By Julia Mace, UC Foundation

    Benya Coleman, A&S ’26, and Silas Curry, CECH ’27, say that without the support of the Marian Spencer Scholars Program, they would not be enrolled at the University of Cincinnati.

     Minutes away on the UC Health campus, nurse practitioners, therapists, nutritionists and social workers at the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute improve the lives of patients with ALS and provide multidisciplinary personalized care.

    What these students and patients have in common is they were supported by donors to Next, Now: The Campaign for Cincinnati. The University of Cincinnati Foundation’s fundraising campaign for UC and UC Health officially ended in June, having raised $2.19 billion in overall donor support.

    The campaign was launched publicly in 2019 in conjunction with the university’s Bicentennial year.

Scholarships transform lives: Campaign donors provided paths to student success by creating 793 new scholarship and fellowship funds during the life of Next, Now. This includes the Marian Spencer Scholars, a program that provides 10 Cincinnati Public School graduates a year with full UC tuition, room and board, and additional resources and experiences. The program is in its third year, and there are currently 30 Spencer Scholars.

    “I would not have been in college without the scholarship,” Coleman says. “I’m able to become a doctor, which is my dream career. I am beyond thankful, and I hope in the future I can do something like this for someone else.”

     During the campaign, the university received the largest donation to scholarships in its 200-plus-year history from the estate of Hugh H. Hoffman, MBA ’63. Hoffman’s $56 million estate gift created the Hoffman Honors Scholars program across three undergraduate colleges and will also provide support for UC student-athletes. The inaugural cohort of 12 Hoffman Honors Scholars will begin in the 2024-2025 academic year.

During the life of the Next, Now campaign, 37,287 unique donors contributed to scholarship funds at UC.

Hoffman estate supports UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute ALS patients.

    The Hoffman estate also gave $13.5 million that will revolutionize research and patient care related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic at the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute.

    This gift will impact nearly 200 patients in the Tri-State region each year. Since the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute opened its standalone outpatient facility in 2019, clinicians have provided care for more than 80,000 patients across 1,800 United States zip codes.

    “ALS care at UC continues to grow in scope of care and research opportunities,” says Robert Neel, MD ’00, a specialist in ALS and autoimmune neuromuscular disorders and director of the ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic. “The Hoffman gift has opened new research doors already, and we have recently hired our dietician and counselor to help with care. Both are scheduling patients. I have never been so excited to be in this field.”

     Evolving student and patient spaces: UC’s campus has transformed since the Next, Now launch. The College of Allied Health Sciences, Carl H. Lindner College of Business and College of Law have new student-focused spaces and buildings. The list of new facilities includes Clifton Court Hall, the university’s largest classroom building, serving the College of Arts and Sciences.

    Donors also supported new facilities, patient care initiatives and research at UC Health, Greater Cincinnati’s academic health care system. Philanthropic investments allowed for the construction of the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute’s new outpatient facility as well as renovation of the inpatient Neuroscience ICU and construction of a new state-of-the-art emergency department at UC Medical Center.

     The new University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Blood Cancer Healing Center, also powered by philanthropy, hosts 30 inpatient beds, outpatient clinics, 24-hour symptom support, infusion therapies, stem cell and cellular therapies and 40-plus clinical trials.

     Faculty research and scholarly innovation: Through the campaign, donors invested in research, innovation and the work of UC faculty members. This includes creating 33 new chairs and professorships to recruit and retain faculty excellence; 29 of these positions were endowed.

    Other gifts expanded new lines of research into areas like cancer treatment. A collaboration between BSI Engineering and the nonprofit GIVEHOPE created a pilot grant program for research at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center. These pilot research grants, awarded annually to investigators studying the causes, disease path and treatment for pancreatic cancer, are now a key pipeline for early-stage research that can lead to national funding and clinical trials.

    This philanthropic partnership has made it possible for nine faculty researchers to launch 18 new studies into the causes and treatments of cancer.

     A new era for UC Athletics: Donors propelled UC Athletics forward at the start of the campaign by funding renovations at Nippert Stadium and Fifth Third Arena. The Day One Ready campaign supported UC’s more than 450 student-athletes as part of the university’s move to the Big 12.

