Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation-Spring-2025

Generosity Cultivates

Health Care Advances

Philanthropy in Service of Health

Making Gains in Pain Management

Graduate Medical Education Takes On New Urgency

Life Restored for Mother of Five

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

They say time is the wisest counselor. Since joining the Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation in January 2024, I’ve been blessed not only by the insight gained over the past year but also by the thoughtful counsel of my colleagues, Foundation board members and Houston Methodist executive leadership, particularly Dr. Marc Boom. For all the warm introductions, helpful pointers and playbook advice, I am sincerely thankful.

I’m pleased to welcome you to the inaugural edition of Leading magazine. To share news faster and stay in conversation throughout the year, we’re transitioning from a single annual report publication to three magazines yearly — including spring and fall issues (print and digital versions) and a digital-only summer issue. In these pages, you’ll find a celebration of our philanthropic partnerships, with an intentional focus on the impact your generosity makes every day on the translational research, world-class

education programs and unparalleled patient experiences at Houston Methodist.

Our Foundation framework is evolving as well. I’m proud to share that we’ve taken major steps toward restructuring and expanding our team to allow for even more transformative work with supporters like you. In the stories ahead, you'll learn how philanthropy already helps us bring expert care to Houston's underserved through our Community Scholars program, inspires our nurses to advance professionally, and drives endowed positions and graduate medical education that translate into next-generation research and care.

Finally, you may have noticed that there’s a new kid on the block at the corner of Bertner Avenue and John Freeman Boulevard on our flagship Houston Methodist campus. Scheduled to open in 2027, Centennial Tower is quickly becoming a prominent figure on the Texas Medical Center skyline and will allow for additional

patient beds, an expanded emergency department, new transplant facilities and growth in our advanced neurosurgical specialties.

Building upon our past successes — both literally and figuratively — is how Houston Methodist will stay ahead of the curve on medicine’s toughest challenges. Our achievements today, just as over the past 105-plus years, begin with the support and friendship of so many community visionaries who have placed their trust in our pledge to put patients first in everything we do. Thank you.

With appreciation,

FLYNN A. ANDRIZZI, P h D President and CEO

Houston Methodist

Hospital Foundation

CH A NGE OF MIND

ARMED WITH PHILANTHROPY, A SURGEON BUILDS A PAIN INTERVENTION PIPELINE

When a Houston Methodist patient with Parkinson’s disease experienced tightness and discomfort in his lower back, his primary care doctor and specialist team did what functional neurosurgeon and pain expert Dr. Amir H. Faraji would have hoped. Rather than solely prescribing medications, they referred the individual for deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment. After electrodes were placed in targeted areas of his brain and delivered currents to modify abnormal neural activity, the patient’s body relaxed away from the typical stiffness of Parkinson’s disease. Standing straighter, he reported far less tremor and physical distress. His lower back pain lessened.

learn more about Dr. Faraji’s work in neuromodulation, see page 21

As a specialist in the Houston Methodist Department of Neurosurgery focused on improving the functioning of the nervous system, Dr. Faraji was thrilled by the result — but not surprised. “My passion,” he says, “is using DBS and other forms of neuromodulation to improve people’s quality of life.”

In recent years, neural stimulation has emerged with great promise for treatment of multiple neurological, movement and mental disorders. First used in the 1980s to treat Parkinson’s disease and tremor, DBS and similar techniques involve altering nerve activity through the delivery of electrical stimulation to specific areas of the nervous system. Chronic pain, epilepsy and psychiatric disorders like depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder are being explored as areas in which patients could benefit from such neuromodulation therapies.

GENEROUS SUPPORT FUNDS MEDICAL TOOLS NEEDED FOR CLINICAL TRIALS ... BUILDING RESULTS THAT ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO SEEK INDUSTRY AND FEDERAL FUNDING

Dr. Faraji and his team are collaborating with Rice University and the University of Houston to understand how abnormal neuronal brain and spine signals can be altered using this approach. Currently, the Department of Neurosurgery is taking part in a study of DBS for treatment-resistant depression and will explore other concomitant conditions. There is growing effort in applying spinal stimulation to alleviate pain and disability as well. Dr. Faraji notes that managing either chronic pain or depression with neuromodulation can very likely improve many related conditions.

As research and treatment progress, these controlled applications of energy to the nervous system are proving to be a beacon of hope for patients who have exhausted traditional treatment options or are not candidates for major surgery.

“We’re trying to tie chronic pain treatment to what we already know about treating neurological conditions,” Dr. Faraji notes. “We’re aiming to treat the patient as a whole.”

With a recent gift from Blanca and Cavanaugh O’Leary, Dr. Faraji and his peers can begin to build a team for applying neuromodulation therapeutics across the nine-hospital Houston Methodist system.

In particular, their generous support will be used to fund medical tools needed for clinical trials evaluating neurostimulation as a treatment for various conditions, building results that will allow researchers to seek industry and federal funding. It will also help lay the groundwork for physician education and a sought-after treatment network that Dr. Faraji foresees for both patients and physicians.

