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You can join the growing number of alumni and friends who invest now in the University’s future by including UVA as a beneficiary of their wills, charitable trusts, and retirement plans. Gifts like these can offer you and your family significant tax benefits as well as greater financial flexibility in meeting your personal and philanthropic goals.
The Honor the Future campaign, the largest in University history, concluded in 2025, thanks to thousands of loyal supporters. Its impact on students, faculty, facilities, and research reaches across Charlottesville, Wise County, and Northern Virginia as it continues to advance the school in its third century of service to the commonwealth, nation, and world.
Generous alumni and friends, grateful patients, community members, foundations, and visionary philanthropists came together to help UVA Health surpass its $1 billion fundraising goal, benefiting every aspect of UVA Health’s mission.
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UVA Health surpassed its $1 billion fundraising goal, thanks to generous commitments from more than 52,000 donors, including alumni and friends, grateful patients, community members, foundations, and visionary philanthropists. Together, they are helping the organization fulfill the goals of its 10-year strategic plan, an extension of the University’s 2030 strategic plan. The campaign has had a significant impact on every aspect of UVA Health’s mission.
SUPPORT SYSTEM
For Amber James, a spirit of generosity led to “a culture of kindness.”
Dr. Amber James (Med ’24) Recipient of the Arthur Ebbert Jr. MD Scholarship, the Edwin S. Maynard Scholarship, the Elizabeth White Scholarship, and the Medical School Foundation Scholarship
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In 10th grade, Amber James tore her ACL and had reconstruction surgery. “After the wonderful care I received, I decided I wanted to pursue medicine and help others in a similar way,” she recalled. Her mom, a paralegal and single parent, was excited about the prospect of the first physician in the family, yet it took a combination of need and merit-based scholarships for James to realize her dream.“Without scholarship funding, I would not have been able to attend medical school and wouldn’t be on my way to becoming a doctor,” James said. “It relieves a large financial burden for me and my family.”
The Richmond native values the diverse patient and student population at UVA School of Medicine. “There’s a collaborative environment among students, a culture of kindness [where] everyone wants to help each other succeed, and faculty really enjoy teaching students. These were all things I was looking for in a school.”
When James applied for a residency in general surgery in fall 2024, UVA School of Medicine topped her list. Ultimately, she would like to practice clinically in underserved communities and conduct research on surgical outcomes focusing on health equity and global health.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
A generous financial aid package and scholarship enable Harrison Cook to keep his options open.
Harrison Cook (Med ’26) Recipient of the Ron Ohslund Medical Scholarship
For Cook, the goal is “to keep my horizon as broad as I can.” Given his wide-ranging interests, from orthopedics to cardiology to nephrology, it’s easy to understand why.
An anatomy class and the chance to shadow a neurosurgeon during high school sparked Harrison Cook’s interest in medicine. Exploring how complex structures fit together in a cadaver lab made him sure he wanted to become a doctor. He enjoyed microbiology and his master’s research in endocrinology. Yet over time, Cook said, “I found that I was really missing the human connection. I love interacting with people, and the thing that I love about medicine is the ability to use science and directly apply these fundamental principles of science in a way that you can help people in their day-to-day lives.”
The first in his family to pursue medicine, Cook said they were completely behind his decision, yet they did not have the resources to assist him financially. Faced with supporting himself and the prospect of mounting debt, he was awarded UVA’s maximum financial aid package, which he said covers roughly half of his costs to attend. The scholarship he received added to a level of support he described as “astounding” and which directly expanded his options.
“The resources that I very gratefully received while I’ve been at UVA have given me the freedom to pursue my interests in medicine in a very honest way,” he explained. “I don’t feel the pressure to pursue the most high-paying specialty or the specialty with a short residency program that will allow me to get a higher salary at an earlier age and start paying my debt down, because I’ve had these factors.”
Although Cook is deferring a final decision on his career path, he is not waiting to give back. As part of a student-run organization that provides community health screenings in Charlottesville and surrounding rural areas, Cook is already practicing both the clinical and “people” skills that drew him to medicine. He said he is happy to answer clinical questions and practice medical skills but also just to get to know patients as people.
“Through that time of just talking to people in a very casual way, you can really gain insight into who they are as a person, what their values are,” he said, “and a lot of clinical insight can come out of those conversations.”
Harrison Center director John Lukens is collaborating on promising advances in neurodegenerative disease research.
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DEDICATION AND HUMILITY
“When you become a Highland Cavalier, you join a community full of people that band together and support you.”
Milo Penzell (Nurs ’24) Conway Scholar
While growing up in Charlottesville, Milo Penzell never imagined he’d be in healthcare. “I was obsessed with how things worked. I was into amateur radios and built my own computer in seventh grade.”