    UC Athletics celebrated the largest gift in its history from Larry and Rhonda Sheakley, spearheading the multimillion-dollar Indoor Practice Facility and Performance Center. This facility will feature a 120-yard field, nutrition station, weight room and sports medicine offices, among other amenities. It will be the permanent, all-weather home for UC football to train year-round, and a versatile practice facility for other UC sports.

    The upgraded men’s and women’s basketball team facilities at Fifth Third Arena, including locker room enhancements, were funded entirely by donors.

     The generosity of Bearcat supporters established student-wellness initiatives involving access to mental health services and additional registered dieticians.

     Donors supporting the Women’s Excellence Fund immediately impacted female student-athletes by increasing each team’s nutrition budget, recovery tools, special equipment and facilities.

    Additional campaign facts:

• 165,378 donors gave to the campaign.
• Donors were from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and 49 countries.
• 92.3% of gifts were under $1,000.

    The Foundation’s previous campaign, Proudly Cincinnati, raised $1.1 billion by its June 30, 2013, close.

    Neville G. Pinto, President, University of Cincinnati, said: “Our Bearcat family of donors and alumni has made a vast impact by supporting our students through scholarships, soaring new spaces, and life-altering opportunities for our student-athletes. This benevolent partnership has positioned us as we embark on the next 200 years of UC greatness.”

    O. Richard Bundy, III, President, University of Cincinnati Foundation: “Our donors have demonstrated a commitment to excellence, ensuring that no one has to leave Cincinnati to receive the best possible education or world-class health care. Their generosity has allowed us to break through to the next level in academics, athletics, research, technology, innovation and culture.”

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By: Molly Schramm , Michael Coker

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati police have identified the 18-year-old who was killed in early Saturday morning shooting near Withrow High School, Cincinnati police said.

Around 3:45 a.m. Saturday, police responded to Dana Avenue and Madison Road. Upon arrival, officers found Lamon Wiggins shot.

Wiggins was transported to the UC Medical Center, where he died, police said.

Wiggins graduated from Withrow High School on Friday.

Police told WCPO 9 that there “was some kind of event in the parking lot” involving around 50 kids at the time of the shooting.

Our crew saw officers place down multiple evidence markers in various locations around the high school.

A resident near the scene spoke with us saying the shooting woke him up, and he found a bullet hole through his front door, with the bullet lodged into his back wall.

A nearby Ring camera at another home along Larkspur Avenue captured the sound of multiple gunshots at the time of the shooting. More than 25 gunshots can be heard in less than 30 seconds.

Investigators have not yet provided any suspect information.

CPD said this investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 513-352-3542.

Cincinnati Public Schools released a statement Saturday saying the district’s Crisis Response Team will be at Withrow on Monday for support.

“Cincinnati Public Schools mourns the death of Withrow University High School graduate, Lamon Wiggins,” the district said. “We recognize this tragic event and our sympathy and support remains with the family, friends and school community.”

Family, friends and Withrow High School alumni gathered Sunday in honor of Wiggins, where they released balloons on the high school’s football field.

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati.

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By: Christian LeDuc

CINCINNATI — Two people are in the hospital after a shooting in Smale Park, Cincinnati police said.

It happened around 3:30 a.m. Monday near Mehring Way and Joe Nuxhall Way. Cincinnati police said dispatchers received multiple 911 calls.

One person was taken to UC Medical Center in critical condition, investigators said.

Another person showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound to their foot, according to CPD.

Investigators said they do not have any suspect information. Police said they are looking into whether the two victims were shooting at each other.

Sgt. . Schneider with CPD said the park continues to be a problem. He said that he’s been in the park all night running people off. The shooting happened when he left the area for around five minutes, he said.

A gun was thrown into the Ohio River, investigator said.

If you have any information about this shooting, you are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati.

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By JOHN MARSHALL AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX (AP) — The first responders who saved Damar Hamlin’s life were recognized with a tribute video at “NFL Honors” before being invited onto the stage.

The man they saved was right behind them.

Hamlin made his second appearance in Phoenix during Super Bowl week Thursday night, paying tribute to those who had a hand in giving him a second chance at life.

“My entire life, I felt like God was using me to give others hope and now with a new set of circumstances, I can say he’s doing what he’s always done,” Hamlin said from the stage at Phoenix Convention Center. “I have a long journey ahead, a journey full of unknowns and a journey full of milestones, but it’s a lot easier to face your fears when you know your purpose.”