I n a random sampling, 24% of U.S. adults said they suffer from chronic pain 2023 National Health Information Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Without a doubt, neuromodulation represents a breakthrough in the treatment of a range of conditions associated with the brain and central nervous system. With the vital support from the O’Learys, these innovative therapies will offer new hope to patients with tremor, epilepsy, chronic pain and other neurological illness throughout the Houston Methodist system. As philanthropy helps to develop a pipeline of care outside the Texas Medical Center, we move closer to a world in which novel treatments for neurological disorders transform more lives in Houston and well beyond.

FIELDS OF DRE A MS

At Houston Methodist, pioneering research and groundbreaking therapies are part of our DNA. Thanks to a remarkable gift from Houston Methodist Academic Institute board member P. Embry Canterbury and his wife, Robyn, the Houston Methodist Center for RNA Therapeutics and the Center for Health & Nature are set to embark on transformative new ventures that could redefine medical science.

One area benefiting from the couple’s gift is therapeutics involving ribonucleic acid (RNA) — a revolutionary field often described as the design of “biological software.” Leading researchers at the Center for RNA Therapeutics are developing cutting-edge applications that leverage RNA’s ability to encode proteins to regulate immune responses, target cancers and combat inflammatory diseases. The center’s director, Dr. John P. Cooke, says, “With RNA, we can rapidly create therapies tailored to the specific needs of our patients. This funding allows us to delve deeper into using RNA to enhance cell therapies for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.”

In collaboration with colleagues across Houston Methodist’s centers of excellence, the RNA program is also positioned to amplify the effectiveness of treatments in cardiovascular medicine, neuroscience and gastroenterology.

“We see this platform as a tide that raises all boats, enabling breakthroughs across multiple disciplines,” Dr. Cooke adds.

The Canterburys’ generosity also strengthens the potential of the Center for Health & Nature to enhance patient lives. “The study of the healing power of nature is still a bit beyond what most National Institutes of Health funding agencies will consider,” explains Jay E. Maddock, PhD, director of the center. “Private gifts allow us to do research that the federal government is not yet ready to fund. We are delighted that our work has real-world applications and that Houston Methodist can be the first hospital system in the U.S. to test these interventions.”

Dedicated to understanding how natural environments impact health, experts at the center conduct research that showcases the importance of spending time in nature for wellness and healing. The benefits of making nature an important component of wellness are widespread and include improved mental health, reduced cardiovascular risk and bolstered immune system functioning. The Canterburys’ gift will help support many studies, such as examination of the effect that scenes and sounds of nature have in oncology infusion rooms; the role of nature exposure in reducing physician burnout; and ways to connect Houstonians to parks, zoos, botanical gardens and other green spaces.

For his part, Dr. Cooke describes the serendipity of the collaborations made possible by philanthropy as something akin to the iconic phrase from the movie Field of Dreams. “If we build it,” he says, “they will come.”

In other words, the infrastructure and vision cultivated at Houston Methodist serve to attract both the talent and support needed to advance life-changing innovations. “What we’ve built here — a cooperative, translational research environment

supported by an engaged community — makes these advancements possible,” he points out. “This is what drew me to Houston Methodist in the first place: the shared belief that with the right support, we can make our biggest dreams a reality.”

HOUSTON METHODIST'S INFRASTRUCTURE AND VISION NURTURE LIFE-CHANGING INNOVATIONS

A LOVING LEGA CY

In Houston’s Texas Medical Center, the Taub name has long been intertwined with health care excellence. This reputation began with Houston native Ben Taub, a real estate developer, medical benefactor and philanthropist. Generations of the family’s contributions toward medical care and research have touched countless lives and helped shape Houston into the health care hub it is today. So, when Marcy E. Taub passed away in January 2021, the loss resonated throughout the community. Born and raised in Houston, Marcy was a passionate philanthropist, distinguished businesswoman and loving mother to her son, Henry. She and her brothers, H. Ben Taub and Henry J.N. “Kitch” Taub II,

continued their family’s legacy by supporting worthy causes, including the Carol and Henry J.N. Taub Campus and Library at St. John’s School and the Carol and Henry J.N. Taub Gymnasium and Theater at San Jacinto Elementary School. She also dedicated time to boards and committees with the Houston Methodist Society for Leading Medicine, Alley Theatre, Baylor Medical Foundation, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, The Menil Collection, Pauline Sterne Wolff Memorial Foundation, Society for the Performing Arts and the Taub Foundation. In addition to medicine, her top priorities were education and the arts within Greater Houston, with a special focus on the needs of children, the elderly and underserved communities.

A TOUCHING TRIBUTE TO A BELOVED SISTER’S MEMORY

In a profound act of generosity and familial love, Kitch and Henry, Marcy’s son, have ensured her influence will endure through a substantial gift from the Ben Taub and Henry J.N. Taub Foundation to support innovative advancements in neurosurgery. The family’s gift set in motion the Marcy E. Taub Distinguished Chair in Neurosurgical Treatment and Research at the Kenneth R. Peak Brain & Pituitary Treatment Center at Houston Methodist. The deeply personal tribute reflects Marcy’s own dedication to improving lives by championing worthy causes with her time and resources.

