Western Connecticut Health Network has received two seven-figure gifts to establish endowed chairs in palliative care, and innovation and research, the healthcare network anchored by Danbury, New Milford and Norwalk hospitals announced this week.
Greg Smith of Westport gave a seven-figure gift, specific amount of which was not released, to advance WCHN’s palliative care program through the establishment of the Andrew Cruz Endowed Chair in Palliative Care. Smith lost his cousin, Andrew, to colon cancer when Cruz was in his 20s. The inaugural chair is Dr. Damanjeet Chaubey, the medical director of palliative care and denial management at WCHN.
Smith is president and CEO of Maplewood Senior Living, which owns and operates senior living communities nationally. He is a member of WCHN’s strategic planning committee and the Norwalk Hospital Foundation board.
Robert Bedoukian of Redding and president of Bedoukian Research established the Bedoukian Endowed Chair in Innovation and Research with a $1 million gift from Bedoukian Research. The inaugural chair is Joann Petrini, executive director of innovation and research at WCHN. Bedoukian is a founding member of the WCHN biomedical research advisory board and now chairs the innovation and research council.
