Philanthropy News from The Miriam
On October 30, 2024, The Miriam Hospital Foundation hosted its Annual Meeting and Miriam People Celebration of Tradition at the Providence Marriott. The event was attended by more than 135 guests, who were eager to celebrate the power of philanthropy, recognize the impact of legacy supporters, and get the latest news and updates about their beloved hospital.
Celebrating philanthropy
Susan H. Kaplan, Chair of The Miriam’s Foundation Board of Trustees, kicked off the evening expressing gratitude and reiterating her deep appreciation for the hospital’s supporters.
“I’ve said on more than one occasion that philanthropy is the special sauce that takes a great hospital and makes it an incredible one, and nowhere is this more evident than at The Miriam,” she explained. “Our donors simply love the hospital and stop at nothing to ensure its quality of care remains second-to-none.”
Michael Savit is a generous supporter of The Miriam. Since 2002, he and his family have sponsored the HWS Golf Classic, an annual charity tournament that has raised approximately $2 million for the hospital’s research to find a cure for myelofibrosis—a rare blood cancer that took his father’s life in 1995. To honor his legacy, Michael, his brother, Jeffrey, and their mother, Sybil, established the Herbert W. Savit Research Fund.
Now, more than two decades later, he’s endowing different research also inspired by a family member’s health crisis. “My son, Matthew, 31 at the time, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2021,” Michael explains. “Fortunately, he’s been treated, his cancer has been in remission for a year-and-a-half, and he’s doing great. But the experience really hit home for me and my family.” So much so, Michael began to look for ways he could help in the fight against this complex cancer of the immune system that can often affect younger people, like his son.
For Michael, Managing Partner of the HWS Group, a sports management firm that owns and operates professional sports franchises, that meant teaming up with The Miriam once again—this time, with Thomas Ollila, MD.
A hematologist-oncologist with a focus on lymphoma, including clinical and translational research, Dr. Ollila is currently engaged in early-stage but promising work at The Miriam. He is collaborating with the Brown University-based Bailey Lab, which studies the role of genetic variation in immunity and disease. The goal: to develop a novel technique for finding and tracking Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“We know you can find DNA for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the blood,” Dr. Ollila says, “and by identifying and tracking it earlier and with more precision, we’ll be better able to employ more targeted immunotherapies and offer much safer treatment options.”
On the latter point, Dr. Ollila says his research is intended to combat the “over-treatment” of patients by reducing their need for biopsies, chemotherapy, and PET scans. All are proven to be valuable and effective, he says, but can also come with serious side effects—heart damage, increased risk of infection, neuropathy, and infertility, to name a few.
In his research, Dr. Ollila is using molecular inversion probes as a sequencing approach to locate and identify genes in the blood associated with Hodgkin’s lymphoma—and he’s grateful for the philanthropy that’s helping to fund his mission.
“Michael’s gift is making our work possible by covering the upfront cost of the probes and other integral supplies,” he says, “and will help us save lives down the road.”
Michael encourages others to support The Miriam, too. “If you have the means, by all means you should,” he says. “You won’t be disappointed. The people at The Miriam have been great to work with for over 20 years now and you’ll be helping a lot of people.”
In 2021, The Miriam Hospital Gala & Auction fund-a-need supported the creation of the Stephen and Diana Lewinstein Center for Innovative Cancer Research at The Miriam Hospital.
The new center, which held its “open house” May 23, 2023, establishes The Miriam as a leading provider for advanced, highly novel cancer treatments—giving hope to patients whose cancers have advanced, despite receiving all standard treatments, and are searching for the most advanced options to extend their lives.
“Opening the center has ignited a new trajectory for oncology care at The Miriam,” says Benedito A. Carneiro, MD, Director of the Clinical Research, Cancer Drug Development, and Associate Director of Division of Hematology/ Oncology. “It represents the cornerstone of an exciting and rapidly growing program and expands The Miriam’s reputation for providing cutting-edge cancer care—enabling us to become a regional referral hub for new drug development, where patients will have access to promising new treatments.” A recent example was the center being able to treat a patient with one of the most promising immunotherapies for prostate cancer in the world.
Part of the Brown University Health Cancer Institute, the Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic at The Miriam Hospital offers patients the highest level of expertise in breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and support.
Recently, the clinic had a special visitor when Agnes Judge, a breast cancer survivor and inspiring patient advocate from North Charleston, South Carolina, stopped by The Miriam as part of her cross-country public awareness campaign. Her tour, which has received national media attention, is intended to stress the importance of regular screenings and early detection.
“I want to inspire and encourage women to get their yearly mammograms and to know that a breast cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence, it's the beginning of fighting for your life,” said Agnes, who is visiting one cancer center in each state to deliver that hopeful message. To date, Agnes has nearly finished her tour of East Coast facilities and is hoping to complete her entire journey over the next three years.