The field of neurosurgery is rapidly evolving, with recent breakthroughs in imaging, minimally invasive procedures and neuromodulation. New discoveries relating to the genetics of brain tumors — combined with gene therapy, vaccines and metabolic poisons that are not harmful to normal cells — are transforming the treatment of brain tumors, spinal injuries and complex neurological disorders. This has accelerated the Peak Center’s work with oncomagnetics, an innovative approach to shrinking cancerous tissues in the brain and in other areas of the body using nontoxic magnetic fields. Dr. David S. Baskin, center director and the Kenneth R. Peak Presidential Distinguished Chair, and his talented

multispecialty team work tirelessly to pioneer novel brain tumor treatments. “Imagine treating cancer without radiation or chemotherapy!” says Dr. Baskin. “This technology may make that possible.”

The world-renowned neurosurgeon shares a close relationship with the Henry J.N. Taub family that dates to the siblings’ late father, Henry J.N. Taub, who was the best man at Dr. and Mrs. Baskin’s wedding. Speaking fondly of the friendships forged through their shared passion for medical innovation, Dr. Baskin adds, “This investment underscores the critical role philanthropy plays in driving patient-centered care, education and research. The family has continuously supported our research for more than 30 years and facilitated novel discoveries that have already improved brain tumor treatment and research.”

“We deeply appreciate Kitch and Henry, who are proudly continuing the Taub legacy with thoughtful, generous and strategically important contributions to our efforts to lead medicine,” he concludes. “This gift is an incredible tribute to Kitch’s beautiful and brilliant sister, who I know is smiling from heaven because of what this gift will do to revolutionize the future care of patients with brain tumors.”

COURSE OF A CTION

DONORS INVEST IN THE PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE THROUGH TRAINING

It’s an acronym that will help determine the future of health care in America. GME, short for graduate medical education, is the requisite clinical education that follows on the heels of medical school graduation. It begins with a young doctor’s hospital residency to train in a specialty practice area, such as internal medicine, and may include an ensuing fellowship in a subspecialty, such as gastroenterology. And it is in jeopardy.

According to projections by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the U.S. will face a physician shortage of up to 86,000 by 2036. While the root causes are many, the AAMC points to the need for expanded investment in the training of new doctors, particularly by increasing the number of residency positions available to medical school graduates nationwide. But GME programs are notoriously complex to administer — and competitive to enter.

ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTERS TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION AND SERVE AS MAJOR RESEARCH HUBS, PIONEERING NEW STANDARDS OF CARE

“It’s not unusual for there to be more than 2,000 applicants for fewer than 20 spots in a residency program,” explains Trevor M. Burt, EdD, chief education officer at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute. “Teaching hospitals like Houston Methodist, also known as academic medical centers, invest years in accreditation applications and development of infrastructure and programming to host both GME programs and the medical student clinical rotations that precede them.”

While it’s true that academic medical centers train the next generation of physicians and medical scientists, they also serve as major research hubs, pioneering new standards of care in medicine. Comprising only about 5% of our nation’s hospitals, these institutions operate more than 70% of accredited Level I trauma centers and virtually all U.S. comprehensive cancer centers.* Perhaps most important to patients, though, they bring to

outlying communities a level of complex care often not available otherwise, providing the most advanced technology and around-the-clock medical experts in every specialty while also boosting the economic health of communities. When Dr. Joe and Linda Fowler heard that Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital would be the system’s first network campus to host Texas A&M College of Medicine student rotations in 2020, the avid Texas A&M University fans took note. In 2024, the couple made a generous gift to the hospital’s Medical Training and Education Fund to enhance the opportunities available to the students. Whether for nextgeneration simulation facilities, the latest training equipment or exposure to research that pushes curious minds to new levels of problem-solving, the Fowlers say they hope to help fuel the career growth and promise of countless new physicians.

GIFTS HELP BRIGHT MINDS SHINE

TEACHING HOSPITALS LIKE HOUSTON METHODIST INVEST YEARS IN BUILDING OUT RIGOROUS MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT TALENTED EMERGING PHYSICIANS

ACADEMIC MEDICAL PROGRAMS BRING HIGHLY SKILLED CARE TO THE 67% + OF HOUSTONIANS WHO LIVE OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS

HOUSTON METHODIST HOSPITAL RANKS IN THE TOP 10 MAJOR TEACHING HOSPITALS IN THE U.S.

(Fortune, 2025)

MOST GME PROGRAMS LAST 3–7 YEARS, DEPENDING ON THE SPECIALTY

Next in planning for Houston Methodist leadership was to bring a full-scale, independent GME program into the broader Houston community. In 2024, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital launched just such a program — starting with an internal medicine residency.

In Fort Bend County, Brij and Sunita Agrawal share the Fowlers’ enthusiasm for emboldening young minds. Following news that Houston Methodist Willowbrook would introduce its own GME program in 2025, they learned that nearby Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital would also soon press go as a training site for residency and fellowship programs. The Agrawals made the call to help lay the cornerstone. Their recent gift not only created an Excellence Fund endowment for the facility but also established a Graduate Medical Education Fund to provide seed money to support family medicine residents and sports medicine fellows in 2026.

