the family worked to establish what would be New York’s first independent not-for-profit cancer center. In 2012, the Pluta Cancer Center joined the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute, and the Pluta Cancer Foundation was established. Today, the Pluta Cancer Center at Wilmot is home to the Pluta Comprehensive Breast Care Program and the Pluta Integrative Oncology & Wellness Center, which optimizes health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes.

“We extend our profound gratitude to the Pluta Cancer Foundation,” says Jonathan Friedberg, MD, director of the Wilmot Cancer Institute. “This expanded partnership provides critical support to Wilmot’s bold strategic plan as one of the elite cancer centers in the United States.”

The Golisano IDD Institute will bring together a multidisciplinary team dedicated to innovation and bettering the lives of people with IDD and their families. The institute will expand into a new state-of-the-art space bringing together the leading programs in University of Rochester’s IDD patient care, education, community outreach, and caregiver support that serve approximately 120,000 families in the region.

A second location of the Complex Care Center will support the growing population of adults living with an IDD and it will become a primary training site for health care providers specializing in this area of care. Eastman Institute for Oral Health (EIOH) will expand its Specialty Clinic and telemedicine services, allowing it to serve more IDD patients. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics as well as the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) and University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) will expand their integrated care and developmental disabilities training functions, and collaborate across the Institute to ensure advocacy, accessibility, and education are relevant to the needs of the IDD community. The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) will advance diagnostics and provide genetic testing to leverage our understanding of IDDs.

The University is one of only eight institutions in the US with the trifecta of federal awards that support the work of the LEND, UCEDD, and IDDRC.

The Golisano IDD Institute is named for entrepreneur, philanthropist and civic leader Tom Golisano, whose $50 million gift announced in June 2024 made it possible to bring together these programs to help close health care gaps, advance breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment, expand educational opportunities, and inform local and national policy development, and improve the lives of individuals with IDD and their families.

—June 2024

Pictured (from left to right): Katherine Rosen, MD; Kaci Schiavone, MD; James Peacock, MD; Andreas Giannakou, MD

James Peacock, MD, first came to the University of Rochester in 1989 after connecting with Seymour I Schwartz ’57M (Res), world-renowned surgeon and former Chair of the Department of Surgery. Peacock first met Schwartz at an American College of Surgeons Congress, and credits the organization, along with the University of Rochester, for much of his success. After an incredible career spanning more than 30 years, Peacock has retired and is working as a part-time faculty member. To ensure that future surgeons have the same opportunities to make valuable connections, as Peacock did, he has established an endowed fund that allows chief surgery residents to attend the annual conference of the American College of Surgeons in their final year of study. Peacock reflects on the importance of ACS, the influence of the University of Rochester on his career, and his hopes for the next generation of surgeons.

How has the University of Rochester impacted your life?

It’s been my entire professional life. I came here for my first and only job as a professor after finishing my residency and training, and I stayed here for the entirety of my surgical career. It was the reason that we came here from North Carolina, where my wife and I are originally from, because of Dr. Schwartz and the reputation of the University of Rochester. We stayed not only because of the professional aspects of working at the university, but the city itself was a great place for my family.

You were one of Dr. Schwartz’s first hires in the Department of Surgery, correct?  

Yes. There were three of us that started in 1989. At the time, a number of surgeons were closer to retirement, so Dr. Schwartz was looking to hire the next generation. We were all from outside of Rochester, and we brought in different ways of doing things and different perspectives on surgery. It was fun! We were starting a new frontier in the surgery department. The three of us, Dr. Harry Sax, Dr. David Krusch and myself, worked together for nearly a decade. It was a great experience to reinvigorate the department, to be part of Dr. Schwartz’s vision for the department. Dr. Schwartz opened the world of academic surgery to us, and his influence nationwide brought us opportunities. We became acquainted with various surgical dignitaries from around the country who would come to Rochester and visit. And when we would go elsewhere, people would recognize Rochester and Dr. Schwartz. It gave us instant credibility to be working at a place like this.

What do you think makes the University of Rochester special?

