December 19, 2011

Jim Vann '50 and Lee Vann

A generous gift from Jim Vann '50 and Lee Stanton Vann will provide two Davidson students with fellowships in biomedical ethics research at the Mayo Clinic during the summer of 2012.

In 2008 the Vanns provided the endowment that created Davidson College's Vann Center for Ethics, and view the Mayo fellowships as another way to promote the study of ethics by Davidson students. Jim Vann said, "Davidson students are committed, capable folks who will make the world a better place, and there's no better venue to study ethical issues in health care than Mayo Clinic. The fellowship program provides for cooperation between Davidson and Mayo Clinic that will be beneficial for both institutions.."

The Vanns have been appreciative patients and ardent supporters of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for nearly a decade. They have a special interest in the clinic's Program in Professionalism and Ethics, which provides training in patient-clinician communication, empathy, and shared decision making, and also promotes research projects related to ethics and professionalism.

"Medical research at Mayo Clinic is world class," said Jim Vann. "The fellowship program should provide a great opportunity for Davidson students interested in bioethical issues. They will complete the experience with an internship certificate from Mayo, and the research paper that they complete. This will give them a great head start in their post-Davidson pursuits."

Each fellowship will provide $5,000 for up to 10 weeks of research at the clinic. Davidson students selected as fellows will work with Dr. Paul Mueller, Director of the Program in Professionalism and Ethics. A major aspect of the fellowship will be conducting ethics research in fields such as biomedicine, informed patient consent, life-sustaining technologies, and genetic testing. At the conclusion of the fellowship, students will submit a report explaining their research, findings and insights.

Lance Stell, director of Davidson's Medical Humanities Program, said he and other faculty members involved in planning the fellowship were delighted to see a new opportunity for Davidson students to investigate ethical issues in medicine. "We've found that putting students into medical settings where they can shadow clinicians is a remarkable learning experience for them," said Stell.

Fellowship applications are due by January 30, 2012, to David Perry, Director of the Vann Center for Ethics. A three-person committee of Davidson professors will review the applications and recommend up to five applicants to the Mayo Clinic, where the two finalists will be selected.

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education. It employs about 56,000 medical personnel and researchers from every specialty who work under a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than a million people every year go for care to Mayo Clinic facilities in Rochester, Minn., Tampa, Fla., and Scottsdale, Ariz.

Jim and Lee Vann live in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he chairs the board of directors of Rea Magnet Wire Company, the largest manufacturer of magnet wire in North America, with manufacturing plants in the U.S., Mexico and China.

The Vann Center for Ethics at Davidson conducts two public Ethics Forums per month, which take the form of lectures, debates and panel discussions. The center also maintains a blog titled "On Balance" at ethics.davidson.edu. Center director David Perry teaches one ethics-focused course per semester.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,900 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.
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