One hundred and twenty years ago, CMC founder Dr. Ida S. Scudder responded to a calling to care for the underserved. Driven by her vision to provide compassionate, quality care for women despite their religion or social standing, Dr. Ida inculcated an ethos that continues to be practiced until this day.
As this edition of Voices of Vellore is going to print, our global community is living through an unprecedented crisis. While the situation continues to evolve daily, we know that in the south of India CMC has been called upon to provide the necessary treatment to the many people who will inevitably be infected and affected by COVID-19. We also know that every single doctor, nurse and allied health professional will respond to this call with the same rigor, kindness and empathy of all those health professionals who came before them and have made CMC into the extraordinary institution it is today.
As CMC celebrates 120 years of service, the Foundation is now honoring and celebrating CMC’s efforts to deliver transformative healthcare to the people of Vellore and beyond, while looking to the future to determine how best to keep Dr. Ida’s legacy of compassionate care, excellence in education and dedication to scientific research alive. From major capital campaigns to compassionate quality care for the underserved, we are working closely with our donors and partners to invest in projects that allow CMC to be at the cutting-edge of education, research and service without regard to one’s religion or social standing.
EXPANDING SERVICES AND COMPASSIONATE CARE
CMC’s growth is driven by a sense of responsibility to meet its surrounding communities’ challenges and needs. With the new Level I Trauma Center opening soon, the Foundation has been proud to support this urgently needed facility through the generosity of alumni matching gift campaigns and estate gifts (see back cover). There are 1,200 road accidents every day in India, and the Foundation looks forward to supporting CMC’s efforts to reduce the number of fatalities and disabilities resulting from such accidents.
PARTNERSHIPS DRIVE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES AND DEVELOPMENT
In addition to finding and nurturing new opportunities for advanced education in medicine, nursing and allied health services, we are helping to provide scholarships for CMC students in need. Through a partnership with United Methodist Women, College of Nursing students have received full scholarships for their three- or four year educational programs. We are also counting on an additional commitment from UMW to support medical and allied health students during 2020 and beyond.
Our network of alumni, friends, and supporters also continue to connect CMC medical professionals with institutions in the US for advanced education and training. Dr. Susan Taylor, from the Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, was pivotal in arranging a fellowship for the first recipient of the Dr. Honorine Ward Senior Training Fellowship, Arockiaseeli Mabel. Dr. Taylor is a member of the extended Scudder family and serves on the Foundation’s Research Committee.
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE THROUGH RESEARCH
Through a $50,000 annual grant program to CMC, the Foundation supports junior doctors and students to take up research projects and publish their outcomes. Our Research Committee helps identify how best to support CMC in this endeavor. CMC’s contribution to research throughout the years has been notable, and to celebrate CMC’s 120 years we are honoring these achievements at the Foundation’s gala later this year.