It has a strong academic environment. The hospital and the medical center are strongly integrated with the university. You have the sense when you come on the premises that you’re part of an academic mission, just by  proximity of the medical center to the university for starters. But it’s more than that, it’s a sense of academic purpose that URMC has. The people that work in the medical center also make it special. I have a lot of lifelong acquaintances, people that have come into my life, because of URMC. The fact that it’s a medical center and an academic center that is known nationally and internationally is special because it draws people to come here to be educated and to train in specialties like surgery. Those acquaintances that you make in other departments, trainees and students that come along, they are high-quality people. It’s a privilege to work with them and study with them and train them, as I’ve been able to do.

Why did you decide to create this endowed fund?

I’m fortunate enough to have the means to support the university and the department, and to fulfill a philanthropic mission. The University of Rochester has given me professional opportunities for 30 years, so I wanted to give something back. I have long thought the way I would give back to the department was through support of the mission of training residents in surgery. This is because a big piece of my professional career at the Department of Surgery was as an educator for surgery residents and medical students. I was the residency director for a period of time. The mission of taking medical students and training them to become surgeons is important to me. All along, I thought that would be my focus for philanthropic support.

I married the idea of philanthropic support to the American College of Surgeons, which came about spontaneously after a meeting of the American College of Surgeons in 2018. I had just retired from my clinical practice, and I began to think about how I might give something back to the department. We had a dinner for the Rochester residents who were attending the meeting, as well as some of the graduates and faculty. It was a wonderful gathering. I reflected on that gathering more than I had previously, maybe because I was in a retirement phase and thinking more globally about my purpose in life. For whatever reason, I came away from that dinner going, “Wow! I’d really like to put together an endowment that would benefit our residents, but also enhance their experience with the American College of Surgeons.” That evening struck me as something that I would like to see happen in perpetuity. That germinated the idea.

How have residents responded to the opportunity to attend a conference of the American College of Surgeons?

I’ve been thrilled with the response that I’ve gotten. Each class of residents, since this started, has been so grateful. That gratitude from the residents has been a special part of doing this for me. What’s also been fun is that some of my colleagues that find out about the fund express, “Wow! What a good idea!” Because the fund allows a person to give within the scope of their financial means while creating a big impact for residents. It’s a win-win.

February is American Heart Month—a time a celebrate the stories of our patients

Drew Costanza (center), heart valve repair patient, after completing an Adirondack hike with his family

February is American Heart Month, a time to recognize what our community can do to prevent and treat heart disease, which takes more than 600,000 lives annually in the U.S.

It is also a time to celebrate the stories of patients and families who are thriving today thanks to expert medical care at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC).

This heart month, 61-year-old Drew Costanza of Mendon, a Rochester area suburb, is thankful to be alive.

Costanza has always had a zest for life and adventure. As a young man, after finishing law school and securing a job and home, he pursued a lifelong dream by enrolling in flying lessons. A father of four and real estate entrepreneur, Costanza always led a very active lifestyle, including running, skiing, and tennis.

Private pilots must undergo regular medical screening, so he was surprised at age 45 to learn in a regular FAA flight physical that he had a previously undetected heart murmur caused by mild to moderate mitral valve prolapse. While not an exceptionally rare condition, there were some associated risks. For the most part, Costanza maintained his pace of life, but he attended regular checkups with his new cardiologist, Seth Jacobson, MD.

Then, everything changed. In October of 2019, Costanza was in the car running some errands when he began to feel strangely tired and out of breath. He pulled over and composed himself, but by the time he reached home, he did something entirely out of character: he took the rest of the day off work and took a long afternoon nap.

Mysteriously, things got progressively worse for Costanza. Normally one to spring out of bed, he felt lethargic and ill. Finally, his family convinced him to visit his physician, who recognized that something was dramatically wrong and sent him directly to the emergency department at Strong Memorial Hospital.

After many tests and a hospital admission, Costanza learned that doctors suspected a minor infection over the prior months had spread to his bloodstream and induced sepsis, resulting in damage to his mitral valve and a situation that would need to be addressed quickly.

What started with fatigue was turning into a need for open heart surgery: valve replacement or repair. For Costanza, who had never experienced surgery, this was a scary prospect.

Thankfully, Costanza had the renowned URMC cardiac surgeon Peter Knight, MD, in his corner. Knight is a nationally recognized authority on valvular heart disease and a skilled surgeon who has touched thousands of lives in our region during more than 30 years of practice. Many of his patients feel they owe their lives to his care, including Costanza.

Knight felt strongly that he could restore Costanza’s quality of life through valve repair and, if needed, valve replacement.