Thanks to its longtime academic partnerships with Weill Cornell Medical College and Texas A&M’s College of Medicine and School of Engineering Medicine, Houston Methodist has hosted thriving academic training programs at its flagship Texas Medical Center campus since 2005. Today, bringing top-tier medical education and training to Houston Methodist hospitals throughout the Greater Houston area boosts the number of programs available to talented emerging physicians while also bringing highly skilled care to many of the more than 67% of Houston’s residents living outside city limits.

*Association of American Medical Colleges

THE FACE OF HEALTH EQUITY

PHILANTHROPY HELPS SPECIALISTS MEET PATIENTS WHERE THEY ARE

Transportation. Child care. Paid time off.

Cell phone access. The many and complex barriers to health care faced by the nearly 1 million Houstonarea residents living below the poverty line can often feel like an unbearable weight.*

“It’s everything we take for granted,” says Dr. Ethan A. Burns, a hematologist-oncologist with the Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center. “I have one patient who takes three different buses to get to his infusion appointments. There are just so many social determinants of health faced by uninsured and underserved patients in Houston — it’s easy for many to feel forgotten.”

With help from philanthropic partners, Houston Methodist launched the Community Scholars program in 2013 to deliver compassionate specialty care — and, equally essential, dignity — to indigent patients facing serious or chronic illness across Greater Houston. Through work within Federally Qualified Health Centers, expert Houston Methodist physicians and their teams bring free medical care to the communities where patients live. This highly successful initiative also provides invaluable training to medical fellows and residents who gain clinical care experience across a broad range of diagnoses in a highly diverse patient population.

In many cases, care by these trainee scholars is the first a patient may receive — even for advanced-stage disease. As a scholar fellow, Dr. Burns saw this reality in the face of patient

Jose Rangel, who had traveled to Mexico to seek low-cost care for debilitating fatigue and bone pain. Erroneously diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer, he was given only a few months to live. When he sought follow-up care through the Community Scholars program at the Legacy Community Health clinic in Houston, Dr. Burns and the medical oncology team were able to conduct a full evaluation. They correctly diagnosed Rangel with a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor and started treatment to help keep the condition at bay.

“That was three years ago,” says Dr. Burns. “Through the most advanced therapies available, we’ve been able to offer this man and his family borrowed time and a quality of life that he wouldn’t have had otherwise. He counts every day as a blessing — it’s one of the big wins.”

EXPERT HOUSTON METHODIST PHYSICIANS

AND THEIR TEAMS BRING FREE MEDICAL CARE TO THE COMMUNITIES WHERE PATIENTS

LIVE

Transformational support for the Community Scholars program comes from Occidental, an international energy company headquartered in Houston, whose recent gift will expand pulmonology care for the city’s most vulnerable patients. The commitment by Occidental will initially grant one three-year fellowship rotation to a talented Occidental-Houston Methodist Fellow and provide for one mentoring preceptor, an experienced supervising physician. To date, nearly 450 patients have benefited from care through the program’s pulmonology rotation, including diagnosis and treatment of lung-related diseases such as asthma, tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

But direct patient care is just one driver of wellness for economically disadvantaged people. The farsighted vision of benefactors Dorothy and Mickey Ables is also bringing cancer education and prevention into sharp focus for many families. The couple’s gift to establish the Dorothy and Mickey Ables Community Outreach and Engagement Distinguished New Century Chair in the Neal Cancer Center aims to provide chairholder Arica A. Brandford, PhD, JD, the tools to quickly impact community health. Dr. Brandford, associate director of community outreach at the center, has built her career around advancing health equity and improving cancer outcomes by empowering communities to become effective advocates, educators and navigators for cancer awareness and care.

COMMUNITY SCHOLARS BY THE NUMBERS

SCHOLAR FELLOWS AND RESIDENTS

“Thanks to the Ables, the core of my work will be to drive measurable improvements in cancer screening rates, early detection and prevention services in underserved communities, with a particular emphasis on neighborhoods facing environmental disparities that contribute to higher cancer rates,” Dr. Brandford says. “This endowment will also catalyze the translation of outcomes research into practice, accelerating the pace at which we can improve cancer outcomes.”

Whether delivering firsthand care in the clinic or hitting the pavement to spread prevention literacy, Drs. Burns and Brandford credit the philanthropic friends who share their heart for the human experience. “All of our work should be grounded in the lived experiences of the communities we serve,” sums up Dr. Brandford. “I’m confident that, together, we will make a profound difference in people’s lives.”

5 COMMUNITY CLINIC PARTNERS

11 SPECIALTY CARE AREAS

8,865 PATIENTS †

12 ,O7O PATIENT VISITS †

* In the three-county region of Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend (Greater Houston Community Foundation) † As of end of year 2024

AN INTENSE FOCUS ON QU A LITY

SON HONORS PARENTS’ WISHES FOR THE PERFECT GIFT

“Above all else, she loved being a doctor and practicing medicine the right way.” This is how Farris Shenaq describes his late mother, Dr. Salwa Shenaq. Dr. Shenaq enjoyed a decades-long career as an anesthesiologist, working alongside famed cardiovascular surgeons Dr. E. Stanley Crawford and Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, both of whom she considered to be her great mentors. The penchant for always doing her very best in the complex care of heart patients from across the globe is what Farris remembers most about his mother. He was not surprised, therefore, to learn that she had set aside funding in her will to support quality and patient safety at Houston Methodist.

