CINCINNATI–JR Verkamp never had the chance to meet his mother-in-law – she passed away after suffering a stroke in 1997. He never had a chance to meet her, but his philanthropic efforts as a trustee at the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation will preserve her memory and likely save many lives.

The Schott Foundation has gifted $1.8 million to University of Cincinnati’s Department of Emergency Medicine within the College of Medicine, establishing the Mary Louise “Weezie” Bays Endowed Chair for Stroke Treatment and Prevention Fund. The fund is named for Verkamp’s late mother-in-law and supports research, educational and patient care efforts for stroke treatment and prevention.

“Creating an endowed chair position at the University of Cincinnati is important. It keeps UC competitive as an attractive place to work and ultimately speaks to the Schott Foundation’s goal of working toward the greater good of Cincinnati,” Verkamp said. “UC already has a well-established team dedicated to stroke treatment and care, this gift will help with talent retention.”

Verkamp said he hopes the gift continues to attract premier physicians to UC and UC Health so they can remain at the forefront of stroke education, treatment and research.

“We are so grateful for the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation for its investment in our future,” said Opeolu Adeoye, MD, associate professor and co-director of the UC Stroke Team. “The Department of Emergency Medicine is unique nationally in having had longstanding collaborative relationships with Neurology, Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology resulting in a nationally and internationally renowned stroke program here at UC. The endowed chair will allow the department to continually support critical stroke treatment and prevention activities regardless of the vagaries of traditional funding mechanisms for such activities.”

UC’s Department of Emergency Medicine contributed $200,000 to raise the endowed chair fund to $2 million. The Department of Emergency Medicine has been an independent academic unit within the UC College of Medicine since 1984. It is responsible for the medical direction of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Center for Emergency Care (CEC) and the Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program.

“For nearly a decade, the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation has been making an incredible impact on UC through philanthropy,” said UC Foundation President Rodney Grabowski. “This gift supports a critical area that will ultimately benefit Greater Cincinnati and beyond through advancements in stroke treatment and prevention. We are so grateful for the Schott Foundation’s investment.”