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<p>A $2 million gift will allow the Indiana University School of Medicine-Evansville to create an endowed chair in geriatric medicine.</p>

$2 million dollar gift to fund endowed chair in geriatric medicine at IU School of Medicine-Evansville campus

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. — A $2 million gift from the Sol and Arlene Bronstein Foundation will allow the Indiana University School of Medicine-Evansville to recruit an expert in geriatric medicine. This professor will work with others at the school of medicine and in the community to improve health care, develop new therapies and rethink the way care is delivered to the elderly in Indiana and beyond.

In addition, the new faculty member will play a leading role in educating medical students, community physicians, and other health care providers and trainees about how to meet the unique medical needs of the aging population.

“We know that many elderly patients face complex medical issues and frequently experience difficulty navigating the health care system,” said Jay L. Hess, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the IU School of Medicine and vice president for university clinical affairs. “Thanks to the generosity of the Sol and Arlene Bronstein Foundation, we will develop more effective ways to care for them, and we’ll train others to do the same. This is critically important not just in Evansville, but throughout the country, because the number of Americans age 65 and older is expected to double by the year 2060.”

Sol and Arlene Bronstein were successful business leaders and philanthropists in the Evansville area. The Sol and Arlene Bronstein Foundation was established upon their deaths.

Among many other causes, the Bronsteins cared deeply about the aging population and set in motion plans for what would later become The Communities of Solarbron for senior citizens. This gift, which will establish the endowed Sol and Arlene Bronstein Chair in Geriatric Medicine, will build upon that legacy.

“Arlene Bronstein had a soft spot for senior citizens,” said Wayne Trockman, who serves as co-trustee of the Bronstein Foundation along with Old National Wealth Management. “She left specific language directing foundation gifts to benefit seniors in our community. With the creation of this cornerstone chair, as head of geriatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine–Evansville, this gift will fulfill her wishes for many years to come.”

The timing of the gift, as part of “For All: The Indiana University Bicentennial Campaign,” will allow the school to multiply the impact. The university is offering a historic gift-matching program for newly established faculty endowments and certain other endowed funds. As a result, income from the Bronstein Chair will be matched annually in perpetuity, greatly increasing the amount available to support geriatric research and education.

The goal is for the Bronstein Chair to be the first step toward the development of a robust research and education program focused on geriatrics at the Evansville campus.

“Our ultimate vision is to be home to several faculty focused on the senior population,” said Steven Becker, M.D., director of the IU School of Medicine-Evansville. “We envision these individuals will be practicing physicians in the Evansville area who dedicate a significant portion of their time to research and education. This gift from the Bronstein Foundation will lay the foundation we need to build upon in the years ahead.”