Newly established Phyllis Mailman Professorship will advance the research and development of lifesaving vaccines

NEW YORK (June 24, 2019) – In honor of philanthropist Phyllis Mailman, The Mailman Foundation, the Joshua Mailman Foundation, and The Tow Foundation, have together endowed the Phyllis Mailman Professorship to support groundbreaking emerging infectious disease research at the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. The endowed professorship will be based in the Columbia Mailman School’s world-class Center for Infection and Immunity (CII), led by director Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, a globally-recognized microbe hunter who has identified more than 1,500 novel viruses. The newly created faculty position will support a distinguished researcher in the field of emerging infectious diseases.

“The Phyllis Mailman Professorship will help us continue to lead in discovery, surveillance, diagnostics, and response to infectious diseases. This gift has the potential to save thousands, perhaps millions, of lives,” said Dr. Lipkin. “I am grateful for this generous support for our faculty.”

“Our mother, Phyllis, has long been a strong advocate of public health. She is particularly committed to preventing disease through the work of the Center for Infection and Immunity whose important research impacts the health of entire populations,” said Jody Wolfe, President of The Mailman Foundation. “This gift underscores my mother’s dedication to the School and commitment to its continued growth as a world-renowned public health institution.”

In 1998, Mrs. Mailman and her children, Jody Wolfe and Joshua Mailman, made a transformative gift to Columbia University in honor of their late husband and father, Joseph L. Mailman. This gift made it possible for the School to move to its current building on the Columbia University Irving Medical Center campus. Since 1998, the Mailman family has remained actively involved and connected with the School, with several family members serving on the School’s Board of Overseers. 

“I am deeply appreciative of the visionary leadership of the Mailman and Tow families, and honored to have their partnership through the years,” said Dean Linda P. Fried. “As members of the Board of Overseers, Jody, Josh, and Leonard Tow have not only provided an incredible opportunity to recruit a world-leading scientist to help stop the spread of disease and forge new paths in combating emerging viral threats, but also have helped the School advance one of its key philanthropic goals: to secure vital funding to recruit and retain exceptional faculty members.  The Phyllis Mailman Professorship will help us to catapult our Center for Infection and Immunity to a new level of eminence. It is a transformative moment, and we are grateful for this remarkable commitment from these members of our board.”

About the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University

Founded in 1922, the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health pursues an agenda of research, education, and service to address the critical and complex public health issues affecting New Yorkers, the nation and the world. Its more than 200 multi-disciplinary faculty members work in more than 100 countries around the world, addressing such issues as preventing infectious and chronic diseases, environmental health, maternal and child health, health policy, climate change & health, and public health preparedness. It is a leader in public health education with over 1,300 graduate students from more than 50 countries pursuing master’s and doctoral degree programs. The Columbia Mailman School is home to numerous world-renowned research centers, including ICAP and the Center for Infection and Immunity. For more information, please visit www.mailman.columbia.edu.

About the Center for Infection and Immunity

The Center for Infection and Immunity is one of the world’s leading academic centers focused on microbial surveillance, discovery, and diagnosis. In recent years, Dr. Lipkin and his team have helped to reduce the impact of numerous pathogens, including viruses that cause respiratory diseases, hemorrhagic fever or neurodevelopmental damage in humans, such as SARS, MERS, Lujo, Ebola, and Zika. They have advanced critical knowledge on wildlife reservoirs of emerging infectious diseases, pathogenic threats to food security; the role of the human microbiome in disease pathogenesis; and the mechanisms of several diseases, including autism and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The CII has also pioneered the development and implementation of cutting-edge diagnostic tools, including the world’s first multiplex test for tick-borne illness, and powerful precision medicine platforms for detecting and characterizing all known viruses and bacteria.

https://www.newswise.com/articles/newly-established-phyllis-mailman-professorship-will-advance-the-research-and-development-of-lifesaving-vaccines