Aside from sharing her powerful personal cancer story—which began when she was diagnosed in 2019 and has included several lumpectomies and a double mastectomy—Agnes is also generously donating $1000 at each of her 50 stops, including The Miriam. That money will go to support the hospital’s cancer patient assistance fund.
Agnes says she is grateful for the lifesaving care she has received from her providers over the years, and just wants to pay it forward. But the providers at The Miriam are also grateful to Agnes and were honored by her visit. Staff commented that her words were empowering and energizing, and her generous gift was greatly appreciated.
“I want to empower and motivate breast cancer survivors, with or without a double mastectomy, to live their lives to its fullest,” Agnes concludes. “Because it's yours!”
Lung Screening and Nodule Program
Dollars raised from the 2022 Miriam Hospital Gala & Auction fund-a-need were targeted for the creation of The Lung Screening and Nodule Program at The Miriam Hospital, which officially opened April 7, 2023. The program brings together recognized leaders and specialists in a range of disciplines who provide the expertise and coordinated care necessary to meet the specific needs of each patient, beginning the moment a potentially cancerous lung nodule or mass is detected.
“Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, claiming the lives of more men and women each year than colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined,” explains Hina Khan, MD, a medical oncologist at The Miriam. “Early detection is critical to successful treatment, and now patients in southeastern New England have access to a first-of-its-kind clinic dedicated exclusively to this specific care.”
Dr. Khan adds that a Nodule Tumor Board is also planned as part of the clinic’s work. The board will convene to discuss each case with the multidisciplinary team—comprised of pulmonary, radiology, thoracic surgery, radiation oncology, and medical oncology experts—and offer relevant recommendations. Additionally, the clinic’s work will complement Brown University Health Cancer Institute’s ongoing research focusing on lung cancer screening in underserved populations.
Through the creation of The Carol and Fred Levinger Nursing Excellence Fund, Miriam nurses can access student loan repayment and tuition assistance
Inspired to give back following the patient experience of a family member, Carol and Fred Levinger have made a gift of $1 million to The Miriam Hospital. The funds will establish The Carol and Fred Levinger Nursing Excellence Fund to support the hospital’s award-winning nurses with student loan repayment and tuition assistance.
“I cannot overstate the extraordinary level of care our loved one received, or the difference that care made in their outcome,” said Fred Levinger. “It inspired us to give, and recognizing there is a national shortage of nurses, we wanted to do something impactful to make a difference here.”
A primary driver of the new Fund is to further deepen The Miriam’s recruitment and retention program for nurses. The hospital enjoys a rich tradition of nursing, and with this gift, it will support career development for the next generation of nurses while advancing opportunities for continued nursing education.
The Miriam has received the coveted Magnet distinction for nursing excellence six consecutive times. The accomplishment places The Miriam among an elite group of hospitals internationally to achieve the 4-year designation this number of times. In the United States, it is one of only a handful of hospitals to attain the prestigious mark. Magnet recognition is awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is the highest honor available for professional nursing practice.
“The Levinger’s gift represents transformational philanthropy – we are beyond grateful to Carol and Fred for their generosity and for their commitment to the vital role nurses play at The Miriam,” said Maria Ducharme, DNP, RN, President of The Miriam Hospital. “Always, but especially during these trying times, we want our nurses and clinical staff to feel valued and appreciated. It is tremendous that we will now be able to invest even more in the skills of our people, directly impacting patient care.”
Added Carol Levinger, “It is one thing to hear or read stories about the difference nurses make in the delivery of care; it is something else entirely when you experience it through a member of your family. The Miriam is a special place when it comes to nursing, and we wanted to give back to help ensure that continues well into the future.”
More than 1,300 Rhode Islanders will face a diagnosis of genitourinary cancer this year, and the state has disproportionally high rates of bladder cancer, in particular.
Thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Rhode Island Foundation, experts from The Miriam Hospital’s Minimally Invasive Urology Institute (MIUI) are now conducting research to learn more about the reasons why.
The grant has allowed the MIUI to establish a first-of-its-kind registry of urologic cancers to advance research, promote prevention, address treatment disparities, and improve health outcomes for Rhode Island residents. To create the HIPAA-compliant registry, researchers from the institute are studying decades’ worth of medical records from patients previously treated at Brown University Health hospitals for genitourinary cancers, including those of the prostate, kidney, and bladder.
“We’re looking at over 200 different data elements— everything from a patient’s age to where they lived, their diet, possible chemical exposure, the type of cancer, and the extent of the disease,” says Christopher Tucci, RN, Manager of the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute. The project highlights the institute’s commitment to not only treating but also preventing the development of urologic cancers in the community.
“By better understanding risk factors, we will be able to promote healthy behaviors and lifestyles, improve screening and prevention to Rhode Islanders while reducing the burden of disease,” said Dragan Golijanin, MD, Co-director of the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute and Director of Genitourinary Oncology at The Miriam Hospital.
To learn more about this project, please call the foundation office at 401-793-2805.