The discipline of quality and patient safety is a vitally important one in the world of health care. Every year, more than 7 million patients in the U.S. experience preventable medical errors, and preventable

adverse events lead to an estimated 44,000 to 98,000 hospital deaths annually, surpassing the number of deaths attributed to motor vehicle accidents.* The new Saleh Shenaq, MD and Salwa Shenaq, MD Chair in Health Care

Quality & Patient Safety bequeathed by Salwa will have a significant impact on the trajectory of quality control at Houston Methodist.

A Palestinian refugee from a large family, Salwa had always strived for perfection as a way of standing out. She ranked No. 1 among female students who took the high school graduation exit exam with her in Jordan, and it was this dedication that led to her acceptance into medical school at Cairo University.

When Salwa moved to Houston to pursue residency in anesthesiology and a fellowship in

Farris Shenaq continues his parents’ commitment to exceptional health care

HOUSTON METHODIST HOSPITAL RANKS AS THE NO. 1 HOSPITAL IN TEXAS FOR PATIENT CARE AND QUALITY

cardiovascular anesthesia, she was introduced to her future husband, Dr. Saleh Shenaq.

Saleh was a plastic surgeon and an early pioneer in microsurgery who also took a position at Houston Methodist, eventually serving as chief of plastic surgery.

Salwa’s career path had its challenges. In the 1970s, not many women became doctors and even fewer held such high-level positions.

“Her ability to do well under difficult life circumstances contributed to her ability to get patients through high-risk cardiac surgeries without complications,” says Farris. These traits would come into particular focus when Salwa became the patient herself. While being treated for gastric cancer, she was quick to point out best-practice reminders to her care team and share all the wisdom of experience she had accumulated over her long career. Today, Houston Methodist Hospital’s ranking as the No. 1 hospital in Texas for patient care and quality reflects the tireless work of thousands of health care professionals like Dr. Salwa Shenaq, for whom quality patient care is a driving force.

Farris expresses pride when he describes the importance of the new chair named in honor of his parents. He knows that providing the resources necessary to empower more health care quality heroes will go even further in helping Houston Methodist in its quest to continue leading medicine.

*National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

ELEVATING THE FUTURE OF NURSING

Nurses hold your hand in tough times. They advocate for you and serve as a critical link in the health care chain. It’s no wonder that 79% of U.S. adults polled feel that medical nurses possess high honesty and ethical standards.* Jack and Judi Johnson couldn’t agree more.

Jack and Judi are trustees of the David R. and Eula Wintermann Foundation, established by Judi’s uncle David Wintermann, who passed away in 1997. Wintermann was the backbone of rice farming in his agricultural community of Eagle Lake, Texas, as well as a champion of the area along with his wife, Eula. The couple’s contributions to Eagle Lake include establishing what is now known as the Rice Medical Center and funding scholarships designed to draw high-quality nurses to the rural area.

“NURSING IS A VERY COMPETITIVE BUSINESS, AND WE HAVE TO KEEP UP TO RETAIN OUR NURSES.”

That legacy and commitment to nursing education and recognition are carried on by Jack, who now chairs the foundation. Longtime supporters of Houston Methodist West Hospital, Jack and Judi made a gift to establish the Houston Methodist West Nursing Faculty Endowment in 2022 — and significantly bolstered its impact with generous additions to the fund in 2024 — to ensure that nurses with master’s degrees can serve as adjunct faculty at the Andy & Barbara Gessner College of Nursing at the University of Houston and other area nursing programs. Already, two nurses have taken on adjunct faculty positions thanks to the fund.

Unique to Houston Methodist West, the endowment is a four-fold win. Locally, it supports nurses’ professional development and helps retain seasoned staff, which in turn benefits new nurses and improves patient care. At a macro level, the endowment is one step toward a solution to the national shortage of nurses, especially of nursing leaders and educators.

The strategic value of the Johnsons’ support is not lost on Jack; in fact, it’s very intentional. Spurred by the quality of the staff as well as the growth at Houston Methodist West, Jack resolved to invest. He notes, “Nursing is a very competitive business, and we have to keep up to retain our nurses.”

The couple’s commitment to nursing education at Houston Methodist West also includes a gift toward the hospital’s impressive new training facility, built primarily with nurses in mind but for use by a range of interdisciplinary medical professionals. Opened in spring 2025, the Wintermann Clinical Education Laboratory features, among other technological innovations, lifelike patient manikins that can be programmed to concurrently manifest various disease symptoms. Centered on collaborative training, the lab enables nurses and other professionals to further develop their skills and knowledge to better tend to patient needs and deliver a superior patient experience.

* Gallup Honesty and Ethics poll

UNIQUE TO HOUSTON METHODIST WEST HOSPITAL, THE ENDOWMENT IS A FOUR-FOLD WIN

A GIFT THROUGH THE AGES

The unique bond between grandmother and grandson transcends age, time and space. Blurring the lines of family structure, that intergenerational relationship is often founded on a distinct kind of forbearance and acceptance nurtured through common interests.