“I was thrilled to hear the news that Dr. Knight could do my surgery. I had a really good shot at being able to keep my valve,” says Costanza. “I knew what I was signing on to—no surgery is without risk.” He was also pleased to learn that Knight would use a minimally invasive procedure over the traditional method of going through the sternum.

Within weeks, preoperative testing confirmed Costanza’s readiness for the surgery. He recalls the kindnesses of the entire team at URMC, even in the moments as he was wheeled into the operating room. One anesthesiologist sensed his apprehension and held his hand, and Knight reassured him that they would connect after the surgery to talk about how things had gone.

In the end, the surgery went as planned. When he regained consciousness, Costanza was relieved to find out that indeed Knight had successfully repaired the valve, avoiding replacement.

A few hours after surgery, Costanza was able to see his wife, brother, and son, who had all come to visit. Within 24 hours, he had been completely removed from the tubes and machines monitoring him and ensuring his safety. That brought tremendous relief.

Most importantly, Costanza was already beginning to feel better. Within three days, he was discharged from the hospital—just days before COVID shutdowns swept across the nation. He would have to rehabilitate primarily at home, under careful monitoring and video visitation with the multidisciplinary cardiac care team.

“I couldn’t wait until I could finally do something where I could really test my physical capacity,” says Costanza.

That chance came soon enough, and today, Costanza reports that he’s feeling better than ever.

“I feel like I have 30-year-old lungs. I couldn’t be more grateful to the entire URMC Cardiac Care team for the level of care and skill that has gone into allowing me to make a full recovery from heart surgery.”

Remarkably, several of Costanza’s doctors have independently reported to him that when they listen to his heart, they can detect no trace of his heart murmur—and, had they not known him already—they would have never suspected he had undergone open heart surgery.

Today, Costanza is enjoying spending time with his wife Colleen and four adult children. His oldest son was recently married, and Costanza reports that he was able to keep up on the dance floor with the twenty-somethings. He’s back to the active pursuits with family, friends and colleagues that give his life so much meaning.

—Jon Sussman, 2022

The City of Rochester’s deputy mayor, Wilmot Cancer Institute board member, former CEO, and philanthropist focuses on a life without regrets

(Clockwise, left to right) Sabrina Cunningham; Jonathan Friedberg, MD; Patrick Cunningham; Danica Cunningham; and Cynthia Angel, MD

On the walls of Patrick Cunningham’s downtown office in City Hall hang four pastel landscapes of Hawaii, which his late wife, JoEll, painted to remind him of their trip in 2015. “JoEll created such beautiful works of art—pastels, acrylics, oil paintings,” says Cunningham, Rochester’s deputy mayor. “She loved art, music, and life and she had this amazing, infectious laugh. I miss it all.”

JoEll Mileo Cunningham died on November 6, 2018, after a six-year battle with ovarian cancer. It was her second bout with the disease, having been treated for cervical cancer in 1993. After several years into her ovarian cancer treatment, Cunningham asked his wife’s oncologist, Cynthia Angel, MD, how much longer the family had together. She said about two years.

That’s when Cunningham, who was then the CEO of Manning & Napier, a local wealth management company, announced his retirement. “JoEll was such a fighter,” he says. “She lived another two and a half years. Our daughters, Sabrina and Danica, were 26 and 22 at the time. I’m grateful for every moment we all had.”

In the summer of 2022, Cunningham made several gifts to Wilmot totaling $1.6 million. To honor his wife, $750,000 of that gift established the endowed JoEll Mileo Cunningham Cancer Research Fund, which advances ovarian cancer research and names the seventh floor at the Wilmot Cancer Institute after his late wife. Although this gift was originally established as a bequest, Cunningham decided to fund it now. “My daughters and I wanted to do something to combat the disease that killed their mother,” he adds.

Most of the rest of Cunningham’s gift provides immediate support for Wilmot’s Discovery Fund. “I wanted to help Dr. Friedberg—Wilmot’s director—fund priority areas at his discretion, for instance, to support pilot research and faculty recruitment initiatives,” he says. In addition, Cunningham’s gift helped fund the 2022 Warrior Walk and the 2022 Toast to Your Health Wine Auction, for which he served as co-chair.