Penzell graduated from high school during the COVID-19 pandemic and attended Piedmont Virginia Community College, where he developed a passion for studying the human body and its functional systems. “When it was time to graduate from PVCC, I was trying to decide between an advanced career in biology or something nursing-related. I saw the ABS-BSN program as a great opportunity and applied.” UVA School of Nursing not only accepted Penzell into the program but also selected him as a Conway Scholar.
Penzell earned his bachelor of science in nursing and began his career at UVA Health as a clinician 1 in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. There, he attributes much of his success to being a Conway Scholar. “I’m so grateful to the Conways. Navigating nursing school without the financial stressors really helped me engage with the content.”
As for his current role in the MICU, he said, “I think becoming a nurse at the medical ICU requires a lot of dedication and humility. I love going to work and knowing I’m making a difference.”
DANCER TURNED RESEARCHER
“I feel so profoundly grateful for the Conway scholarship because it truly makes all of this possible. I could not pursue my Ph.D. and my research without the support.”
Molly Yeo (Nurs ’24, Grad Arts & Sciences ’31) Conway Scholar
Meet Molly Yeo. Former professional ballet dancer. Die-hard Mets fan. A “Third Culture Kid” who grew up between New York, North Carolina, and Indonesia who speaks Indonesian. Bachelor of Science in Nursing Class of 2024 graduate, a distinguished major, mentee of nurse scientist Emma Mitchell, and an emerging cancer scholar whose research on men and the HPV vaccine whet her appetite to enroll in the Ph.D. program. READ MORE
Rachel Conner-Gorby shares the gift of gratitude for support she received as a Conway Scholar in the School of...
Alumna and Conway Scholar Keli Presley (Ed ’23, Nurs ’25) returns to Grounds.
Posted on UVAToday | By Lee Fleisher The University of Virginia’s School of Nursing today announced a $20 million gift from...
SECOND ACT
A finance executive turned nurse educator, Laurel Geis discovered her true calling through her children’s health challenges—and now she’s inspiring the next generation to find theirs in healthcare.
Laurel Geis (Nurs ’19) Clinical Faculty and graduate of the Clinical Nurse Leader program
Your dream career may not always be your first career. Laurel Geis found her calling later in life. Now, she steers the next generation toward healthcare—early on.
Geis, originally from the Golden State’s San Gabriel Valley, majored in business at the University of Southern California and then worked in finance and operations for 20 years—first at the Big Four accounting firm Arthur Andersen, and then, helping her mom run a recruiting business. “And along the way, I started a family and had four beautiful kids,” she recalled. “It was only when my kids started having health challenges that I began to be more interested in healthcare. As these different challenges came up, I realized I really needed to be the primary health advocate for myself and my kids.”
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MATERNAL HEALTH CHAMPION
Her outstanding research on maternal mental health has attracted over $8 million in funding—and now she’s leading the School of Nursing’s entire research enterprise.
Jeanne Alhusen Professor of Nursing, Associate Dean for Nursing Research, and University of Virginia Medical Center Endowed Professor of Nursing
Nurse scientist Jeanne Alhusen has been appointed UVA School of Nursing’s new associate dean for research.
Alhusen—who assumed the role on an interim basis in mid-2019—studies ways to improve maternal mental health and, consequently, the psychological and physical wellbeing of infants and young children, especially for families living in poverty.
Her scholarly focus includes issues related to reproductive care access and family planning, the experience of women living with disabilities, nurse-led mindfulness interventions during pregnancy, and the impact violence exerts on women and their children. Currently, she is part of funded projects that total more than $8 million.
The Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology will catalyze the discovery and development of groundbreaking new treatments and cures for cancer, neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases, and many other health conditions. It will train and foster interdisciplinary research among next-generation physician-investigators, medical leaders, microbiologists, biomedical engineers, chemists, and data scientists. Together, they will accelerate the creation of immunotherapies, gene and cellular therapies, nanomedicines, and other leading-edge precision treatments. The institute will also serve as an incubator of commercial collaborations among UVA, biotechnology companies, academic partners, and healthcare institutions across the state.
The Manning Institute was made possible by a $100 million lead gift from Paul and Diane Manning. Additional investments include $150 million from the University, $100 million from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and more than $50 million in commitments from private donors. “Our goal is to have the best possible medicine—next-generation medicine—for the residents of Virginia and people around the globe,” said Paul Manning.
Under construction in Fontaine Research Park, the 350,000-square-foot facility will integrate high-tech research laboratories, state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, and patient care spaces under one roof. At the same time, UVA is developing a statewide clinical trials network to expand access to new treatments as they are being developed and tested.
