Pathology faculty member establishes fourth endowment
By Christian Messa
JUNE 27, 2007--Dr. L. Clarke Stout Jr., a member of the pathology faculty since 1972, has witnessed many changes within his department and throughout the rest of the university. He also noticed a dearth of endowed faculty positions in pathology. “We’re kind of behind-the-scenes,” the professor of pathology explained of his department’s relative shortage of endowments.
Endowments are permanently invested funds that support UTMB’s clinical care, academic and research missions. Income distribution from each endowment is made available annually to advance the research, educational or clinical interests of those appointed to endowed positions.
Instead of complaining about his department’s scarcity of endowments, Stout began creating them on his own. He pledged to establish the L. Clarke Stout Jr., M.D. Professorship in Anatomical Pathology in 1990, an endowment that has since been fully funded. He then created the Stout Award in Pathology, an annual prize given to a senior medical student who has excelled in undergraduate medical studies in pathology or has demonstrated an aptitude for diagnostic or investigative pathology.
Stout next pledged to establish a professorship in surgical pathology, named after himself and his wife, Elaine, in 1999. He pledged to create a fourth endowment, the L. Clarke Stout Jr. and Elaine F. Stout Professorship in Autopsy Pathology. “The main reason for establishing these professorships is to attract and retain top-quality faculty for the anatomic divisions of the department and to reward those already here who have distinguished themselves,” he said.
Home to 64 faculty members, the Department of Pathology plays vital roles in patient diagnosis, clinical assessment and treatment, applied, clinical and basic research, and educating future practicing physicians and experimental pathologists. Stout surmised that, despite its crucial role in health care and diagnosis at UTMB, the department was not well known to the general public and therefore was less likely to benefit from its generosity.
Dr. David H. Walker, professor and chair of the department, said Stout has shown exceptional resolve in creating so many endowed faculty positions. “We are fortunate to have Dr. Stout on the faculty for his expertise and doubly so for his sense of philanthropy,” said Walker, the Carmage and Martha Walls Distinguished Chair in Tropical Diseases. “His generosity to the Department of Pathology through these endowments is an impressive testimony to his belief in the value of the profession that will resonate for many years to come.”
Stout said he is pleased that the endowed positions will be available to reward those who deserve recognition for their work. “The additional support made possible by the endowments will augment the recipients’ ability to investigate and educate while practicing anatomic pathology,” he said.
Stout is making his latest contribution as part of the UTMB Family Matters campaign. The $25 million initiative enables university employees and retirees to contribute to an area that may hold personal significance within the academic health center’s educational, clinical or research programs.