The University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center recently announced its nationally recognized cardiac program will be named in honor of local philanthropists Sandra and Malcolm Berman.
The Bermans’ recent gift to UM St. Joseph represents the second largest in the Towson hospital’s 156-year history. The Sandra R. Berman Heart Institute will be formally dedicated this summer.
The undisclosed gift to UM St. Joseph supports the purchase and installation of the hospital’s first state-of-the-art, 256-slice CT scanner, a game-changer for quickly and accurately diagnosing critical cardiac and other life-threatening conditions. (In 1982, UM St. Joseph became the first community hospital in the state to perform open heart surgery.)
Founders of the 14-year-old, Pikesville-based Sandra & Malcolm Berman Charitable Foundation, the couple are known throughout Baltimore and the region for their philanthropic support of health care organizations and other charitable endeavors.
“I have personally seen lives saved by the outstanding cardiac surgeons at UM St. Joseph. It is an incredible honor to have the Heart Institute named for me,” said Sandra Berman, president of the foundation and a member of the Cardiac Integrated Care Committee at UM St. Joseph.
The Berman Heart Institute provides a continuum of cardiac care that includes open heart surgery, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement and a specialized TAVR procedure suite, a cardiac surgery unit, an all-digital cardiac catheterization laboratory and a 20-bed cardiac unit.
The institute is a designated Cardiac Interventional Center and an EMS Base Station by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems.
“We are profoundly grateful to the Bermans for their tremendous gift, made even more significant because of the countless lives it will save,” said Dr. Thomas B. Smyth, president and CEO of UM St. Joseph Medical Center. “Their kindness will enable UM St. Joseph to further expand our leadership in cardiac care, providing rapid diagnosis and advanced treatment for patients with complex and chronic heart issues. To have such committed partners as Sandra and Malcolm Berman at our side as we serve our patients and our community is an inestimable blessing.”
Said Malcolm Berman: “Sandy and I are impressed by UM St. Joseph’s legacy of excellence in cardiac treatment and their committed focus on high-quality patient care. We are proud to support them in their worthwhile work.”
Founded in 1864 by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, the UM St. Joseph Medical Center is a 218-bed Catholic, not-for-profit regional medical center.
Ray Daue, chair of the UM St. Joseph Foundation Board, called the Bermans’ gift “a momentous investment in the cardiac health of our community and will allow UM St. Joseph to continue to invest in technology, training and specialized staff that keep us on the forefront of cardiac care, bringing the most advanced options and lifesaving research to more patients than ever.”
A committed philanthropist and community leader, Russel was president of R&H Motors.
The mother of four was a native of Winchester, Virginia, who spent most of her life in Northwest Baltimore.
The remaining 6,000 members of the community are expected to immigrate by 2030.
The Columbia resident worked on the Gemini and Apollo space missions.