Cunningham has been engaged with Wilmot since 2016. Several years after his wife’s diagnosis, he joined the board and is now on its executive committee. “Wilmot has given us—our family and this community—so much,” adds Cunningham. “I’ve always wanted to give back and our gifts help advance cancer research, recognize the caliber of Wilmot’s faculty and staff, and celebrate JoEll—an amazing wife and mother.”

JoEll Mileo Cunningham

How it began

The couple met on the Charles River in Boston. Cunningham—then a junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)—was a member of the Community Boating Club. For an annual $35 fee, members like him could borrow a boat whenever they wanted. They also took out newbies to introduce them to boating.

“On one chilly morning, I stood in line for a cup of coffee outside the boathouse,” he says. “I noticed this young woman in front of me and I tried to get her attention. As luck would have it, JoEll was new to the club, and I was scheduled to give her an introductory boat ride.”

Cunningham adds, “That morning led to our first date—a picnic. I did it up right, too. I brought a loaf of white bread, some Oscar Meyer bologna, and a small jar of French’s mustard. I forgot a knife, so we had to use our fingers to spread it. JoEll took a different approach to the outing and made Russian tea cookies from scratch. Those early days led to a very happy 35 years of marriage.”

Growing up

Cunningham was born in Queens, N.Y., but moved to Bloomingburg, N.Y.—a rural, 800-person town—when his parents divorced at age 11. “My mom raised me and my three brothers,” he says. “She didn’t make enough money as a secretary to feed four hungry boys though, so she also worked as a waitress on the weekends. We still needed welfare and food stamps to get by, too. Times were tight and I learned the value of hard work at an early age.”

In high school, Cunningham’s guidance counselor noticed how well he did in science and math and told him he should think about being an engineer. Patrick didn’t know what an engineer did, but he applied to RIT, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and MIT. He got into each but chose MIT because it gave him the best financial package. He graduated in 1979 with a degree in biology.

A successful career

For about the next 10 years, Cunningham worked in engineering, technical sales, and management positions in N.J. and Texas. He was an entrepreneur, too, and cofounded a company when he was in his 20s. In 1988, he sold that company, and a few years later ended up in Rochester.

In the early 1990s, Cunningham worked as a recruiter, which is when Manning & Napier hired him to look for a business development candidate. “I read the description for that job and thought it sounded like the perfect position for me,” he says. “I ended up bringing Manning & Napier just one resume for that job—mine.”

It was a great learning experience for Cunningham, who rose in the company’s ranks and joined its executive leadership team. After 19 years with Manning & Napier, he became its CEO in 2010 until his retirement.

Becoming the deputy mayor

Cunningham met Malik Evans ’02S (MBA) on the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s board of directors. Later, Cunningham recruited him to join Wilmot’s board. Soon after becoming mayor-elect, Evans asked Patrick to become his deputy mayor.

“When Mayor Evans asked me, I said ‘why?’ I’m not political,’” says Cunningham. “Mayor Evans told me he didn’t want a career politician. He wanted someone with management skills and who could motivate and organize people. He also wanted someone who cared. That was me. For a long time, I did not like what I was seeing in the city: the violence, generational poverty, and the state of the city school system. I grew up without resources and can appreciate the hardships many people face.”

After being asked to join Mayor Evans’ team, Cunningham went to breakfast with Carlos Carballada, a local Rochester businessperson who served as deputy mayor in 2016. They discussed the opportunity. “Carlos told me, ‘if you don’t take the job, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life,’” says Cunningham. “He was right—I know I’m in the right place, doing the right thing, and, I hope, making a difference for the better.”

Invest in our students

We’re setting the highest standards in medical education.

At the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD), we are committed to setting the highest standards in medical education, serving as a model for innovation and continuous improvement.

Rochester’s nationally recognized biopsychosocial model teaches physicians to understand the whole patient, considering the complex interactions of biological, psychological, and social factors. This approach has transformed medical education, research, and care. An SMD education also emphasizes community outreach and research, both locally and globally, in keeping with our University’s mission to make the world ever better.

Make a gift today in support of scholarships to help us recognize outstanding scholars, recruit diverse candidates, and compete with institutions across the country for the very best students.

Our students must reflect the communities we serve.

While the University of Rochester has always prepared well-rounded physicians, we acknowledge a new imperative to graduate physicians who are committed to transforming care for underserved populations. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are top priorities for SMD.

