Renn Becomes Mountaineer Mentor

Joseph Renn (M.D. Class of 64), and his wife Robin, established a scholarship for doctor of medicine students through the Mountaineer Mentor Program. Dr. Renn commented, “We have been blessed financially and wanted to give back to the School. Drawing from my experience in medical school and in the profession, we can help build confidence in the students so they can deal with the many challenges they’ll face. We’re proud to be Mountaineer Mentors and look forward to supporting our students throughout their four years of medical school.”

Thanks to the support of the Renns, and other Mountaineer Mentors, students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to realize their dreams of becoming physicians, can do so. Mountaineer Mentors no­­t only provide financial support, they have a relationship with their students, lending real-world experience to their medical education.

Fukushima Honored by New Endowed Chair

The Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust pledged $1.5 million to establish an endowed chair at the new Fukushima Center for Advanced Brain Surgery at West Virginia University.

The chair honors celebrated WVU neurosurgeon Takanori Fukushima, MD, DMSc, and will support neurosurgery practice, research, and teaching at WVU for generations to come. A new 248-seat auditorium in the HSC Learning Center was also named in honor of Dr. Fukushima.

Internationally known for his clinical work and research in microsurgery, cranial base neurosurgery, and minimally invasive neurosurgical techniques, Fukushima attracts patients from around the globe who seek out his expertise and skill. He currently serves as professor of neurosurgery at WVU and at Duke University and serves as co-director of the International Neurosurgery Education Foundation.

Previous gifts from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust and its founder, Mrs. Hazel Ruby McQuain, established four other chairs at the WVU School of Medicine. McQuain, who died in 2002 at the age of 92, also made an $8 million gift toward the construction of Ruby Memorial Hospital, named for her late husband, J.W. Ruby.