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Thomas and Joan Burns sit with MU School of Medicine Dean
William Crist, left, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in
their honor in April. They were recognized for more than
50 years of leadership and philanthropy at Mizzou. David
Owens photo
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Medical
Center
Dedicated to MU Donors
Thomas W. and Joan F. Burns, who have served
the University of Missouri-Columbia for more than 50 years, were
recognized in April at the MU School
of Medicine for their leadership and philanthropy. The School
dedicated its Thomas W. and Joan F. Burns Center for Diabetes
and Cardiovascular Research during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Center focuses on the deadly link between
cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which together claim the
lives of more than 15,000 Missourians each year. The linked diseases
constitute one of the most pressing health problems for Missouri
and the nation.
“MU is grateful for the many contributions
Dr. and Mrs. Burns have made to advance patient care, education
and research at our University,” said MU Chancellor Brady
Deaton. “We predict that research conducted at the Thomas
W. and Joan F. Burns Center will result in potentially lifesaving
advances for the many patients with diabetes and cardiovascular
disease.”
The newly named Thomas W. and Joan F. Burns
Center for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Research contains laboratories
recently constructed with a competitive construction grant from
the National Institutes of Health. The Center's leader is Dr.
James Sowers, one of the nation's leading endocrinologists and
the Thomas W. and Joan F. Burns Missouri Chair in Diabetology.
The Burnses are among the most generous supporters
of MU and have provided significant gifts to the University's
School of Medicine, Ellis Fischel Cancer Center and other programs.
They have specifically created three endowments to support faculty
members focused on diabetes and cardiovascular research at the
MU School of Medicine.
“The Burnses' amazing generosity is accompanied
by decades of devoted service to the MU School of Medicine,” said Dr. William Crist, who is the Hugh E. and Sarah D. Stephenson
Dean and a 1969 graduate of the medical school. “Like thousands
of other medical students, I was privileged to be trained by Dr.
Burns. Many of those students also followed Dr. Burns' example
by pursuing careers at academic medical centers.”
Other MU alumni mentored by Dr. Burns include
Dr. Irl Hirsch, a 1984 graduate of MU's School of Medicine who
serves as an endocrinology professor and director of the University
of Washington Diabetes Care Center in Seattle, and Dr. Kenneth
Burman, a 1970 graduate of MU's School of Medicine who has served
as an adviser to the U.S. Surgeon General and chief of the endocrine
section at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.
“Dr. Burns is one of the most competent
and compassionate physicians I've ever met. He displayed these
qualities to his patients, his students and his colleagues,” Hirsch said. “His lessons transcended medicine. We were all
very fortunate to have Dr. Burns at MU for so many years.”
Dr. Burns was one of the founding faculty
members of MU's medical center, which opened in 1956. He also
was one of the founding faculty members of MU's medical degree
program, which graduated its first class in 1957. As a result,
thousands of patients and physicians in training have benefited
from his expertise and leadership.
“Dr. Burns served as a mentor, friend
and the most influential clinician in my career,” Burman
said. “His personality attributes of dedication, team play,
intelligence, friendliness, respect and excellence in research
and clinical care have influenced the manner in which I have worked
for more than 30 years.”
A pioneer in endocrinology, Dr. Burns contributed
greatly to MU's national reputation in diabetes care, prevention,
education and research. The American College of Physicians (ACP),
the largest internal medicine organization in the country, bestowed
on him the title of Master, which is the ACP's highest academic
honor, and presented him with the Laureate Award. Dr. Burns also
received the University of Missouri Faculty-Alumni Award in 1986
and the University of Missouri Distinguished Faculty Award in
1992.
Dr. Burns was a key architect in establishing
MU's Cosmopolitan International Diabetes and Endocrinology Center
and served for many years as the Center's founding director. As
Missouri's only diabetes center outside of St. Louis and Kansas
City, the Endocrinology Center has provided treatment to thousands
of patients much closer to home.
“The Cosmopolitan International Diabetes
and Endocrinology Center was MU's first private-public partnership.
It is a model of interaction between a state organization and
a philanthropic civic organization, which together are able to
accomplish something neither could do alone,” Dr. Burns said.
“I believe further philanthropic support for diabetes and
cardiovascular research will allow MU to make even greater contributions
to patient care, prevention and education.”
The Burnses reside in Columbia and have four
children. Their son, Dr. Richard Burns, graduated from MU's School
of Medicine in 1990 and serves as an assistant professor of internal
medicine at MU.
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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