Our Equity and Anti-Racism Action Plan sets our course, which includes recruiting the most diverse students, faculty, and staff and providing the tools and support that encourage their success. Our students must reflect the communities we serve. We accomplish this by casting a wide net for the sharpest minds, then immersing them in an environment in which they learn to practice medicine with cultural humility. These students will go on to drive a national movement toward equitable, patient-centered health care.

As the cost of medical education continues to rise nationally, many of our peer institutions now offer scholarship programs that significantly reduce— and in some cases eliminate—student debt. To compete with these schools and ensure that the best and brightest students from a wide range of backgrounds can attend SMD, regardless of their financial circumstances, we must increase our available scholarship support.

Building a diverse and well-rounded student body:

Realizing a dream.

Bianca Audrey Duah’s family came from Ghana, West Africa. “When patients and their families talk about dealing with something really hard, I can relate to them,” she says, noting that she’s been the primary care provider in her family. “I owe so much to my medical school scholarship donors, who are making it possible for people like me to become physicians.”

Duah is the recipient of the Alice and Stewart Espey Scholarship Fund, the Dr. Robert P. Gulick ’57M (MD) Endowed Scholarship, and the Dr. Robert F. and Isobel P. Murray Scholarship.

ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP GIFTS are invested and managed by the University in perpetuity, ensuring that resources will always exist for the best students. A portion of the investment earnings is spent, while the original gift is preserved as principal. A gift of $100,000 or more can establish an endowed scholarship. A gift of $1,000,000 or more can endow a full scholarship for one student.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT SCHOLARSHIPS provide current-use funds that can be disbursed as soon as the following academic year. A pledge of $5,000 or more annually for five years helps cover tuition and cost of living expenses for deserving medical students.

A URMC physician leads outreach and advocacy efforts that bring hope and joy to children and families around the world

A few months ago, Clinton Morrison, MD—the director of the Pediatric Cleft and Craniofacial Center at the University of Rochester’s Golisano Children’s Hospital—had no idea he’d be spending one August afternoon in a chilly dunking tank at Jellystone Park, a campground located between Rochester and Buffalo, N.Y.

Morrison got dunked about 50 times that day. It was one of many activities—alongside wagon rides, sports, and crafts—that yielded a lot of smiles at the annual camp the center hosts for children who were born with cleft palates and other craniofacial deformities.

More than 300 children, teenagers, and their families attended camp this year. Some had surgery years ago, while others had it within the last few months or years. Many have never met others who looked like them or who have faced the same issues they have. Most couldn’t smile—or struggled to do so—for a long time, due to facial deformities. Still others had issues eating, swallowing, and just getting through the day. The camp brings them together for a full day of fun and camaraderie.

“Meeting and connecting with people who have a shared life experience is validating, and it builds community,” says Morrison. “It shows these kids and their parents that they aren’t alone, and it brings them hope.”

Reconstructive plastic surgery has changed their lives.

That’s also what Morrison has seen in Antigua, a quaint ancient city in Guatemala. For the last six years, he’s led URMC’s participation in an annual medical mission trip organized through the Help Us Give Smiles (HUGS) Foundation. HUGS is a Rochester, NY-based charity that facilitates surgeries around the world on children who have cleft lips, palates, and microtia (an underdeveloped ear).

Upon arriving in Guatemala this year, Morrison; Sara Neimanis ’10, ʼ20M (Res), an assistant professor within the plastic surgery division; and about 25 other healthcare professionals from around the U.S. transformed an empty building into a topnotch surgical center within about 12 hours. Then, after screening about 100 potential patients—many of whom have traveled days to get to them—the health care teams got to work. They start each day at 7 a.m., when they begin their first of 10 or so surgeries. They finish after dark. Over the course of the week about 75 deserving babies will receive new smiles.

“Working in Guatemala was, and continues to be, a tremendous opportunity,” says Neimanis. “I see firsthand the extent of craniofacial anomalies in other parts of the world. This underscores for me the importance of the work we are doing and that I can do something that addresses some of the health issues we, as a society, face globally.”

Adds Morrison, “The mission trip is exhausting, but so rewarding. These families don’t have the same kind of access to health care that we have here. They’ve heard ‘no’ often and they’ve just about given up. Many of the kids need multiple surgeries, too, which is why we go back to the same community year after year. We get to know the families, and they trust us. It’s a huge responsibility and an incredible joy and honor to help so many people smile.”

