New research at the Sarver Heart Center
The U of A’s Sarver Heart Center is getting new life with the help of old friends.
From left: Michael Abecassis, dean of the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson, with Tom Rogers, Ginny L. Clements, Hesham Sadek and Humberto Lopez.
Chris Richards
Ginny Clements and Tom Rogers ’73 have been exceptional supporters of the University of Arizona for a long time, as have Humberto ’69 and Czarina Lopez. And with their assistance, the College of Medicine – Tucson is launching a new initiative to establish a cardiovascular research institute at the Sarver Heart Center that aims to enhance care and save lives in Arizona and beyond.
Students working in Dr. Steven Goldman’s lab at Sarver Heart Center.
Arielle Pagac
Humberto Lopez’s connection dates back to 1982, when he met cardiothoracic surgeon Jack Copeland at a friend’s gathering. “Dr. Copeland had an idea for starting a heart center, and I got involved, encouraging friends and colleagues to join,” Lopez recalls. The center was founded and named in honor of Robert Sarver’s father, Jack. “I eventually served as chairman of the center’s advisory board for a decade,” says Lopez.
Fast-forward to 2019. The center was in need of rejuvenation. “Things had stagnated,” Lopez says. Then, Michael Abecassis, who is the Humberto and Czarina Lopez Endowed Dean at COM – T, arrived, initiating efforts to revitalize the center and the college more generally. This included hiring current Sarver Director Hesham Sadek and launching the campaign for the cardiovascular research institute, a $75 million project that these gifts will significantly support.
“We are immensely grateful for these contributions, which will help establish the Sarver Heart Center as the nation’s leading hub for research, innovation, training and patient care in heart health,” says Sadek. “These generous donations will serve as essential building blocks for our new cardiovascular institute, facilitating cutting- edge precision medicine for those suffering from cardiovascular disease, while also enhancing our research programs, infrastructure and equipment.”
Despite the challenges, Lopez believes the center is on the right track. “We have a strong bond with the Heart Center,” he says. “Whenever there’s a need, we respond.”
Lopez’s commitment is deeply personal; his wife, Czarina, received both heart and kidney transplants, and has been a patient at Sarver since Sadek’s arrival. Ginny Clements has a personal stake, too. “I’ve lost three of my family members to heart disease,” she says. “So I thought, ‘OK, I want to do this.’” Her gift builds on her already significant contributions to medical research at the University of Arizona, in particular toward the establishment of the Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute.
Her husband, Tom Rogers, has generously jumped in to provide support, too. “Ginny and I both think the world of Dean Abecassis and what he’s done for the university since he’s been here — and what we think he’s going to do in the future,” he says. “But like he’s said, it takes money to hire the right people and put the program together to move it forward.”
“Dr. Abecassis has brought the College of Medicine full circle,” Clements says. “I have the utmost respect for him. I tell his wife that I love him.” Really? “But don’t get too excited,” she laughs, “because I’m in love with my husband.”
Clements and Rogers consider themselves fortunate to be able to give at the scale they do but also want to impart to others the value of giving no matter the amount. “You can give $1. Who cares?” Clements says. “As long as your name’s down there, and someone sees that, you know, that’s an incentive for other people.” (And, as Clements stresses, “I am not a graduate of the University of Arizona,” just a person in the community who cares.)
“Ginny is costing me a lot of money,” Tom says with a smile. “But it’s wonderful.”
