Former dean Dr. Edwin C. Cadman to be honored on October 29

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Tina M Shelton, (808) 692-0897
JABSOM Dir of Communications, Office of Dean of Medicine
Jeffrie Jones, (808) 692-0873
JABSOM Director of Development, Office of the Dean of Medicine
Posted: Oct 12, 2009

Dr. Edwin C. Cadman
Dr. Edwin C. Cadman
On October 29th, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw and John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) Dean Jerris Hedges, M.D., are hosting an event celebrating the accomplishments of Dr. Edwin C. Cadman and raising funds for the Dr. Edwin C. Cadman Endowed Fund for the Study of Neurodegenerative Disorders.
 
Dr. Cadman led JABSOM during a critical period. From the beginning of his tenure as dean in 1999, Dr. Cadman envisioned a medical school that would “be the best medical school in the world with an Asia-Pacific focus” and one that would foster a vibrant biotechnology industry in Hawai‘i.  He helped inspire community and state decision-makers to build a new location for the school in Kaka‘ako. In only five years under his leadership, JABSOM completed its Kaka`ako development and experienced unprecedented growth in biomedical research.  Dr. Cadman strengthened both the future of the school and the scientific and technological future of Hawai‘i through his tireless and visionary leadership. He retires as Professor of Medicine on October 31.
 
Dr. Cadman stepped down as dean unexpectedly in 2005, after learning he suffers from Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), a rare degenerative condition that robs those it strikes of the ability to articulate thoughts in speech or writing. There is no cure for PPA.
 
The Dr. Edwin C. Cadman Endowed Fund for the Study of Neurodegenerative Disorders was established at the University of Hawai`i Foundation in 2005 by ThinkTech Hawai‘i Inc.  Its founder and president, Jay Fidell, recognized Dr. Cadman’s inspired leadership and significant contribution to Kaka‘ako’s designation as a future center for biomedical research. An additional lead gift from the Friends of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, and gifts from other generous donors, propelled the fund to its current level of approximately $300,000.
 
This fall, a JABSOM-wide drive was undertaken among faculty and staff to benefit the Cadman Endowed Fund. “In a true sense, Dr. Cadman’s legacy is the very survival of the School of Medicine to benefit the people of Hawai‘i,” said Dr. Marian Melish, a JABSOM pediatrician and co-chair of the school’s 2009 internal giving campaign.
 
The Friends of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, through an additional gift of $20,000, and Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, with a gift of $10,000, have also created a Matching Gift Challenge.  They will match each new gift, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $30,000 for gifts received by October 31, 2009.
 
“Through the generosity of donors at the Oct. 29 event and beyond, the school hopes to raise enough money to fund an endowed professorship in Dr. Cadman’s honor,” said JABSOM Dean Jerris Hedges. “The goal is to heighten JABSOM’s stature as a recognized center for research in neurodegenerative diseases like PPA,” he said.
 
The event, “Honoring a Visionary Leader” will take place Oct. 29, from 5:00-7:30 p.m. at the JABSOM Medical Education Building on 651 Ilalo Street.
 
The program includes remarks by former Governor Benjamin Cayetano, who first proposed the Kaka‘ako location to Dr. Cadman. Also speaking will be ThinkTech Hawai'i Founder and President, Jay Fidell; The Friends of the John A. Burns School of Medicine; Dr. Hank C. K. Wuh, CEO of Cellular BioEngineering; as well as JABSOM faculty and students.
 
Reservations to attend the event and donations to the Cadman Endowed Fund may be made on-line at www.jabsom.hawaii.edu.
 
For more information about how to make a gift to benefit the Cadman Endowment, you may also call 692-0873 or 692-0879.
 
                                     
 

For more information, visit: http://www.jabsom.hawaii.edu