Upchurch leads way for School of Medicine initiative

When paired with $100,000 in matching FAI challenge funds, she established The Samuel Earl Upchurch Scholarship Fund for medical students, in memory of her father, a former Duke surgical resident.

"I believe that people who have benefited from education have a commitment to give back, and this is a natural progression of my own benefits from being at Duke," says the associate chief in the Division of Rheumatology at the UMass Memorial Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical School.

As the leader of DukeMed's FAI, Upchurch will work to identify alums, industries, and foundations that have the capacity and interest to support medical student scholarships.

Gifts of $100,000 to $1 million may be matched by the FAI $100 Million Challenge Fund, set up with a $75 million grant from The Duke Endowment, and a total of $25 million from four families.

The School of Medicine's specific goal within the university-wide $300 million campaign was to raise $12 million by teh end of 2008 to support financial needs, as well as to attract medical students of the highest caliber. The school has raised $13 million.

Upchurch is married to Ronald "Tak" Takvorian, MD. They have three college-aged children - Sam, Kate, and Sarah.

To contribute to Duke's Financial Aid Initiative, or to learn more, please call Ann Horner at 919-667-2520.