Mark T. Esser is the Manning Institute’s inaugural scientific officer and executive director. Esser earned a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1998 and previously served as vice president of the research-based biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. As the head of the Manning Institute, Esser will hold the Thomas A. Saunders Family Jefferson Scholars Foundation University Professorship, pending approval by the Board of Visitors. Esser’s specialties include immunology, vaccines and biologic drugs, virology and microbiology, diagnostics and biomarkers, clinical research and development, business development, and navigating federal research regulations and submissions.
The Manning Institute will be home to the Harrison Family Translational Research Center in Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases. At this interdisciplinary research hub, world-class researchers and clinicians will discover and develop new ways of diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and other devastating neurological conditions. This center was created with a $30 million gift from the Harrison and Mary Anderson Harrison Foundations. Renowned UVA neuroscientist John Lukens (Med ’08), a Harrison Teaching Professor and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor at the School of Medicine, was chosen to lead the center.
Once completed, the Manning Institute building will also house UVA’s Institute for Nanoscale Scientific and Technological Advanced Research under the leadership of preeminent nanotechnology scholar Evan Scott. Scott joined UVA in 2024 as a professor of biomedical engineering in the School of Medicine and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is the David Goodman Family Bicentennial Professor in Nanomedicine and a Thomas A. Saunders III Family Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished University Professor.
The exciting new Paul and Diane Manning Biotechnology Institute will achieve a vision of better health for all.
The Harrison family’s tradition of support for students and faculty extends to UVA’s athletics facilities and neurodegenerative research endeavors...
In 2022, UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center became Virginia’s first National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. This prestigious NCI designation positioned UVA among the country’s best cancer treatment and research institutions. It reflected the center’s more than a decade of growth and achievements in cancer care, research, and education, as well as its efforts to reduce the burden of cancer in a region of approximately 3.2 million people and 87 counties, including predominantly rural and under-resourced areas of West Virginia and Southwestern Virginia. The center is helping increase access to world-class cancer care and clinical trials at UVA Health’s Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center building in Charlottesville, as well as at additional clinics throughout Northern and Central Virginia.
Under the leadership of director Dr. Thomas P. Loughran Jr., the F. Palmer Weber-Smithfield Foods Professor of Oncology Research & Professor of Medicine, the center helped recruit approximately 100 world-class faculty researchers and physicians to UVA. These leading experts, including biomedical engineers, microbiologists, cancer immunologists, and specialists and subspecialists in all types of cancer, conduct interdisciplinary basic, clinical, and population research to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment options.
UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center comprises over 250 researchers and physician-investigators from 25 academic departments across the schools of Medicine, Nursing, Data Science, Engineering, Arts & Sciences, and Education and Human Development. In addition to discovering and developing more effective and less invasive cancer interventions, these faculty members are training the next generation of cancer experts to make tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Recent recruits include Kristin Anderson, an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology at UVA School of Medicine. The center helped to recruit Anderson with support from the Rodger W. Klein Family Fund. Another recruit is preeminent nanotechnology scholar Evan Scott, the David Goodman Family Bicentennial Professor in Nanomedicine and Thomas A. Saunders III Family Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished University Professor. Scott holds joint appointments in the School of Medicine and the School of Engineering and Applied Science as a professor of biomedical engineering.
In support of the University’s Grand Challenges: Precision Medicine/Health research initiative, UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center drives the discovery and development of new precision medicines and techniques, including immunotherapies, gene and cellular therapies, and nanomedicines. It’s also making these new life-saving treatments available to more patients more quickly by expanding its capacity to run clinical trials, including the first-in-human (phase 1) trials of experimental medicines.
In partnership with UVA Health and the Charlottesville-based Focused Ultrasound Center, UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center helped establish the world’s first and only Focused Ultrasound Cancer Immunotherapy Center at the University. Combining immunotherapy with focused ultrasound—an innovative precision soundwave imaging technology—has been found to overcome existing limitations of immunotherapy and may open new fronts in the war against breast and brain tumors and many other types of cancer.
With the support of a visionary, the center launched the Translational Orphan Blood Cancer Research Initiative), which focuses on reducing the burden of leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas, including the rare (orphan) and most complex types of these diseases. The initiative has generated six new experimental drugs that could be available to patients within two years, and more are in the research and development pipeline. Many of the TOBCRI’s inventions leverage nanotechnology, utilizing tiny nanostructures to enhance the delivery and efficacy of precision-targeted drugs, gene therapies, and immunotherapies. With its state-of-the-art laboratory, manufacturing, and clinical spaces, the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology will accelerate and increase the availability of these promising precision treatments for patients in Virginia and beyond.