When Ralph Olney was first diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia in 2011, he did not anticipate having much time to leave his mark on the world. Today, the George Eastman Circle member credits his survival to the Wilmot Cancer Institute and is giving back with immense gratitude.

Ralph Olney

Q: What is special about Wilmot Cancer Institute?

A: The Cancer Institute is a pretty special place. The thing that amazes me is that when you think about the University of Rochester Medical Center, you think of this huge complex with thousands of people that work there. You might assume that you are only one of many patients, but that’s not the case at all. It’s truly patient-centered care. When I was first diagnosed, I spent the better part of six months in the hospital. During that time, I got to meet the cleaners, the phlebotomist, the head nurse. When my wife passed away last year, a number of those people showed up at my wife’s wake and funeral, because they knew us and wanted to show that respect. My wife had Alzheimer’s, and I was able to keep her here at home. If it wasn’t for the care that I got, I would have had to put her in a hospital or a home. Being able to be here for my wife, is something I’ll never be able to thank them enough for.

Q: What does legacy mean to you?

A: Legacy really comes down to selflessly helping others. Some of the resources that are benefited by my philanthropy are likely going to help people that I’ll probably never meet. I pray that the legacy that I will leave is that the work that I’m doing is going to help others. That gives me joy and some solace. I’m a person of faith and being able to give back to others is aligned with the values that I have as a Christian. It all links together; it’s all connected as far as I’m concerned.

Q: What do you value about being a member of the George Eastman Circle?

A: I’m on the advisory board for the Wilmot Cancer Institute, which I value because it gives me a chance to have some influence and provide guidance to the Cancer Institute. However, the George Eastman Circle gives me a chance to understand what the University is doing as a whole. Having access to President Mangelsdorf, to understand the vision for the University and be around other significant donors, it allows you to understand how important some of the philanthropy that’s happening is. You see that being put to use in every facet of university life. It’s a very different perspective on how the money that we’re working hard to raise is used.

Q: Why do you give to the University of Rochester?

A: I was first diagnosed with cancer in 2011, and I have been treated at Wilmot Cancer Institute since then. Being treated at Wilmot over the years has really given me an opportunity to meet not only the primary oncologists and doctors but a whole range of doctors and specialists that have helped me to get better. They really treat me like I’m a family member. My personal experience has been incredibly outstanding. I feel cared for, loved, and supported by all of them. My wife and I wanted to do something to give back to the University for what they gave me, which is time. They gave my life back. I’ll do anything I can to help them be successful because I know they’re going to help other people like myself.

Gift strengthens the institute’s preeminent status, creates a challenge fund, and will increase its faculty by 50 percent

Jim and Tammy Wyant

University of Rochester life trustee James C. Wyant ’67 (MS), ’69 (PhD), ’21 (Honorary) and his wife, Tammy Wyant, have established a $12 million professorship challenge to support the Institute of Optics and set the course for its continued growth, groundbreaking research, leadership, and scholarship. The Wyant Optics Challenge Fund is a 10-year initiative that will increase the institute’s faculty by 50 percent and advance its preeminent position in the field of optics.

Specifically, the Wyant Optics Challenge will create 10 endowed professorships—five distinguished professorships for renowned faculty and five professorships for early-career faculty. This will allow the institute to increase its number of full-time faculty members from 20 to 30, with most of the appointments expected to occur by the institute’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2029. While the new faculty will have primary appointments in optics, many will also have secondary appointments in other science and engineering units across the University, including the Medical Center and at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. The challenge also includes funding for one visiting professorship and resources for staff.

Optica, a leading society in optics and photonics (formerly known as the Optical Society of America), has signed on as the first Wyant Challenge partner. Optica’s gift establishes the Donna Strickland and Optica Distinguished Professorship in Optics, which will support a leader in the field of optics with a primary appointment within the institute. It will also honor one of the University’s most distinguished alumni, Donna Strickland ’89 (PhD), a recipient of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics.

“Jim and Tammy’s generosity is truly transformational,” says Sarah C. Mangelsdorf, president and G. Robert Witmer, Jr. University Professor. “Their vision and partnership will help us recruit leading scholars in optics and photonics in an increasingly competitive environment, help us strengthen our position as a top-tier private research university, and fuel the incredible research being done by our faculty scholars. The fact that Optica has already come on board is a testament to the important work being done here.”

