Creating Legacies That Move Winship Forward

“Being told you have a rare form of cancer that doesn’t yet have a cure is a punch to the stomach,” says John. But the care he received at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University provided him with a treatment plan to manage his condition. “There are things you learn to live with,” he says. “You take your medicine, you do your therapy, and with the support of the great people at Winship, you begin to think of cancer as a chronic condition like high blood pressure.”

The same year John was diagnosed, the Rices’ adult son, Christopher, passed away. “Those two events melded together for us, so we decided to do something significant in his name,” says John. The Christopher Brett Wolf Chair in Hematology and Medical Oncology, established last year, will help provide Winship with resources that drive research and help develop new treatments.

David A. Frank, MD, PhD, is the inaugural holder of the Christopher Brett Wolf Chair in Hematology and Medical Oncology.

Photo: Kay Hinton

According to Winship hematologist David A. Frank, MD, PhD, the inaugural chair holder, “This support has been absolutely essential to accelerating the work of translating advances from the laboratory to the clinic as rapidly as possible.” Frank is director of the Division of Hematology and professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics researcher at Winship.

Frank says the endowment “has allowed us to speed up high-risk, high-reward initiatives that aren’t easily supported by grants.” He notes that in the year since he arrived, “we have already moved drugs from my laboratory into clinical trials in lymphoma, ovarian cancer and brain cancers—and more new treatments are in the pipeline.” He adds, “I’m incredibly grateful for the latitude afforded by the support of the Christopher Brett Wolf Chair to bring these advances to our patients at Winship.”

Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, FACP, FASCO, Winship’s executive director and the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research, credits the Rice gift with “enabling the recruitment of a world-class hematology researcher to Winship. The enduring support provided through this endowed chair will lead to new therapies and scientific discoveries that will, in turn, help patients all over the world.”

Knowing that good work is being done in their son’s name gives the Rices some solace. Meeting Frank and telling him about Christopher helped, too. “When I shared Christopher’s story,” says Cammie, “Dr. Frank asked for a picture of him. He had it framed, and now keeps it on his office desk.”

Christopher developed a dependence on prescription painkillers after being treated for ulcerative colitis as a teenager and eventually died of an opioid overdose. In 2018, Cammie created a nonprofit, the Christopher Wolf Crusade (CwC), for people struggling with opioid dependence. CwC has since developed a life care specialist position on the health care team that will help expand research while focusing on prevention, education and awareness. “Our son had to spend a lot of time in hospitals, and Dr. Frank has a unique and amazing bedside manner,” she says. “We are so happy Emory was able to recruit someone of his caliber for this chair.”

Philanthropy that speaks to the mind and the heart

The Rices view their philanthropy through several lenses. John considers philanthropy an investment rather than a gift. “We support Emory because we believe philanthropy provides an outstanding return on investment,” he says. “Whether it’s Winship Cancer Institute, the School of Law, Oxford College or any other entity associated with Emory—they are all excellent investments,” he says.

The couple has established scholarships at Emory and Oxford College to honor their parents, and they have met some of the scholarship recipients. “To meet them and to see the results of our gifts on a personal level is amazing,” says Cammie. “And it’s a beautiful way to give honor to the passing of our parents,” she added. “Knowing that someone is going to Emory in my mother’s name makes me so happy.”

Dedicated to service

The Rices serve on multiple boards at Emory and elsewhere. John first became acquainted with Emory University by serving on the Emory Healthcare Board of Directors in 2002. He became a trustee in 2006 and currently chairs the Woodruff Health Sciences Committee. Cammie served on the Emory Global Health Advisory Board for many years and is currently the board chair for Usher’s New Look, a nonprofit that focuses on ensuring that under-resourced youth graduate from high school and are successful in college.

Cammie believes John’s experience as a patient gives him additional insights that pair well with his leadership positions at Emory. “John can bring his experience as a patient to the boardroom,” she says. “You don’t have that unless you’ve gone through the trenches.”

John agrees. “As a patient,” he says, “you get to see the really good parts of what happens every day to facilitate great patient care and outcomes—and you also see the challenges. At Winship, professionals work diligently to make sure patients get what they need while they are there.”

The Rices also co-chair Emory’s 2O36 campaign. The $4 billion campaign sets out to radically rethink the future with significant investments in scholarships, faculty and research. “There’s plenty of work to do and good people to work with, and we are both happy to help,” says John.

Cammie points to Emory’s involvement in the greater community as another factor that motivates her. “Emory does a great job of integrating into the community and working with other nonprofits,” she says. “Every summer, through Usher’s New Look, we bring kids from all over the country to the Emory campus for a leadership summit. Goizueta Business School gives participants a certificate to celebrate their accomplishments, and they get to experience being on a college campus—often for the first time.”

The Rices’ contributions continue to help Emory move forward. “John and Cammie Rice have dedicated so much of their time and resources to Emory,” says Emory President Gregory L. Fenves. “They work tirelessly to elevate our university, and their heartfelt leadership throughout the campaign has been inspirational.”

For John and Cammie, philanthropic support allows them to give now and in the future. “There will always be a scholarship in Cammie’s mother’s name,” he says. “There will always be a scholarship at Oxford in my parents’ name. And there will always be a chair at Winship in Christopher’s name. These are forever things.”