Gifts

PHILANTHROPY

An Invitation to Help Build for the Future

The mission of the Department of Ophthalmology is to provide the best quality care to all patients, to develop new treatments through research, and to train skilled, compassionate physicians. We have a robust program aimed at the understanding of vision loss as well as at new treatments for prevention or recovery of vision. However, recent changes in the health care environment are threatening these roles in all departments of academic medical centers. Forces that create disincentives to teach and to conduct research are gradually weakening the leading and most innovative health care systems. Teaching hospitals currently face great challenges in maintaining their fiscal soundness.

Philanthropy plays a vital role in insuring the viability of academic medical centers. You are invited to join in the effort to invest in the present and the future by creating a solid foundation for the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia and for its doctors and scientists in their work to treat patients, develop new treatments for eye diseases, and find ways to prevent vision loss. Our capable team of physicians, scientists, and residents has been recruited from all over the world to participate in this effort. Through disease-focused research, our doctors hope to discover treatments for eye diseases that will benefit people around the globe. Each gift is meaningful and will greatly enhance the mission of the Department and the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute.

Throughout the years, the Ophthalmology Department has enjoyed the generous support of its many good friends. Now the need is even more critical as science rapidly progresses and ophthalmology must apply these advances to the treatment of eye disease. Examples of new areas in our research program include biomedical engineering and imaging, gene replacement and stem cell research. Philanthropy enables the Department to maintain and expand its research effort in conjunction with these developments in science. Recruitment of new faculty and initiation and implementation of pilot projects are mainly possible only through donor support. A gift may be given to support research programs, provide educational opportunities, or improve clinical care through acquisition of new technology.

It is possible to make a gift over a few years, over an extended period of time, or through estate planning. All gifts are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law. Your generous gift will play a vital role in helping us sustain our efforts and enable us to continue our important quest to improve the quality of life through better vision. It is incumbent on us to maintain the Edward S. Harkness Institute's role as a world leader in curing and preventing vision threatening disorders.

A program of planned giving is offered by the Health Sciences Development Office. The Giving Well program provides a range of choices for donors, physicians, alumni and friends who wish to make a gift to the Department of Ophthalmology. Our experts can guide donors through the steps for each type of planned gift, preparing proposals, suggesting bequest language, helping to create trusts, and even showing how a gift can benefit the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia while simultaneously providing the donor with tax savings and lifetime income.

The following list of giving opportunities demonstrates the broad scope of gifts that have been so meaningful in continuing the Department's reputation for distinction in the field of Ophthalmology. Please contact Jane Heffner, Development Officer for Ophthalmology, at 212-305-7827 if you interested in learning more about the various ways in which you can support us.