The Buffalo Bills safety received the NFLPA’s Alan Page Community Award on Wednesday, a little more than a month after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati.

He appeared again at “NFL Honors” on Thursday night after the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals training and medical staffs, along with the staff at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center — collectively called “Team Damar” — were recognized.

Bills assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington, who performed CPR on Hamlin on the field, also earned a bit of appreciation during “NFL Honors,” receiving a fifth-place vote for the NFL’s MVP award.

Once onstage, Hamlin personally thanked an ICU doctor named Yusef, who, three nights into his hospital stay, told him he had been through something similar.

“He showed me he was OK and that meant so much to me,” said Hamlin, who also thanked everyone on stage. “There was so much uncertainty at the time and just him coming to me, showing I could live a normal life again, it meant so much to me and my mom. I want to give a big thank you to him.”

Hamlin collapsed on the field after a collision with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins on Jan. 2. The sight of an elite-level athlete nearly dying on the field sent a shock across the NFL and the world.

In the days and weeks after Hamlin’s collapse, his toy drive fundraiser received unexpected GoFundMe donations. “Chasing M’s” has since raised more than $9 million.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is something I never would have chosen to be a part of my story, but that’s because our own visions are too small even when we think we see the whole picture,” Hamlin said. “My vision was about playing in the NFL and being the best player I could be, but God’s plan was to have a purpose greater than any game in this world.”

Hamlin spent nearly a week in a Cincinnati hospital before being flown to Buffalo, where he spent a couple of days in the hospital before being released on Jan. 11. He has made steady progress in what will be a long recovery, appearing at the Bills facility before attending their divisional game against Cincinnati.

Hamlin received the Alan Page Award on Wednesday and a standing ovation from his peers at “NFL Honors.”

“Every day I’m amazed that my experiences could encourage so many others across the country and even across the world — encourage to pray, encourage to spread love and encourage to keep fighting no matter the circumstances,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin has said he plans to support young people through education and sports with the GoFundMe donations. He also will use proceeds from the sale of new T-shirts, emblazoned with “Did We Win?” along with his hands in the shape of a heart, to raise money for the trauma center in Cincinnati that treated him.

“I told my teammates you might as well give the man of the year to Damar Hamlin, just for the way he’s galvanized our country, brought us together,” said Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who was selected as the Walter Payton Man of the Year. “(He) made so many people understand the power of prayer, the power of community, the power of coming together and resiliency, not giving up and having faith.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

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By Amanda Nageleisen

amanda.nageleisen@uchealth.com

When someone’s life is at stake from a fall, motor vehicle crash or other traumatic injury, the experts at UC Medical Center are available 24/7 to provide the highest level of trauma care in Greater Cincinnati.

UC Medical Center is celebrating 25 years as Greater Cincinnati’s only verified Level I trauma center for adults. The designation is provided by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma through a rigorous verification process, and it is a recognition of the outstanding medical and surgical care that UC Health provides to critical patients. UC Medical Center was first verified as a Level I trauma center in 1997.

“We are proud to provide the highest level of specialized adult trauma care to our community,” Amy Makley, MD, Trauma Director at UC Medical Center and associate professor of surgery at the UC College of Medicine said. “Regardless of the injury or health condition, patients will receive the best possible care at UC Medical Center. Our experts stand ready to provide advanced trauma care 24/7, 365 days a year.”

With 16 trauma surgeons and 12 advanced practice providers, the UC Health trauma team is one of the largest in the nation. Nearly 5,000 patients receive care for traumatic injuries at UC Medical Center each year, and the hospital ranks in the top decile in the U.S. for patient outcomes. An additional 1,200 patients receive care for traumatic injuries at West Chester Hospital, which has been a verified Level III trauma center since 2014.

The UC Health Trauma program is also a national leader in clinical and scientific research related to traumatic injuries, with millions of dollars in ongoing research funded by agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Defense.

Trauma is the leading cause of death for people under the age of 45, and in the U.S., injury accounts for more than 150,000 deaths and more than 3 million non-fatal injuries each year.

