Stebbins Family Gives $738,000 Toward Second UAMS Cardiovascular Chair

By Nate Hinkel

 Rutlen, M.D.; Hill; Rahn, M.D.; Marsh, M.D.

| (Left to right) David Rutlen, M.D., director of cardiovascular medicine; French Hill, CEO of Delta Trust; UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D.; and Jim Marsh, M.D., internal medicine chair, show the gift.
Frehcn Hill, CEO of Delta Trust; Jay Mehta, M.D., Ph.D., associate director of the Gene Therapy Program at UAMS; and UAMS Dan Rahn, M.D.

(Left to right) French Hill, CEO of Delta Trust; Jay Mehta, M.D., Ph.D., associate director of the Gene Therapy Program at UAMS; and UAMS Dan Rahn, M.D.
Paul L. Hermonat, Ph.D., professor of internal medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine of the College of Medicine and holder of the gifted chair, explains his research while UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., listens.

Paul L. Hermonat, Ph.D., (right) professor of internal medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine of the College of Medicine and holder of the gifted chair, explains his research while UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., listens.

Aug. 11, 2011 | A gift of more than $738,000 from the estate of the late Howard and Elsie Stebbins was given Aug. 9 to help fund their longtime vision of a cardiovascular research chair at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

The gift will go toward the Mehta/Stebbins Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Research, which was announced in 2004 and is held by Paul L. Hermonat, Ph.D., professor of internal medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine of the College of Medicine and director of the Gene Therapy Program at UAMS.

“The Stebbins family, whose primary philanthropic interest is related to cardiology, began their generous relationship with UAMS back in 1993 long before my time here,” said UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D. “It’s philanthropically minded families like theirs that see the benefits of making generous investments in their state and its people. We’ve seen that with them in the past and we’re seeing that here today, and we are extremely grateful for those kinds of investments.”

Jay Mehta, M.D., Ph.D., associate director of the Gene Therapy Program at UAMS, and his family were close friends of the Stebbins’. Mehta is the inaugural holder of the Howard and Elsie Stebbins Chair in Cardiology, the first Stebbins chair that was established in 2000.

“We’ve come a long way in cardiology here at UAMS and we have the commitment and dedicated faculty to keep making big stridesforward,” Mehta said. “It’s the generosity and gifts like these that allow us to translate that commitment to patient care and innovation in our field.”

Hermonat is internationally known for his genetic research, which includes the pursuit of understanding atherosclerosis and hypertension. Both atherosclerosis and, to a lesser extent, hypertension are linked with inflammation. Hermonat’s work centers on the manipulation of the immune system, in particular, inflammation.

“The Gene Therapy Program at UAMS is committed to finding novel approaches to the treatment of cardiovascular diseases,” Hermonat said. “An integral part of making those advances is families like the Stebbins’ having an understanding of what is possible and wanting to contribute to making a difference.”