Gertrude and Louis Feil's legacy of philanthropy at Weill Cornell Medical College began in 1987 with the establishment of scholarships in their name. On Monday, Oct. 4, the latest chapter of their years of generosity and commitment to Weill Cornell was written with the dedication of the Gertrude and Louis Feil Family Research Building at 407 E. 61st St.
"We are forever indebted to their generosity," Dr. Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., dean of the Medical College, said of the Feils at the dedication ceremony. "Their generosity and foresight has made this community, this world, a better place and has helped countless doctors, medical students and patients."
The Gertrude and Louis Feil Family Research Building houses the Division of Neurobiology, where Dr. Costantino Iadecola, the George C. Cotzias Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience and chief of the Division of Neurobiology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, conducts his world-renowned research. Two members of Dr. Iadecola's research team, Dr. Katherine Jackman and Dr. Tanya Williams, spoke at the dedication. The Feil Family Research Building is also home to the Clinical and Translational Science Center, one of the leading centers in bringing lifesaving medical research from the bench to the bedside.
"I know this institution can make a difference," said Jeffrey Feil, a Weill Cornell Medical College overseer and Gertrude and Louis' son. "We are on the cutting edge of so many exciting breakthroughs in Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, and so many diseases that years ago we never thought we could cure or help."
Mr. Feil; his sisters Judith Jaffe, Marilyn Barry and Carole Feil; and their children were honored at the dedication, which was attended by several generations of the extended Feil family. The gift was given by The Charitable Lead Annuity Trust under the Will of Louis Feil.
"It is very fitting that this building should be named after the Feil family, as it represents the continuation of their role in the evolution of this medical school," said Robert J. Appel, vice chair of the Board of Overseers and chairman of the Discoveries That Make a Difference campaign — the $1.3 billion fundraising effort that made the Gertrude and Louis Feil Family Research Building possible.
After establishing the initial scholarships in 1987, members of the Feil family have continued to honor the Medical College. In 2000, the family endowed two professorships, the Louis and Gertrude Feil Professorship in Medicine, held by Dr. R.A. Rees Pritchett, and the Louis and Gertrude Feil Professorship in Neurology, held by Dr. John J. Caronna, to support the teaching, research and clinical efforts of two of Weill Cornell's most outstanding faculty members. In addition, the Feil family established two Clinical Scholar Awards to support research in multiple sclerosis and provided the capital support needed to construct the Judith Jaffe Clinical Unit for Multiple Sclerosis and Peripheral Neuropathy Center in the Weill Greenberg Center.
The Feil family's multigenerational collaborations with Weill Cornell have greatly enhanced all facets of the Medical College's tripartite mission of education, research and patient care. As visionary philanthropists with a celebrated commitment to humanitarian and educational causes, the Feil family has enriched and continues to touch the lives of countless people all over the world.