Alumni Stories

For Daryl Landis, M’89, stethoscopes get to the heart of PENN Medicine.

During the White Coat Ceremony in August, 2006, each member of the entering Medical Class of 2010 received a shiny new stethoscope. The gift is practical — after all, stethoscopes are a primary tool in patient care — but also highly symbolic.

“The stethoscope signifies the relationship between medical technology to humanism and the doctor-patient relationship,” says Darryl Landis, M’89, who donated the stethoscopes. “It’s also meant as affirmation and an official pat on the back — welcome to medical school!”

Dr. Landis knows the challenges and thrills that lie ahead for the new class; he speaks fondly of his student days at Penn. Since his graduation 17 years ago, he has consistently acted on the deep loyalty he feels to his alma mater. “I had a great experience at Penn and being an alumnus of such a brilliant top-tier institution has been an absolute asset in my career,” he says.

After graduation, Landis practiced family medicine, but decided he was more interested in the business side of medicine and health care. He is the president of Mustard Seed Ventures, a management firm specializing in health care ventures. He also volunteers as a member of the Medical Alumni Leadership Council (MALC), a body focused on bringing new strength and philanthropic support to the School of Medicine. By networking with alumni and urging them to “step up” and support the School, Landis views MALC as “a way to ensure that the School maintains its level of excellence.”

“I never have a problem asking for money for Penn,” Landis says. “Education and health care are the two most important areas to invest in — and they have an incredibly high rate of social return. By supporting the best medical school, I am investing in the best physicians and clinicians in the country. When I give to Penn, I am ensuring that its status and the good that it does in society continues.”

Landis hopes the students who received his stethoscopes keep the same principles in mind during and after their years of training. “They should never forget the gold standard that the School of Medicine instills in them,” he says, alluding to the special status a Penn degree confers. “The School of Medicine is excellent, therefore they are excellent.”

Mark Kaufman, M’77, goes global with gift planning.

Serendipity led Mark Kaufman, M’77, and his wife, Sarah, to support Global Health Programs.

“My wife and I had reached an age where we were rethinking our estate planning,” Kaufman says. “Our children are grown, and we were thinking about how to give something back.”

Dr. Kaufman is chairman of the board and a general internist with Dean Health System, a for-profit multispecialty group practice in Madison, Wisconsin. He also serves as chief medical officer of Dean Health Plan. Sarah Kaufman trained as a physician’s assistant. Health care education naturally landed near the top of their list of ways to contribute.

“I read the PENN Medicine story on Global Health Programs in February, and then a good friend of ours, a nurse, received a Fulbright to go to Africa in January 2007 to work with AIDS patients — she had done this before and was eager to go again,” Kaufman says.

With their interest in global medicine piqued, the Kaufmans contacted Nancy Biller, administrative director of Global Health Programs, for more information. They also investigated other international programs for medical students.

“Penn’s program seemed more mature and institutionalized than the others we looked at,” Dr. Kaufman says, explaining their decision to support his alma mater. He and his wife set up a planned gift that would begin to seed Global Health Programs immediately. “We were impressed that Global Health Programs offer students an opportunity early in their studies that can impact their whole career,” he says. “These experiences can fundamentally change your views of life, of the world, and of medicine.”