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Christian Messa Galveston civic leader pledges to establish
first endowed professorship in rheumatology GALVESTON, Texas — Galveston community leader Lynn Cantini has made a commitment to establish the first endowed professorship in the University of Texas Medical Branch’s Division of Rheumatology. The Lynn Levin Cantini Professorship in Rheumatology will support the study and treatment of disorders that affect the joints, bones and muscles, especially autoimmune diseases. Dr. Emilio B. Gonzalez, director of the Division of Rheumatology in the Department of Internal Medicine, said the Cantini Professorship will help play a vital role in ongoing research of conditions such as connective tissue diseases, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. “This endowment will fund important research involving these debilitating conditions, the results of which may one day bring relief to millions,” Gonzalez said. “I’m grateful to Mrs. Cantini for her vision and commitment to establishing the division’s first endowed professorship.” UTMB President John D. Stobo said the university is fortunate to have Cantini among its benefactors. “This generous pledge follows the tradition of her family’s philanthropy, selflessly giving to the UTMB community and inspiring faculty and students to achieve remarkable results,” Stobo said. “We are privileged to have Lynn Cantini’s support and advocacy.” Cantini is the daughter of Dr. William C. Levin, president emeritus of UTMB. Levin himself recently pledged to establish a lectureship in hematology and oncology at the academic health center. Cantini, her husband, Armin, her sister and brother-in-law, Gerry and Eugene Hornstein, and her father founded the Levin Family Foundation, which in 1998 created the Edna Seinsheimer Levin Professorship in Cancer Studies at UTMB. The endowment was established in memory of Lynn and Gerry’s mother, who died of cancer in 1996. Lynn Cantini’s recent pledge, to be fulfilled through a charitable bequest, is part of the university’s Timeless Values, Pioneering Solutions campaign, a five-year, $250 million fund-raising initiative to enhance areas of excellence in teaching the art and science of health care; infectious diseases, biodefense and vaccine development; health care access and telehealth; and longevity, chronic diseases and neurological recovery. Lynn and Armin Cantini have been staunch UTMB supporters, contributing to such programs and initiatives as the Children’s Hospital Fund, the Russell Shearn Moody Distinguished Chair in Neurological Rehabilitation and the Salute to Nursing Scholarship Fund. They are also members of the President’s Cabinet, a volunteer organization that advances UTMB’s mission by providing seed money for initiatives that improve the quality of life in the Galveston area. Armin Cantini is vice president of The Private Bank at Bank of America–Galveston. Lynn Cantini is actively involved in the Galveston community. Among her civic responsibilities, she has chaired The Grand 1894 Opera House program committee and the Galveston Historical Foundation’s historic homes tour selection committee. Cantini has also served on the boards of the American Cancer Society, Temple B’Nai Israel, Children’s Protective Services and the Mental Health Association. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Texas at Austin and her master’s degree in speech pathology from the University of Houston. She is a former classroom teacher, educational diagnostician and speech pathologist. UTMB |
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