Such is the story of Eric Brueggeman and his beloved late grandmother, Janice Hood Barrow, who instilled in him a love of music and a passion for the impact of charitable giving. A founding member of Houston Methodist’s Center for Performing Arts Medicine (CPAM), Barrow established the Janice H. Barrow Endowment for Artist Treatment, Research and Injury Prevention at CPAM for the orthopedic care of injured ballet dancers and other artists. She also supported other specialties, such as cardiology and neurology — specifically, concussion care.

MUCH LIKE HIS GRANDMOTHER AND PARENTS, BRUEGGEMAN IS VERY PURPOSEFUL IN SELECTING THE INSTITUTIONS HE SUPPORTS

Upon his grandfather’s passing, Brueggeman became Barrow’s plus-one. Escorting his grandmother to special community events opened the door to a world of art and music, and more important, a culture of goodwill and philanthropy.

“I feel very blessed to have had a family and an upbringing that have afforded me a life in which I can do my part to benefit my city,” says Brueggeman. His parents, Barrow’s daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, Mark, impressed upon Eric and his siblings the value — indeed, the obligation — of paying forward their good fortune to effect positive change in their community.

Thus began Brueggeman’s foray into supporting causes meaningful to him — music, the arts and medicine. Having suffered three concussions playing competitive sports in high school, he is a longtime supporter of concussion research. Of particular interest to Eric is the work of the team at the Houston Methodist Concussion Center, led by Kenneth Podell, PhD. Dr. Podell,

a neuropsychologist and the John M. O’Quinn Centennial Chair in Concussion Research and Care, specializes in brain injury and disease, lending his expertise in sports concussion to several professional, college and high school athletic teams. Brueggeman’s own perspectives on the topic have contributed to Dr. Podell’s concussion research efforts.

Legacy and heritage mean something special to Brueggeman, a proud seventh-generation Texan. In the spirit of benevolence Barrow instilled in him, he committed a planned gift to Houston Methodist that will support behavioral health, CPAM and the Concussion Center to help those who will come after him.

Much like his grandmother and parents, Brueggeman is very purposeful in selecting the institutions he supports: “I want to anchor myself with the best nonprofit organizations Houston has to offer because I want to help make the city the best it can possibly be.”

A GUIDING LIGHT

HOUSTON-AREA MOM BRAVES SURGERY FOR A DANGEROUS VEIN CONDITION

Kate Rock was aware this could be her last day with her family. With a high-risk surgery looming the next morning, she had talked with each of her five young children about the possibility that she might “go to live with Jesus.” On that sunny spring Saturday, she joined her family in a favorite task: working in the garden at their Katy, Texas, home, trying to distract from the complex impending procedure that would ultimately save her life.

From an early age, Rock had suffered from intense headaches. In college, she was diagnosed with a serious venous malformation (VM), a rare condition that caused tangled veins to wrap around her optic nerve and reach her brain. Now in her late 30s, Rock faced a dire prognosis. Physicians warned that without treatment, the intertwined vessels would expand and could hemorrhage, causing a stroke or possibly death before she reached 50.

After being turned away by numerous physicians unwilling to undertake the risky procedure, Rock found the Houston Methodist Institute for Reconstructive Surgery, where Drs. Charles N.S. Soparker and Eugene L. Alford agreed to operate on her congenital condition. “Finding the right surgeons was frustrating and a challenge,” Rock recalls. “But I knew this was what I needed to do.”

“IT WAS THE HARDEST AND SCARIEST DECISION I’VE EVER MADE, BUT SEEING MY CHILDREN GROW UP AND BEING HERE WITH THEM MAKES IT ALL WORTH IT.”

Abnormal blood vessel formations of the brain are rare and affect less than 1% of the population. Also called vascular malformations, they are believed to be present at birth and can enlarge over time, causing headaches, seizures and cerebral hemorrhage. The treatment for most VMs is surgery to remove or reduce the entanglement, allowing blood to flow normally through the capillaries. But what made the surgery especially delicate in Rock’s case was the position of the VM behind her right eye.

Shortly before her surgery, Rock considered canceling out of fear she would not survive, but a compassionate phone call from Dr. Alford bolstered her resolve to proceed. Rock also became aware that in the past, Dr. Alford and his family had leaned on their own faith as the surgeon recovered from a debilitating accident. Her family, her faith and the possibility of a future raising her children free from pain gave Rock the strength to proceed. “I knew God put me in Texas and in the hands of these surgeons for a reason,” she says.

Rock’s procedure was elaborate and required a multidisciplinary team of specialists. It involved opening the head to reach the VM with the goal of complete removal while avoiding damage to the surrounding brain tissue. “VM lesion surgeries can be among the most challenging for many reasons,” explains Dr. Soparker. “During removal or treatment, a VM can suddenly rupture, causing bleeding that threatens organs or lives. Furthermore, although a VM may be dangerous and require removal, doing so may interrupt important blood flow to other tissues. In cases such as Kate’s, these lesions can raise difficult choices.”

Rock’s surgery was a success. She is now well, undergoing facial reconstructive surgery and back to gardening with her family. Reflecting on her journey, she says, “It was the hardest and scariest decision I’ve ever made, but seeing my children grow up and being here with them makes it all worth it.”

