$534.4 Million Campaign to Help Houston Face Health Care Challenges and a $22 Million Capstone Surprise Gives UTHealth Even More to Celebrate

What: UTHealth Houston “Art of Gratitude” Celebration

Where: The Revaire

PC Moment: Attendees knew that this was an evening celebrating and honoring those who had contributed to the $534.4 million raised, considerably more than the $500 million goal, for UTHealth Houston‘s inaugural capital campaign dubbed “Many Faces. One Mission.” What only insiders knew was that in response to D. Bradley “Brad” McWilliams‘ not previously revealed $22 million capstone gift to the campaign, the School of Biomedical Informatics has been renamed the D. Bradley McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston.

“In September 2015, we set out on our most ambitious philanthropic effort: to raise $500 million to educate future health professionals, advance brain and behavioral health, and improve the health of Houston and beyond,” Kevin Foyle, senior vice president of Development and Public Affairs at UTHealth Houston, told the gathering. “We stand here today because, thanks to the generosity of everyone in this room and all of our other supporters, we not only reached this goal but exceeded it by 7 percent, raising more than $534.4 million.”

For the evening, walls of The Revaire were hung with artwork commissioned from local artists to recognize the difference that the can be made in the community when all come together. The artwork appears in a commemorative book for donors titled “The Art of Gratitude.”

“This is an historic time for UTHealth Houston, and the success of this campaign will have meaningful impacts for generations to come,” said Dr. Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, president and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair. “I am grateful to all of our donors who, through their support of the “Many Faces. One Mission” campaign, have demonstrated a deep commitment to UTHealth Houston and our shared vision of solving the most complex and critical health care challenges in our city and beyond.”

The festivities included a cocktail reception with music from Divisi’s Amp’d String Quartet, later joined by a pianist, and a buffet feast featuring the varied culinary talents of A Fare Extraordinaire.

PC Seen: Laura McWilliams, Diana and Russell Hawkins, Jane Cizik, John Davidson, Janiece Longoria, Maria Pappas, Karl Stern, Bette and Ralph Thomas, Judy and Dudley Oldham, Kathy and John Orton, and Jiajie Zhang, PhD, dean of the newly renamed D. Bradley McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston.