Dr. Bennett Golub and his wife, Cindy Golub
When Dr. Bennett Golub learned that his beloved father, Aharon, had prostate cancer, he knew he had to take immediate action to help find the best possible treatment. Dr. Golub didn’t think twice: He turned to Dr. David Nanus, the Mark W. Pasmantier Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.
According to Dr. Golub, Dr. Nanus and his colleagues at Weill Cornell Medicine provided superb care during the father’s struggle with cancer, helping him achieve full remission.
“The extra time Dr. Nanus gave my father was also a tremendous gift to me,” says Dr. Golub, a founding partner of BlackRock, the global investment management firm. “I wanted to reciprocate in a way that I had the ability to do.”
To honor Dr. Nanus, and support cutting-edge cancer clinical research at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Golub and his wife, Cindy, recently endowed the David M. Nanus, M.D. Clinical Scholar Award in Cancer, in memory of Aharon Golub. The inaugural Golub Scholar is Dr. John Allan, assistant professor of medicine. Dr. Allan specializes in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and other blood cancers with targeted therapies.
“I am thrilled,” says Dr. Allan. “We are truly living in exciting times for cancer research, with much promise for patients at Weill Cornell Medicine and beyond. Generous philanthropy holds the key to unlocking so many potential discoveries.”
Dr. Golub appreciates that Dr. Nanus, who is also a friend and a physician to other Golub family members, helped select Dr. Allan as the inaugural recipient. Dr. Golub trusts the expertise that that Dr. Nanus and other Weill Cornell Medicine faculty demonstrate in deciding which researchers should be supported.
Like other Clinical Scholar Awards, the Golub family’s $1 million gift reduces the financial and administrative demands on talented junior and mid-level faculty, giving them the time and support they need to strengthen professional and research activities that mean the most to them and to the institution. The award is for three years and can be renewed at the Dean’s discretion for an additional three-year period.
Aharon Golub, a Holocaust survivor who worked as a manager in medium-sized manufacturing companies, passed away a year ago at the age of 93. His family remains deeply grateful for the care he received at Weill Cornell Medicine. That care inspired Dr. Golub to support future generations of physicians who will drive science forward and help even more patients.
“It is so meaningful to me that Ben Golub wanted his support to be used to advance our cancer research initiatives at Weill Cornell Medicine,” Dr. Nanus says. “Expert care and cutting-edge medical breakthroughs depend on committed and visionary donors to sustain the work of brilliant physician-scientists.”