Scan here to meet Kate Rock in a video chronicling her journey with a rare venous malformation

PHYSICIAN HIGHLIGHT

AMIR H. FARAJI, MD, P h D

Director, Functional Neurosurgery

Principal Investigator, Clinical Innovations Lab

Houston Methodist Department of Neurosurgery

Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medical College

Q: HOW DOES HOUSTON METHODIST’S WORK IN NEUROMODULATION COMPARE

TO THAT OF OTHERS?

Houston Methodist is a premier site nationally for neuromodulation, which involves altering the nervous system’s activity to treat a range of conditions. Our particular focus is on the newest techniques and technologies for patients with Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and epilepsy. Neuromodulation is also performed in the treatment of chronic pain or neuropathy. We have considerable experience with cell and gene therapy and emerging methods — such as

magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound — for noninvasive treatment options. We also have a strong program in neural interfaces and are working to design future treatment options where none currently exist.

Q: HOW HAS YOUR POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING IN CHEMISTRY INFORMED YOUR WORK AS A NEUROSURGEON?

My PhD in chemistry focused on two aspects, drug delivery using nanotechnology and electric fields applied in the brain to drive fluid flow as a novel method of drug delivery. This fluid flow system was being used in the lab to sample small peptides for neurochemical analysis in model nervous system tissue — in other words, to use chemistry to manipulate the electric field in our brains. Given my interest in neurosurgery, we devised a way to reverse the electric field and create a therapeutic transport system that may allow us to target the delivery of medicine more directly and efficiently to a person in need of neurorestoration.

Q: WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST FULFILLING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

My clinics are full of success stories. I am able to routinely make lives better. This is the reason I went into medicine and neurosurgery, specifically. Each patient I treat reminds me of my grandmother or other relatives or friends who have had similar conditions. Houston Methodist has enabled me to have every resource to deliver the best patient care, to be involved in the most innovative research and to lead medicine in my subspecialty. The most incredible memories of my time at this hospital include the amazing friendships I’ve developed with patients, colleagues, staff and residents.

GIFT SNAPSHOTS

KENNEDY CHAIR ADDRESSES NEED FOR NEUROPSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH

With more than 9,400 psychiatric and therapy appointments annually, the Houston Methodist Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health offers the only psychiatric treatment program within a nationally recognized hospital in Houston. A recent gift from Gayle and Tom Kennedy launched the Gayle and Tom Kennedy Distinguished Endowed Chair in Neuropsychiatric Research, which will allow Houston Methodist to expand its footprint into this much-needed field. The department already provides a full continuum of care, using knowledge gained from clinical trials and other research advances to offer patients promising new therapies and the latest in pharma cologic treatments and medication management.

TUMA FAMILY ELEVATES NEPHROLOGY EDUCATION FOR FUTURE SPECIALISTS

CHAPMAN FUND ADVANCES HYPERTENSION TREATMENT AND RESEARCH

Thanks to Charles M. Chapman Jr. and Diane Chapman, the Chapman Pulmonary Hypertension Fund will support patients through expanded education, patient care and research initiatives in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine in the Houston Methodist Department of Medicine. The division leverages extensive expertise and advanced technology to offer the latest treatments and clinical trials as well as a specialized care team — including surgeons, radiologists and emergency room staff — that is available 24/7.

Houston Methodist-affiliated kidney specialist Dr. Samir N. Tuma and his wife, Grace I. Tuma, recently established the Dr. Samir N. Tuma Academic Endowed Chair in Nephrology in the Houston Methodist Department of Medicine to expand education in nephrology, the branch of medicine focused on diagnosing and treating kidney conditions. Passionate about kidney instruction, the couple also supports a Department of Medicine lectureship in nephrology. Dr. Tuma was one of the earliest physician-scientists to write about kidney disease caused by amyloidosis, which occurs when amyloid proteins abnormally fold to form deposits in the kidneys.

CENTER FOR HEALTH & NATURE TO BENEFIT FROM DURDIN ENDOWMENT

Jean W. Durdin’s impactful generosity will initiate the Jean W. Durdin, Durdin Family Endowment, bolstering the mission of the Center for Health & Nature. The Center for Health & Nature is a collaboration among Houston Methodist, Texas A&M Health and Texan by Nature. This dynamic partnership explores the role of nature in patient care through evidence-based health and nature programs, research and education efforts.

GIFT FOSTERS LEGACY IN MINIMALLY INVASIVE CARDIAC SURGERY

An important new endowed chair in the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center has been made possible by a gift from the Sir Horace Kadoorie International Foundation, in memory of Lady Betty Kadoorie. The foundation’s generous support — aimed at helping spur new levels of accomplishment in the field — is commemorated by naming the position the Dr. Gerald M. Lawrie Distinguished Endowed Chair in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery.

