Putting Passion into Action
Johnston gift helps people 'whose needs are real and immediate and those whose needs are yet unknown'
Jim and Angela Johnston at The Kimpton Cardinal Hotel, the historic former R.J. Reynolds headquarters.
On a celebratory night in a historic district where one of his own companies had flourished, a compelling speaker outlined the case for making the world a better place through Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
"The mission and work of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist are critical to each and every one of us," Jim Johnston says, "and to countless people around the country and around the world who will have their lives affected by the care provided by a Wake Forest-trained physician or by a cure that's developed right here at our Medical Center."
Johnston, chair of the Medical Center's Board of Visitors, has put his passion for the work of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist into action through many generous gifts, but most recently through one he has established with his wife, Angela, a professorship in diabetes and obesity.
Business Success Creates 'Virtual' Impact
Johnston, born in Chicago, earned degrees from the University of Illinois and Northwestern University as the first in his family to go to college. He worked with Ford Motor Co. and Citibank N.A. before serving as chairman and chief executive officer of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. from 1989- 96. Now a resident of Mooresville, N.C., he is president and chief executive officer of Stonemarker Enterprises Inc., a consulting and investment company.
Johnston has served on the Medical Center Board of Visitors since 1991 and is a lifetime member of Wake Forest University's Board of Trustees.
The couple established the Johnston Professorship in Diabetes and Obesity through a generous gift because they recognized the Medical Center's need for endowed faculty positions and because Johnston remembered loved ones who had dealt with diabetes. He wanted to support research and care "for the people whose needs are real and immediate and those whose needs are yet unknown."
To accomplish that aim, the Johnstons provided the funds through an approach called a virtual endowment. In a virtual endowment, the donor commits to giving an amount that is equal to the income that the fully funded endowment would have supplied. The full endowment is provided at a later date agreed upon by the donor and the charity. The charity receiving the gift can begin to benefit immediately from the donor's intent in funding the endowment.
Renowned Research Scientist Holds Johnston Professorship
Due primarily to the Johnstons' philanthropy, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist was able to recruit one of the most renowned diabetes researchers in the world to serve as founding director for a new center focused on diabetes research and treatment.
The Johnston Professorship is held by Donald McClain, MD, PhD, who joined Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in 2015. Over the course of his career, McClain has held positions in internal medicine and endocrinology, had work funded by the National Institutes of Health and has published more than 100 scholarly articles and book chapters.
With more than 30 years of insight and experience, McClain is the ideal leader for the new Center on Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. His work will enable the Medical Center to make important advancements that will benefit diabetes patients throughout our region and beyond.
The Johnstons' commitment to helping Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist transform health care, coupled with McClain's commitment to diabetes research and treatment, are an illustration of how a faculty endowment is one of the most important tools needed to attract the most accomplished research leaders.
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