Title:Alumnus endows pharmacology professorship

Jerome Fleisch (G’67) fondly recalls the welcoming community at Georgetown and his years studying for a Ph.D. in pharmacology. To support both the university and the field, he and his wife, Marlene Cohen (also a pharmacologist), established the Jerome H. Fleisch and Marlene L. Cohen Endowed Professorship of Pharmacology.

“My dad was a pharmacist in the Bronx,” shares Fleisch. “He was a trusted member of the community. When it was difficult to get an appointment with a physician, folks stopped by the corner pharmacy. My dad helped everyone, and I wanted to do the same.”

After a chance encounter with the wife of a Georgetown pharmacology professor, and encouragement from his parents, Fleisch hopped on a train to learn more about the university.

“Everyone at Georgetown was welcoming and supportive,” says Fleisch. “My time at the university opened doors I didn’t know existed.”

Those doors included a Harvard fellowship, a commission with the U.S. Public Health Service, service in the National Institutes of Health, and a research career at Eli Lilly and Company.

“None of that would have happened without Georgetown,” adds Fleisch. “Everyone cared, everyone treated me like family. Marlene and I are happy to support the department that had such an influence on my life and career.”