The chair is named in honor of Dr. Lawrie, who holds the Michael E. DeBakey Distinguished Chair in Cardiac Surgery in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery. Working extensively with globally recognized Dr. Michael E. DeBakey for more than 20 years, he developed special expertise in cardiac valve repair as well as blood-conserving and minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

PATIENTS, FAMILIES FIND COMFORT IN MUSICAL GIFT

Merging her skills as an accomplished pianist and her passion for community service, Sharon Ley Lietzow is dedicated to organizations that promote the value of music. It’s that devotion that led Sharon to gift the Steinway piano she inherited from her cherished late teacher to Houston Methodist Hospital. Today, the same piano on which she began lessons at the age of seven resides in the hospital’s Barbara and President George H.W. Bush Atrium, its notes drifting up toward the third-floor waiting room. As Sharon points out, “The piano really is the gift that keeps on giving.” Sharon and her husband, Bob, also made a generous gift to establish the Robert and Sharon Ley Lietzow Healing Arts Endowment in the Center for Performing Arts Medicine (CPAM) to assure that the piano and other instruments in CPAM’s inventory are carefully maintained.

THE HAMILL FOUNDATION AMPLIFIES SUPPORT

Numerous medical specialty fields are enhanced thanks to The Hamill Foundation’s recent investments in technology and medical equipment, a Urology Robotics Fellowship, the Women’s Urology Clinic and ALS research, as well as research innovations for lung and liver cancer in the Houston Methodist Dr. Mary and Ron Neal Cancer Center. Claud and Marie Hamill’s and The Hamill Foundation’s contributions

have funded some of Houston Methodist’s most vital programs since their first gift more than 50 years ago. Their generosity has supported a broad array of initiatives, including prostate cancer research and other areas within the Men’s Health Center, community stroke education, nursing excellence, neurodegenerative disease research, bereavement intervention and many other critical areas.

EVENTS G A LLERY

Angela and Bob Postma join Stephen and Tiffani Baliff at Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital’s Grand Opening of Medical Office Building 1

Event chairs Wendy Moreland,

and Lou Houser host the Faith & Medicine Luncheon

Staff demonstrates equipment in new Medical Office Building 1 at Houston Methodist Cypress

Dr. Marc L. Boom and Paula Walter recognize the healing power of faith

Golfers turn out for the Houston Methodist Golf Classic, including Jeremy Silva, Weston Tucker, Chris Bailey, Derek Sawyers, Ashley Carner, Carl Little, Shawn Bailey and Steve McCreight

Tom Warden, Laura Espinoza, Rachel Miller Abanilla and Emeterio Abanilla applaud nursing excellence at Houston Methodist West Hospital’s inaugural Crowning Achievement Awards

The Staples team, including Kelly Cramer, Boyd

and Jim

Houston Methodist’s John Stewart (second from left) teams up with PrimeWay Federal Credit Union’s Casey Eakin, Gregg Mielke and Daniel King

Houston Methodist nurses Cherry Burford, Roy Reyes, Carmen Texon and Flordeliza de los Reyes turn out to honor their own

Dedicated supporters of nursing education, Jack and Judi Johnson celebrate Houston Methodist West’s nurses

Passionate about medical innovation, Ann and Johnny Johnson join friends at the Houston Methodist Holiday Celebration, hosted by Drs. Marc and Julie Boom

Other supporters at the Holiday Celebration include Anita and Gerald

LETTER FROM THE CH A IR

2024 was indeed a year of change, and I am pleased to report that the Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation maintained its high standards of excellence and investment.

The year began with welcoming a new leader to the Foundation. Flynn Andrizzi, PhD, joined us as the Foundation’s new president and CEO. Anchored by his nearly three decades of experience and time-honored approach to fundraising and development, Flynn has both a clear perspective on what the Foundation has accomplished and a plan for how to improve upon that base to achieve the hospital’s vision for its future.

Not to be overlooked, Houston Methodist Hospital was once again named to the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll as one of the 20 best hospitals in the nation, with three of 10 ranked specialties recognized as being in the top 10 in their respective fields (diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, and pulmonology and lung surgery). Additionally, Houston Methodist Hospital remained the No. 1 hospital in Texas for patient care and quality for the 13th consecutive year.

Thanks to your support and generosity in 2024, more than $83 million in philanthropic gifts was raised. These included endowed chairs established by Dorothy and Mickey Ables, the Shenaq family, and the Ben Taub and Henry J.N. Taub Foundation. Two of these endowed positions honor individuals who had an impact not only at Houston Methodist but also throughout our community: Drs. Salwa and Saleh Shenaq and Marcy E. Taub. It is a privilege to share their stories in this publication.

We invite you to partner with us in our mission to improve patient care, conduct groundbreaking research, train the next generation of medical superstars and help cure diseases.

JOHN W. JOHNSON Chair, Board of Directors

Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation

President and CEO, Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation: Flynn A. Andrizzi, PhD

Editorial Director: Shawn Gustafson | Associate Editor: Margaret Sherry

Managing Publisher: Marjorie Gonzalez | Editorial Assistants: Stacy Jones, Veronica Vazquez

Writers: Catherine Arnold, Kelly Hartman, Luanne Jorewicz, Marc Levinson

Creative Director: Karen Holland | Illustrator: Andrea De Santis

Photographer: Terry Vine (with Midjourney backgrounds)

© 2025 Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation. All rights reserved.

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SHAPING THE FUTURE As a nonprofit organization, Houston Methodist depends on the generosity and commitment of supporters like you. Thank you for helping us continue to lead medicine by keeping patients at the center of everything we do.

CONNECT WITH US: Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation 832.667.5816 | [email protected] houstonmethodist.org/giving

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