“Tammy and I made this gift to increase opportunities for world-class training and research in optics,” says Wyant. “Optics is a technology-enabler and a huge part of daily life, yet there are few universities in the world that have a comprehensive educational and research program in optics. The Institute of Optics, where I went to graduate school, is one place where you can get a well-rounded education in optics, and the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, where I spent a large part of my career, is another. A few years ago, Tammy and I, along with my son, Clair, started a matching program for hiring new optics faculty at the University of Arizona. It’s working out well, so we decided to establish a similar program at the University of Rochester.”

“Because of the Wyants’ tremendous support, our Institute of Optics will continue to play a key role in advancing the field of optics—now and into the future,” says Wendi Heinzelman, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences. “These professorships provide a way for us to remain competitive, increase the institute’s impact, honor some of our most prestigious alumni, fulfill a need to recruit outstanding early- to mid-career faculty, and continue to offer our undergraduate and graduate students exemplary faculty scholars, research and job placement opportunities, and an alumni community with which to network.”

“Optics and photonics is an enabling technology that helps solve critical social challenges,” says Liz Rogan, chief executive officer at Optica. “We want to attract the best-in-class scientific minds to embrace the excitement of this field and we are grateful for the support Jim and Tammy have offered.”

“I’m so thankful to Jim and Tammy Wyant and to Optica for such a generous commitment,” says Strickland. “The Institute of Optics and Optica have both been an important part of my career, and my hope is that this will inspire a new generation of faculty and graduate students toward wonderful achievements.”

For each new endowment created, the Wyant Optics Challenge Fund will provide 60 percent of the required funding. “For those thinking about a large gift, $1.5 million to establish a professorship might be out of reach, but $600,000—which is what it will take now with the match that the Wyants are providing—might be feasible,” adds Heinzelman.

“The collective generosity here—from Jim and Tammy, Optica, and others soon—is instrumental to the institute’s growth and success,” says Tom Brown, director, Institute of Optics. “It will help us create a much-needed pipeline of diverse, creative, and committed faculty whose new ideas and work as educators and researchers will drive and shape not only the institute’s future but the optics industry as a whole.”

Adds Wyant, “The demand for hiring optics graduates is much larger than the supply, so we need to increase that supply. This fund will help the University of Rochester add exceptional optics faculty, which, in turn, will open up more opportunities for students seeking a career in optics.”

Jim Wyant

James C. Wyant—a leader in the optics industry and higher education

Wyant has contributed significantly not only to the field of optics, but also to two universities that pride themselves on optics research and education—the University of Rochester, where he received his MS (1967) and PhD (1969) in optics, and the University of Arizona.

Wyant was the founding dean and continues as professor emeritus of the College of Optical Sciences now named the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences, at the University of Arizona, where he joined the faculty in 1974 and has advised nearly 60 graduate students. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics since 1983. He serves on the University’s Board of Trustees, on the Hajim Dean’s Advisory Council and on its Optics Blue Ribbon Panel, and as a member of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society. He is also the recipient of the Hajim School’s Distinguished Alumnus Award and was recently awarded an honorary doctorate of science from the University.

Wyant is co-editor or co-author of six books on optics, has written more than 300 professional publications, holds 10 patents, and often lectures on interferometry, holography, and optical testing. He has helped launch and direct such start-up companies as WYKO Corporation and 4D Technology. He has been president and an active member at the Optical Society of America (OSA)—now known as Optica—and the SPIE (International Society for Optical Engineering). He is also an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

In 2001, Wyant honored his former optics professor by establishing the M. Parker Givens Professorship of Optics at the University of Rochester. Then, in 2013, he established the Dr. James C. Wyant Professorship in Optics at the University.

About the Institute of Optics

The Institute of Optics is the nation’s original institution for groundbreaking research and education in the fields of optics, photonics, and laser science and technology. As an academic department within the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, the institute has a current enrollment of more than 300 students and has awarded nearly 3,000 degrees, about half of all degrees ever awarded in optics within the U.S. Through rigorous academic instruction, laboratory exercises, informal events, and networking opportunities, faculty and staff at the institute are dedicated to providing a challenging and enjoyable educational and research experience in the broad field of optics.