During the 18 years Michael Hankin served as trustee and vice chair of Johns Hopkins Medicine, he and his wife, Ann, and Brown Advisory, the investment and strategic advisory firm of which he is president and CEO, have made generous gifts to support the work of vital research and clinical projects, including endowing two professorships in the basic sciences.

“It’s been such a privilege to be part of Johns Hopkins Medicine. The people we met, the work we witnessed, was just incredible,” says Hankin. Now, on the occasion of Hankin’s stepping down from his leadership role on the board, the couple has made a far-reaching new gift — this time to help support the research of early- and mid-career faculty. The Hankins, together with Brown Advisory, have made a $1 million gift in honor of key clinicians in four different departments.

“Ann and I just wanted to say ‘thank you,’” says Hankin. “Over the years, when members of our family, and members of the Brown Advisory family, needed medical advice and treatment, these are several of the departments that stood out in the care they provided. We’ve developed very special relationships with the faculty we are honoring.”

Those faculty members are:

Justin McArthur, M.B.B.S.,
Department of Neurology

Lee H. Riley III, M.D.,
Department of Orthopedic Surgery
and Department of Neurosurgery

James B. Potash, M.D., M.P.H., and Raymond DePaulo, M.D.,
Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences

Peter J. McDonnell, M.D., and Peter Campochiaro, M.D.,
Wilmer Eye Institute

The Hankins’ generous gift will be split among these departments, providing one-time grants of $5,000–$25,000 to support junior faculty members as they collect and analyze data required for them to apply for larger grants.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by Mike and Ann Hankin and Brown Advisory, and for Wilmer to receive this important funding that will jump-start the research of some of our most promising faculty members at Wilmer,” says Wilmer Director PeterJ. McDonnell, M.D., the William Holland Wilmer Professor of Ophthalmology.

“When we talked with Dean Ted DeWeese about making our gift, we were clear that we wanted this money to be used now,” says Hankin. “We thought it was a wonderful idea the dean had to support the work of junior faculty, when access to funding can be challenging. We’re hoping these funds can make a real difference in their work.”

The Wilmer faculty members benefiting from the Hankins' gift are pursuing a wide range of research topics:

ISHRAT AHMED, M.D., PH.D.
Investigating molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of inherited retinal diseases with the goal of identifying novel therapeutic strategies and targets.

JOSEPH ANAYA, M.D., M.B.A.
Enhancing value-based systems of care delivery in ophthalmology to maximize patient outcomes, quality of care and cost efficiency.

MEGHAN BERKENSTOCK, M.D.
Identifying ocular adverse events associated with the use of immunotherapy agents in the treatment of systemic cancer in order to inform optimal treatment strategies.

RYCE CHIANG, M.D., PH.D.
Developing targeted drug delivery to the optic nerve head and eye as a potential treatment strategy in glaucoma and other optic neuropathies.

JACOB KANTER, M.D.
Investigating patient-reported outcomes to allow for optimal decision-making when considering glaucoma surgery.

YANNIS PAULUS, M.D.
Developing new imaging systems, lasers and long-lasting nanotherapies to allow physicians to give more personalized precision medicine, particularly for macular degeneration.

DEBASISH SINHA, PH.D.
Understanding the underlying mechanisms in retinal pigment epithelium cells that contribute to early-stage age-related macular degeneration, with the goal of developing preventive strategies.

BO WANG, M.D., PH.D.
Applying noninvasive imaging techniques to better understand and manage ocular diseases that affect children.

YINGZI XIONG, PH.D.
Developing vision training methods and visually accessible designs to improve the independence of patients with low vision.