Celebrating Philanthropy at the Annual Society of 1866 Celebration
Nearly 500 University Hospitals friends and benefactors gathered on October 9, 2023, for the Annual Society of 1866 Celebration. Recognized for their outstanding generosity and commitment, Pamela Butler Keefe and Stephen Keefe, and Steve and Loree Potash were honored with Samuel L. Mather Visionary Awards and Warren R. Selman, MD, and David M. Rosenberg MD, MPH, received the 2023 Distinguished Physician Award.
Improving access to literacy is at the heart of everything Steve and Loree Potash do, both in their business and in their philanthropy. Steve and Loree founded Overdrive, the world’s leading service for eBooks, audiobooks and digital media.
In 2020, they made a $7.5 million gift to establish the Steve and Loree Potash Women & Newborn Center, which introduced maternal-fetal care and a full spectrum of labor and delivery services to UH Ahuja Medical Center. The gift also created Baby’s First Books, an innovative literacy program, ensuring newborns and their families go home with their first collection of baby-friendly board books, healthy parenting tips, and information about extra resources available for the entire family through their local public library.
The history of UH is intertwined with Pam Keefe's family tree. Pam is the granddaughter of George M. Humphrey, who wrote the articles of incorporation for the modern University Hospitals, and many family members have served UH in various capacities.
Through the George M. and Pamela S. Humphrey Fund, Pamela and her husband, Steve, gave $5 million to support the UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Ahuja Center for Women & Children. The Humphrey Women’s Health Center at the UH Rainbow Ahuja Center recognizes that gift. Pam and Steve also made an additional gift to establish the Pamela Butler Keefe and Stephen T. Keefe Chair of Excellence in Academic Pediatrics, which is held by Dr. Amy Middleman.
An accomplished physician, David M. Rosenberg, MD, MPH, specializes in pulmonary diseases, internal medicine and occupational medicine. Dr. Rosenberg is known for his tireless energy, extraordinary medical expertise, and his highly trusted and personalized approach to medicine. Currently, he directs the UH Ahuja Medical Center’s Lung Center and is the Medical Director of the COVID Recovery Clinic there, which he helped establish.
Dr. Rosenberg and his wife, Enid, are incredibly generous supporters of UH and are members of the Samuel Mather Society. In 2010, they made a gift to name the Enid B. and David M. Rosenberg, MD Conference Suite at UH Ahuja. An additional gift enabled the purchase of three ambulances.
A nationally-recognized neurosurgeon, Warren R. Selman, MD, has spent the entirety of his incredible career at UH. He is currently the Neurosurgeon-in-Chief and was the inaugural director of the UH Neurological Institute. Grateful patients and friends established the Warren R. Selman Chair in Neurosurgery in his honor.
While director of the UH Neurological Institute, Dr. Selman helped lead the group’s evolution from traditional separate academic departments to one of the top neurological institutes in the nation, dedicated to providing individualized, integrated, innovative care for patients suffering from disorders affecting the nervous system. Recently, he served as President of the Society of Neurological Surgeons, the oldest professional society of neurosurgery throughout the world.