Columbia Honors Two Families for Medical Philanthropy
Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons honored two of its most philanthropic families at the fifth annual Crown Awards gala. The 2014 gala, held in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel, welcomed more than 400 faculty, friends, and guests and raised money to support programs at P&S.
The black-tie gala was hosted by Lee Goldman, MD, Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor of the University, Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine, and Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences. The program highlighted Columbia’s university-wide initiative in precision medicine, which will translate each individual’s genetic data into more precise diagnoses and will help in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of many varieties of human disease.
The honorees at this year’s Crown Awards were Henry and Marilyn Taub and their family and Stephen and Constance Lieber. They have been among the medical school’s most generous supporters over the course of several years.
The Taub family, which has been an extraordinary champion of work on Alzheimer’s and related diseases, established the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain, which brings together physician-scientists from across disciplines (including neuropathology, cell biology, and genetics) to better understand the origins and expressions of Alzheimer’s and to use new knowledge to develop better interventions.
Henry Taub, who was honored posthumously, came from modest beginnings in Paterson, N.J. Mr. Taub, his brother, and the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg founded the firm now known as ADP, one of the largest payroll and data-processing companies in the world. Mr. Taub and his wife, Marilyn, established the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation. Their three children—Judy Gold, Steven Taub, and Ira Taub—now serve as the foundation’s directors.
“The Taub family has been truly transformative here at Columbia University Medical Center,” says Dr. Goldman, “and their gifts have been truly transformative. They have helped change the landscape of what we know about Alzheimer’s disease.”
“We can’t help but be enormously grateful for over 20 years of remarkable support from the Taub family and Taub Foundation,” says Michael Shelanski, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Pathology & Cell Biology and co-director of the Taub Institute, who was recently named the inaugural Henry Taub Professor of Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain (in the Faculty of Medicine).
In addition to being prominent philanthropists, Steve and Connie Lieber have been perhaps the nation’s greatest public advocates for mental illness and schizophrenia research and care. In 1985, the Liebers become involved with NARSAD, now known as the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and they provided the leadership and guidance that turned the organization into the most important private philanthropic organization in the field.
NARSAD has supported more than 3,700 scientists around the world as they work on nearly every psychiatric diagnosis, including schizophrenia, autism, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Since its establishment, the NARSAD/Brain and Behavior Research Foundation has awarded more than $320 million in research grants.
The Liebers’ personal giving to Columbia also has been far reaching: Their generosity established the Lieber Schizophrenia Research Clinic and the Lieber Recovery and Rehabilitation Clinic for Psychotic Disorders (both in the Department of Psychiatry) and has supported research across the medical center, most notably in cardiology.
“The Liebers are extraordinary, so committed to such an important cause and one that historically has not been trendy or fashionable,” says Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at P&S. “They have a steely resolve and a fierce determination. And they have really made NARSAD and BBRF the major source of philanthropic support from foundations for mental illness research.”
Adds Dr. Goldman: “The Liebers’ generosity—their commitment—is unmatched. They have been extremely generous, not only to us here at Columbia. They have also been a major force nationally. It is truly remarkable what they have been able to do.”