Newly Established Phyllis Mailman Professorship Endowed by the Tow Foundation, Mailman Foundation, and Joshua Mailman Foundation
NEW YORK (June 24, 2019) – In honor of philanthropist Phyllis Mailman, The Mailman Foundation, the Joshua Mailman Foundation, and The Tow Foundation, have together endowed the Phyllis Mailman Professorship to support groundbreaking emerging infectious disease research at the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. The endowed professorship will be based in the Columbia Mailman School’s world-class Center for Infection and Immunity (CII), led by director Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, a globally-recognized microbe hunter who has identified more than 1,500 novel viruses. The newly created faculty position will support a distinguished researcher in the field of emerging infectious diseases.
"The Phyllis Mailman Professorship will help us continue to lead in discovery, surveillance, diagnostics, and response to infectious diseases. This gift has the potential to save thousands, perhaps millions, of lives,” said Dr. Lipkin. “I am grateful for this generous support for our faculty.”
“Our mother, Phyllis, has long been a strong advocate of public health. She is particularly committed to preventing disease through the work of the Center for Infection and Immunity whose important research impacts the health of entire populations,” said Jody Wolfe, President of The Mailman Foundation. “This gift underscores my mother’s dedication to the School and commitment to its continued growth as a world-renowned public health institution.”
In 1998, Mrs. Mailman and her children, Jody Wolfe and Joshua Mailman, made a transformative gift to Columbia University in honor of their late husband and father, Joseph L. Mailman. This gift made it possible for the School to move to its current building on the Columbia University Irving Medical Center campus. Since 1998, the Mailman family has remained actively involved and connected with the School, with several family members serving on the School’s Board of Overseers...