Christian Messa

Houston philanthropists Lee and Joe Jamail contribute $1 million to UTMB burn treatment research, education

Jamail Fund for Burn Research and Education will help university recruit, retain leading medical scientists in the field

GALVESTON, Texas — Prominent Houston attorney Joe Jamail and his wife, Lee, have contributed $1 million to advance burn treatment education at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and to help university researchers develop even better treatments for burn patients.

The Joseph D. and Lee Hage Jamail Fund for Burn Research and Education will support studies of thermal, radiation and chemical burns, including research on inhalation injuries, metabolic and social responses to burns, and molecular changes caused by such injuries. The Jamails’ commitment will also enhance the training of UTMB medical students in burn care and enable Dr. David N. Herndon, the Jesse H. Jones Distinguished Chair in Burn Surgery, to recruit and retain some of the best medical scientists in the field.

“The Jamails lead by example, which means a great deal to us and to those whose lives depend upon our ability to conduct and provide world-class research, treatment and education,” said Herndon, UTMB professor of surgery and chief of staff at Shriners Hospital for Children–Galveston, one of the nation’s leading pediatric burn-care centers.

The Jamails downplayed their contribution to UTMB. “The people who dedicate their lives — the staff, doctors, nurses and scientists — those are the ones who are truly giving,” said Mr. Jamail, a University of Texas at Austin alumnus.

UTMB has become a pioneer in burn treatment, research and education. The university’s Truman G. Blocker Burn Center, named in honor of UTMB’s first chief executive to hold the title of president and a leader in burns research and care, is one of the foremost adult burn treatment facilities in the nation. Its faculty members conduct research and provide patient care at the John Sealy and Shriners hospitals on the UTMB campus in Galveston.

In 1966, Galveston became the site of the first Shriners Burns Hospital in the world after Blocker, as UTMB president, convinced the Shriners Hospitals of North America to build the hospital on the island. The collaboration between UTMB and the Shriners organization has led to major improvements in burn care. Such advances include the revolutionary invention of pressure garments to reduce scarring and unique approaches to nutrition to promote healing. These and other discoveries have resoundingly improved survival rates, especially among children. The Jamails first became interested in UTMB after getting to know Blocker. He impressed the couple with his innovative burn treatments, his expertise in triage medicine, and his deep commitment to future generations of physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and biomedical scientists. Blocker died in 1984, but the Jamails continued to maintain their close relationship with the university.

In 1992, the Jamails made their first major commitment to UTMB, a $2 million pledge toward the construction of the state’s first freestanding student center on a health center campus. Named in honor of Mrs. Jamail, the Lee Hage Jamail Student Center opened in 1996 and provides UTMB medical, nursing, allied health and graduate students with a place to study and socialize. The Jamails have also been major supporters of the UTMB Department of Radiology’s Breast Imaging Program and the School of Nursing Scholarship Fund.

Dr. John D. Stobo, UTMB president, said the Jamails have helped improve the quality of life in not only the Houston–Galveston area but also the nation. “They have set a high standard of philanthropy and service for others to follow, and we’re honored by their generous contribution to burn research,” Stobo said. “Their support of the UTMB burn service and the faculty who serve as its medical and research staff will improve the lives of families around the world for generations to come.”

In 1985, Mr. Jamail coordinated the largest jury award in U.S. history at $11 billion when he represented the Pennzoil Co., which had sued Texaco for intervening in Pennzoil’s agreement to merge with Getty Oil Co. Founder of the Jamail & Kolius law firm in Houston, he has been lead counsel in more than 200 personal injury cases in which recovery was more than $1 million. Mr. Jamail also secured the first $1 million judgment against General Motors Corp. He was listed among the country’s top 25 philanthropists in 1996.

Mrs. Jamail serves on UTMB’s Development Board, an organization whose members help create fund-raising strategies and act as the academic health center’s “ambassadors,” assisting in outreach efforts to alumni, patients and other supporters. The UT-Austin alumna has served on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the development board of her alma mater. She has been actively involved on the boards of Bayou Bend Museum; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Rice University; The Kinkaid School; and Baylor College of Medicine. Mrs. Jamail also serves on the executive committee of the UT System Chancellor’s Council.

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