Young wife's memory lives on through Medical School endowment gift

Updated 4:00 PM July 28, 2003

Young wife's memory lives on through Medical School endowment gift

By Mary Beth Reilly
Medical School Communications

Gayle Halperin Kahn (Photo courtesy UMHS)

A young wife's untimely death from brain cancer and her husband's recognition that the whole patient—body, mind and spirit—should be treated during the disease process have resulted in a generous gift to support integrative medicine at the Medical School.

When Mark Kahn met Gayle Halperin Spector in 1996, she was a beautiful, vibrant young woman. Divorced with two children, Gayle had recovered completely from a 1990 diagnosis of brain cancer and treatment with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Six weeks before their 1997 wedding, Gayle's brain tumor returned, and she needed a craniotomy to remove the cancerous tumor. She began chemotherapy and radiation therapy after the honeymoon.

"Gayle never lost hope for a full recovery, and she never lost the energy for her relationship with her family," including children Amanda and Matthew, Kahn says. Gayle died in the fifth year of their marriage.

As Gayle began treatment for her recurring cancer, Kahn was introduced to the field of integrative medicine. In treating the whole person, integrative medicine emphasizes the therapeutic relationship of body, mind and spirit, and makes use of both conventional and alternative therapies.

To honor her memory, Kahn—who, like his late wife, is a U-M alumnus—has made a $2 million endowment gift to the Medical School. The gift will be used to establish the Gayle Halperin Kahn Professorship in Integrative Medicine, and will provide funding for that professor to study and evaluate alternative, complementary and holistic healing techniques. The Board of Regents approved establishment of the professorship July 17.

Complementary and alternative therapies are a $30 billion industry, says Dr. Steven Bolling, professor of cardiac surgery; director, Program for Integrative Medicine; and director, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Center.

"Whether you're a believer or a non-believer, these kinds of therapies are here to stay. The public wants to know what works and what doesn't, and physicians have an important role in sorting things out. The intent and effort of the Medical School is to validate integrative medicine therapies for the public. We're grateful to Mr. Kahn because his gift will play an essential part in realizing that goal," Bolling says.

"It has been inspirational to work with Mr. Kahn and see how he has turned his loss into an opportunity to foster an integrative health care system for others. His gift will place Michigan at the forefront of innovation in this important new field of study and care," says Dr. Sara Warber, assistant professor of family medicine and co-director of the Integrative Medicine Program.

Kahn hopes his gift and what it accomplishes will become a beacon for Gayle's family and for the community. "I'd like Gayle's children, Amanda and Matthew, and, someday, Gayle's grandchildren, to be able to recognize and take pride in the association between Gayle's name and progress in integrative medicine," he says.

Young wife's memory lives on through Medical School endowment gift

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