“To be a Level I trauma center means to provide the full spectrum of trauma care for the patient,” Tim Pritts, MD, professor of surgery at the UC College of Medicine and chief of the section of general surgery at UC Health said. “Our trauma team is always ready with operating rooms and intensive care beds immediately available, as well as specialists who provide the highest possible level of care in trauma and numerous subspecialties, such as neurosurgery, orthopaedics and burn treatments. Through clinical and scientific research, we also work to advance our knowledge about traumatic injuries and develop the next generation of treatment strategies.”

The highest level of trauma activation is a Trauma STAT. Upon arrival, critically injured Trauma STAT patients are met by the fully assembled trauma team, including physicians from emergency medicine and trauma surgery, specially trained shock resuscitation nurses, respiratory therapists and physicians and nurses from the operating room and surgical intensive care unit.

Immediate consultation is available from a full spectrum of experts including neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, critical care intensivists, spine surgeons, facial trauma specialists and anesthesiologists. The resuscitation and care of trauma patients is led by UC Health trauma surgeons.

UC Health also partners with the U.S. Air Force to host the Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills (C-STARS) program, which provides training for military medical personnel in the areas of trauma and critical care.

As the third program of its kind in the nation, C-STARS was created to enable Air Force healthcare providers to refresh their skills by working side-by-side with their civilian colleagues treating trauma and critical care patients. UC Medical Center was selected because of its national reputation as a teaching hospital and the high volume of trauma and critical care patients treated each year.

In 2021, UC Health launched Greater Cincinnati’s first Trauma Survivors Network to help victims of trauma and their families through the emotional recovery process.

The trauma specialists at UC Health also study how injuries happen and find ways to prevent them. The science-based approach includes prevention and outreach programs such as Stop the Bleed classes, where UC Health experts help train community members in bleeding cessation techniques to help save lives before a patient reaches the hospital, as well as extensive basic, translational and clinical research into treatments for traumatic injuries.

UC Health’s trauma experts also provide on-call consultation to providers at community hospitals throughout Greater Cincinnati.

UC Medical Center and West Chester Hospital voluntarily seek trauma re-verification from the American College of Surgeons every three years as part of UC Health’s commitment to ensuring that all patients receive the most advanced specialty care for complex injuries and illnesses. The rigorous re-verification process includes achievement by the trauma center of over 300 essential criteria and an onsite visit by a team of experienced trauma center reviewers. The hospitals were last re-verified in 2021.

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Commentary

From now until Nov. 8, voters in Hamilton County can head to the polls to choose government leaders and decide on several important local ballot issues. One issue in particular – Issue 8, the Health and Hospitalization Levy – will not raise taxes and will help families cared for at UC Medical Center and Cincinnati Children’s regardless of their ability to pay and who otherwise would go untreated.

Hamilton County voters have been supportive and generous in approving this levy since it first appeared on the ballot in 1966. A portion of the dollars support patients needing medically necessary services at the only adult Level 1 trauma center in our community, UC Medical Center, and our only pediatric Level 1 trauma center, Cincinnati Children’s. Level 1 means these hospitals have highly trained healthcare experts, including specialists in emergency medicine and trauma surgery who can care for the most severely injured or ill children or adults.

It’s also important to note that UC Medical Center and Cincinnati Children’s are the two healthcare safety net hospitals serving the uninsured and under-insured in our community.

Your support will help patients access vital healthcare services, including mental health treatment, dental care, and help with managing chronic conditions such as diabetes. Without this levy support, many families would struggle to get the care they need.

Please vote YES on Issue 8. It will not raise taxes, but it will support your friends and neighbors who may someday need the services of UC Medical Center and/or Cincinnati Children’s. Thank you.

Signed:

Evaline Alessandrini, MD, chief operating officer, Cincinnati Children’s

Rob Wiehe, executive vice president and chief operating officer for hospital operations, UC Health

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^{Donna Jones Baker with husband S. Gregory Baker. Photo provided}

‘There were times that I thought there was no way out.’ – Dr. Louis F. Louis IV, MD. Cardio surgeon, UC Health

By Dan Yount

The Cincinnati Herald

In July 2020, Donna Jones Baker, a highly respected and beloved former president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, received a rare dual heart-kidney transplant at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

The dual surgery came about a year after Baker had retired following a 50^th anniversary luncheon for the local Urban League in 2019. A rare virus attacked her heart in April 2018.

Baker was diagnosed with a cardiovascular virus called giant cell myocarditis.

