Vermont philanthropists Holly and Bob Miller have donated $3 million to the University of Vermont College of Medicine.
The gift will establish an endowed chair in the palliative care program at the medical school. The program is focused on training medical professionals in palliative care treatments that alleviate patients’ pain and other symptoms from a serious or terminal illness.
The announcement was made Friday, the same day the college appointed Dr. Robert Gramling to the new position. Gramling previously served as the research co-director of the division of palliative care at the University of Rochester. His research has focused on the how to improve communications about a patient’s prognosis between family, patients and clinicians. At UVM, he will be responsible for expanding the palliative and hospice care programs.
“Dr. Gramling’s national leadership and expertise in palliative and hospice care will ensure the development of a top-notch palliative medicine program at UVM,” said Frederick Morin, M.D., dean of the UVM College of Medicine. “We are deeply grateful to the Millers for making this possible and thrilled to welcome him to the UVM faculty.”
The new endowed chair creates a permanent position that will help the university pay for the professor’s salary and research, said Rich Bundy, president and CEO of the University of Vermont Foundation.
The university has installed 48 new chairs since Sullivan arrival in 2012, nearly doubling the university’s total number endowed chairs. The endowments allow the university to recruit and retain the most outstanding scholars and researchers, Bundy said.
The Millers have supported medical research at the University of Vermont College of Medicine for decades. In 2013, the couple donated a $13.1 million commercial building on a 15-acre parcel in Williston to the medical center.
Holly Miller said after watching her father die from cancer, she wanted to find a way to help better prepare professionals to assist patients with palliative care.
Holly Miller is a founding director of Vermont Respite House and has funded initiatives to improve medical school education for end-of-life care. She has served on the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the Palliative Care Collaborative, Champlain College, the Vermont Nurses Association and the UVM Medical Center Foundation.
Bob Miller is the founder and owner of REM Development Co., the largest commercial real estate firm in Vermont. He has contributed to the development of Burlington, the Champlain Exposition in Essex and projects in the Northeast Kingdom. He served as director of the Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce and chair of the airport commission of the Burlington International Airport.
