$500,000 Connors Family Gift Kicks Off Scholarship Gala for MGH Institute of Health Professions

June 14, 2007, fundraiser to highlight key role of allied health professionals and salute outgoing president of MGH Institute of Health Professions

Boston, MA (PRWEB) May 10, 2007 -- The MGH Institute of Health Professions (http://www.mghihp.edu), an academic affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, has received a $500,000 philanthropic commitment to establish the Connors Family Scholarship as a lead gift for the MGH Institute's upcoming Scholarship Gala on June 14.

"The Connors family has supported a number of health initiatives across the Partners HealthCare System over the years. We believe helping talented individuals enter the health professions through additional scholarships is a natural extension of our commitment to quality health care for all," says John M. Connors, III, an MGH Institute trustee and co-chair of the gala.

Mr. Connors, founder and CEO of the marketing firm, Boathouse Group, Inc., is co-chairing the gala with fellow trustee Diana L. Scott, Senior Vice President and General Manager, US College Savings, John Hancock Financial Services. Honorary trustee Edith L. Dabney serves as Honorary Co-Chair of the event.

The Scholarship Gala will take place at the new InterContinental Hotel. Launched in conjunction with the Institute's 30th anniversary celebration, the gala also salutes "a decade of progress" under the tenure of President Ann W. Caldwell, who will step down later this summer. Under President Caldwell's leadership, the Institute added new degree and certificate offerings and under¬took a $20 million project to purchase and renovate a permanent home in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

As a degree-granting institution within the Partners HealthCare System, "We are strategically positioned at a critical intersection of higher education and health care to offer a unique and flexible post-baccalaureate model for preparing leaders across the health professions," notes President Caldwell. Partners HealthCare CEO James Mongan and board chair Jack Connors, as well as CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl, will be featured speakers at the gala.

Proceeds from the June 14 gala will fund new scholarships for Institute students entering the fields of nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, clinical investigation and medical imaging. Enrollment has grown steadily to nearly 800 full- and part-time students, requiring the school to expand its financial aid resources accordingly. The Connors family gift - the largest ever by a living donor - brings the total amount raised for new scholarships this academic year to $1.4 million.

A gala steering committee of health care and business professionals, including several Institute alumni, has been formed for this inaugural annual fundraising event: Ben Fischman, Smartbargains.com; Suzanne Gesner; Lee Goss, Eons, Inc.; Dr. Bette Ann Harris '83, MGH Institute of Health Professions; Jessica Hennessey '97, Emerson Hospital; Cynthia Cardon Hughes '92; Brent Koeppel '98, Assistive Technologies; Elizabeth Trish Joyce; Lisa T. McNamara; Sylvia Kimball Perry '02, Reservoir Medical Associates; and Dr. Raymond Siegelman '03, International Educational Resources.

Initial corporate sponsors include Boathouse Group, the Healthcare Services division of CB Richard Ellis, Eons, Inc., John Hancock Financial Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partners HealthCare, Phase Forward, Inc., Smartbargains.com, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network. Scholarship Gala tickets are $300 per person, with table and sponsorship opportunities available by contacting Maura Callahan at (617)724-8786.

About the MGH Institute:

The MGH Institute of Health Professions, an academic affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital (http://www.massgeneral.org), is an innovative and independent post-baccalaureate school that operates within the frame¬work of Partners HealthCare System (http://www.partners.org). A progressive leader in developing compre¬hensive models of health care education, the MGH Institute prepares advanced practice professionals in the fields of nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, medical imaging and clinical investigation through a distinctive combination of academic study, clinical practice and research. An average of 800 students are enrolled in graduate level and certificate programs, with an increasing number of courses available online. The Institute is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

(Editors: Our style preference is to not spell out 'MGH' on a first reference to our name, as it incorrectly implies the Institute is a department within the hospital. Alternately, we recommend, "The MGH Institute of Health Professions, an academic affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital…")

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