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The Coral Gables-based Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation recently observed its 30th anniversary as a grant-making organization during its nnual Membership Meeting held at the Riviera Country Club.
Foundation chair Aldo C. Busot, a Coral Gables resident and Morgan Stanley senior vice president, welcomed the members and guests to the evening. He commended the long community service of the members of the board of directors who have a total of 378 years in service to the board, an outstanding legacy.
Highlighting the “points of pride” in the work done in the community, Busot noted that “in these 30 years, the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation has invested $48,786,936 in furthering the mission which is to provide funding for programs and projects designed to improve, preserve, or restore the health and healthcare of people living in Miami-Dade County.”
Attending this celebratory 30th anniversary event were the deans of the four area nursing schools: Barry University, Florida International University, Miami-Dade College, University of Miami, and the dean of the University of Miami Medical School. Three of the major programs funded by the foundation reside at the University of Miami; they are: the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Genetics; Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute (BioNIUM), and Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation School Health Initiative, which for the past 22 years, provides direct comprehensive medical care to 15,000 students in nine Miami-Dade County schools.
The chair announced that on occasion of its 30th anniversary year funding for student scholarships at the nursing and medical school would be increased by 100 percent, which news was gratefully received by the respective deans.
Managing director John Edward Smith, in his remarks, provided a retrospective of the foundation’s history, and an appreciation of its namesake Dr. John T. Macdonald, the medical director of Pan American Airways Latin American Division and respected practitioner in Coral Gables and Miami from 1934 to his passing in 1951.
The foundation had its origins when a group of doctors spearheaded by Dr. Macdonald worked to build Doctors’ Hospital in Coral Gables in the late 1940s. Decades later, when the hospital was sold, the foundation was repurposed to be a charitable foundation. The proceeds of the sale of the hospital were invested over the past 30 years into meeting today’s needs and tomorrow’s medical advances, funding over 300 community-based programs and addressing the many needs in the Miami-Dade County.
Smith noted that “children, the elderly, veterans, the indigent, the underserved, the homeless have all benefitted from the foundation’s largesse in these 30 years, while making significant strides in applied medical research.”
Funding nursing and medical scholarships has been an important focus of the foundation.
The deans of the four nursing schools each introduced a student scholar to speak of their aspirations, which was a very poignant aspect to the evening’s program.
University of Miami Medical School Dean Henri Ford addressed the guests, informing them of the great strides at the medical school. Dr. Ford is a preeminent researcher, physician, pediatric surgeon, and mentor. In his time at the UM he has laid the groundwork for transformative student experiences. Under Dr. Ford’s leadership the Miller School of Medicine has risen nine ranks in the U.S. New & World Report. He noted that the Miller School is No. 1 in the state of Florida for NIH funding, a powerful testament to the strength of their research and talent.
Dr. Ford introduced the annual meeting guest speaker, Margaret Pericak-Vance, PhD, a world- renowned geneticist known for her research on the genetics of common human diseases. Dr. Vance is the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Genetics Professor of Human Genomics. Her research has led to a number of findings of genes that increase the risk of certain diseases, such as apolipoprotein E and Alzheimer’s disease, IL7R and multiple sclerosis, and complement factor H and macular degeneration.
Pericak-Vance excels at the integration of genomic and statistical technologies and their application to diseases of public health importance in general, and to neurologic diseases in particular. In her remarks she shared some of her research on genetic tracing in European, African, Native American populations.
Local community-based organizations (CBOs) which address the Foundation’s mission are welcome to apply for an annual grant in amount up to $50,000.
On occasion of its 30th anniversary, a multi-year Challenge Grant will provide seed funding for an innovative and inspiring program to serve the Miami Dade community’s identified needs. Some $1.5 million funding to be awarded to that single program which best responds to one or more of the foundation’s focus aspects in the core mission statement and funding priorities.
For additional information on the foundation’s grant programs, please visit the website at www.jtmacdonaldfdn.org and contact the foundation’s managing director.
