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GALVESTON, Texas—A
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston alumnus and his wife
recently pledged a major gift that completes the $1.25 million fund-raising
campaign to boost UTMB research in the rehabilitation of stroke and brain
injury survivors.
Dr. Herman L. Koester and his wife, Catherine, were recognized for their
contribution to the
Cognitive
Rehabilitation Initiative during the recent Sealy Society Recognition Dinner
at the Lone Star Flight Museum. In addition to the Koesters, other key
contributors to the Cognitive Rehabilitation Initiative were Moody Endowment
Inc., Houston Endowment Inc., Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund, Dian Graves
Owen Foundation, Kempner Capital Management Inc., Fred C. and Patricia W.
Burns and Gulf Coast Medical Foundation.
With the initiative goal reached, UTMB faculty will begin to significantly
expand cognitive rehabilitation research in the School of Allied Health
Sciences (SAHS). Such research will continue to advance the study of brain
injury, which scientists expect will lead to the development of more
effective treatment. According to the Brain Injury Association, more than 2
million people in the United States suffer traumatic brain injuries each
year.
Through this successful initiative in Cognitive Rehabilitation, three
endowed faculty positions have been established to help recruit outstanding
faculty in that field to UTMB. The financial backing from the endowments
will enable faculty appointed to the positions to conduct studies on such
issues as how brain injury restricts normal mental, physical and social
activities, as well as the merits of increased oxygen pressure, or
hyperbaric, treatment.
The Koesters understand firsthand the effects a brain injury may have on a
loved one. Their
daughter, Cathy,
suffered a cerebral aneurysm in 1997. She was treated at UTMB and made a
miraculous recovery. Roughly 50 percent of those who suffer such an injury
do not survive. Cathy’s recovery continued at the Transitional Learning
Center, a Galveston facility internationally known for innovative
rehabilitation programs that help those with brain injuries relearn daily
living skills. Part of the Koesters’ gift will establish an endowment in
honor of their daughter, the Catherine E. Koester Professorship in Cognitive
Rehabilitation.
Dr. Koester said his
daughter’s recovery underscored the importance of continuing research on
brain injury and developing even better treatment. “We considered it to be
very fortunate she did so well, and that’s why we got involved,” he said.
Dr. Charles H. Christiansen, SAHS dean, thanked the
Koesters for such strong support of brain-injury research at the school.
“This gift demonstrates the exceptional generosity and
commitment of Dr. and Mrs. Koester to the field of cognitive
rehabilitation,” Christiansen said. “Their personal interest in this
campaign has played a key part in its success.”
Dr. John D. Stobo, UTMB president, noted that the gifts
from the Koesters and others to the Cognitive Rehabilitation Initiative will
significantly elevate the brain injury research status of the academic
health science center.
“The Koesters’ contribution will help empower the
university to unlock the secrets behind traumatic brain injury, laying the
groundwork for physicians to perhaps one day fully restore the mental
capabilities of all patients afflicted with such injuries,” he said.
Patricia W. Burns and
Dr. Harry K. Davis, UTMB Development
Board members, said they were pleased the Koesters provided the final
contribution needed to complete the Cognitive Rehabilitation Initiative.
Burns, who recovered from a stroke several years ago, served as honorary
co-chair of the initiative.
The
Koesters have been staunch supporters of UTMB, contributing to such programs
as the Alumni Life Members Fund, the Annual Fund for the School of Medicine,
the Alumni Association Homecoming, the UTMB Medical Student Scholarship Fund
and the American Medical Education Foundation. The Koester family has long
been associated with the university. Dr. Koester is a 1955 graduate, and his
grandfather graduated with the pharmacology class of 1895. |