The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler

For Dr. Jim Vaughn and his wife Bonna Bess, philanthropy is a family affair. Dr. Vaughn's parents - the late Dr. Edgar Vaughn and his wife, Lillie Mae - established the Vaughn Foundation, which supports health-care organizations in the Tyler area, as well as organizations in the arts and education. Dr. Jim Vaughn has continued the family tradition of supporting the needs of the community.

Dr. Jim Vaughn

Along with his philanthropic contributions, Dr. Vaughn also gives many hours of his time to serve on the boards of community non-profit agencies. Dr. Vaughn has been a supporter of The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler (UTHCT) for more than 25 years and currently serves as a member of its Development Board. Dr. Vaughn, through the Vaughn Foundation, has generously provided $200,000 for our new Geriatric Fellowship Program, part of The Center for Healthy Aging, located on the campus of UTHCT. The Jim M. Vaughn Geriatric Fellowship Program Endowment is invested in the Long Term Fund.

The fellowship program will offer physicians advanced training in geriatrics, leading to a geriatric certification for qualified physicians. Its purpose is to prepare physicians to care for the growing elderly population in rural East Texas. Fellows will have opportunities to work with elderly patients who have a wide variety of medical problems on an inpatient and outpatient basis. They will work with physician-directed interdisciplinary geriatric teams in hospital, nursing home, and home-care settings, as well as in a family practice center or other outpatient setting. All of this will benefit East Texas, since 200,000 people in the region are 65 or over.

"My wife, Bonna Bess, and I are excited about Dr. Calhoun's vision to train young doctors in geriatric medicine. The Health Center's concept of a one-stop location for treating our aging seniors will make a tremendous difference in the care that seniors receive throughout the region," Dr. Vaughn said.

"We are extremely pleased that Dr. Jim Vaughn has decide to support our fellowship program. As a fellow physician and colleague, he shares a passion for educating physicians in geriatric medicine, especially given the number of older adults in East Texas," UTHCT President Dr. Kirk A. Calhoun said. "Appropriately trained geriatric practitioners will be able to provide the best care for our aging population."

Scott Fossey, UTHCT's Director of Institutional Advancement, said, "The Vaughns' gift of $200,000 will serve as the cornerstone of support for the fellowship program. The Health Center is seeking an additional $300,000 from other regional foundations."

As a result of the gift from Dr. Vaughn and the Vaughn Foundation, young physicians will be trained to attend to the special needs of their aging patients.