It is my privilege today to use this venue to say “thank you” for a gift our division has received from one of its veteran supporters and leaders, Samuel “Woody” Warburton, Jr., M.D., and his family.
The Warburtons have provided an endowment to the Division of Family Medicine through the creation of a trust, which will be managed by Duke University. The trust will provide income to the Warburtons during their lifetime, and upon their deaths, the remainder will be used to create the first-ever endowment for exclusive use by the division.
It is Dr. Warburton’s hope that the money could potentially fund research projects, travel, or other needs for which alternative sources of support are not available. He also hopes to lead by example in terms of philanthropic support for the division.
“I’m hoping that my gift will be a catalyst for others to contribute, whether they be alumni, former faculty, patients, staff, anybody,” Dr. Warburton says.
Dr. Warburton, professor emeritus of community and family medicine, came to Duke in 1979 to run the Family Medicine Residency Program, then served as division chief from 1980 to 1985, 2006 to 2010, then again in 2012. He currently volunteers in the community at Lincoln Community Health Center, TROSA, and Samaritan Health Center.
The kind of gift that Dr. Warburton and his family have provided is not uncommon, but it is new to us, and is an example of leadership in a very personal and meaningful format. We as a division are most grateful for such leadership and for the example of tremendous commitment to the academic practice of family medicine through leadership and philanthropy that Dr. Warburton and his family have demonstrated.
Please join me in thanking Woody and his family for this generous gift.
Sharon Hull is division chief of the Division of Family Medicine. Email sharon.hull@duke.edu with questions.
Editor’s note: Dr. Hull guest blogs the first Friday of every month.