In simple terms, according to the Myocarditis Foundation, myocarditis is a disease that causes inflammation of the heart muscle. This inflammation enlarges and weakens the heart, creates scar tissue and forces it to work harder to circulate blood and oxygen throughout the body. Myocarditis can affect people of any age, and it is the third leading cause of Sudden Death in children and young adults. Almost all cases of giant cell myocarditis are diagnosed through autopsies.

Dr. Louis B. Louis IV, chief of Cardiac Surgery at UC Medical Center, who led the surgical team, said, “We were stunned when we first got the diagnosis about the giant cell myocarditis. There are only about 300 cases of this virus affecting the heart that are reported in medical literature. It was very telling in that we sent the slides to two other places before we accepted the diagnosis. It was just that bad.’’

Doctors Louis and David Feldman, who was part of the medical team caring for Donna, approached her husband S. Gregory Baker and said, “The heart transplant is now the only thing that is going to save her life. We have to do this.”

The doctors began working toward an urgent heart transplant, with the decision to keep Baker in the hospital, get the transplant done, and deal with this problem once and for all.

But there was a catch. They discovered Baker also had renal cell cancer on her left kidney. This caused additional concerns for both the doctors and Baker. “The cancer precluded my having a transplant,’’ Baker said. They would only transplant into a healthy body.

Despite a lack of a history of heart and kidney ailments in her family, were she to live, she would need a new heart and kidney.

However, Mrs. Baker’s condition worsened and waiting for a new heart was not possible. The decision was made to fit her with an LVAD (Left Ventricle Assist Device), a device growing in popularity for those unable to have a heart transplant. The LVAD is powered by two large batteries on either side of the body and connected to a controller on the abdomen and to the heart. Donna lived with the LVAD from April 2018 through July 2020.

While Baker was extremely thankful for the LVAD – it saved her life – she continued to be hopeful that a heart transplant would be possible.

One night, Greg got a call from Dr. David Feldman suggesting that if the kidney were removed, Donna would be “curative” for cancer, meaning that with the kidney gone, she would no longer have cancer and would be eligible to be on the transplant donor list.

The left kidney was removed by Dr. Madison Cuffy in January 2020, and she went on the list.

Greg said the ordeal has been horrific for his wife. “We could only take one day at a time” especially following the surgeries, as she healed and became stronger.

Donna said that it has been quite a journey. But family helped keep her in focus.      “God does answer prayers,’’ she said.

The recovery has been slow, and she had to return to the hospital several times for several issues.

She was told she would begin to feel much better in February, and in another six months she would be back to normal.

During this long ordeal, Greg has been her rock and best friend, she said. “He has been by my side all of the time.”

Doctor Louis implanted the LVAD. “He’s been with us from the beginning. He also led the team for the heart transplant surgery. I just love him and Doctor David Feldman (MD, PhD., clinical director of the Cardiovascular Service Line at the UC Heart, Lung & Vascular Institute). Doctor Feldman has taken care of me following the surgeries. They are both outstanding. Doctor Feldman cares about who we are, and he’s just there all of the time and listens to our concerns.’’

Baker asserts that she could take a whole column to name all of individuals to whom she and Greg are indebted. The staff at UC, including Russ Hoffman and her Primary Care Physician Dr. Nita Walker, are “incredible,” she said.

Louis added he felt good that the surgical team was able to pull all the resources together and get Baker the treatment she needed.

“There were times that I thought there was no way out. There were times that other people thought there was no way out,’’ Louis said. “We went to top colleagues in the field and asked the questions. I asked them, ‘Do you think there is a way to get around this, because I do not know what else to do?’ And we were able each time to come up with a plan and were able to help Donna get around this and survive her condition.’’

Baker is the fourth woman to have a heart transplant at UC Medical Center.

Over the years, Donna Jones Baker has inspired the local community through her leadership and advocacy for others. She was recruited from Baltimore for the position of President and CEO of Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, a nonprofit organization that helps eliminate economic and racial discrimination in underserved populations — especially African Americans — around the community. In that role, she served as a beacon of hope and change. Baker continues to be that beacon, not only socio-economic issues, but also for individuals who have major health challenges. She is making outstanding progress and is improving daily, she said, adding that she is anxious to return to the community she loves once she fully recovers.

Matt Martin, Communications Consultant, UC Health, contributed to this article.

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