Virginia Weinman, one of the biggest supporters of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and UH Cancer Center, died peacefully on July 31, 2023, with her husband Barry by her side.
As president of the Weinman Foundation, Virginia was a longstanding champion of medicine and research, and will be remembered for the generosity she showed to UH over decades.
Throughout the years, Virginia and Barry Weinman paved the way for medical student education while simultaneously giving JABSOM leadership the financial freedom to carry out their visions for the medical school.
Among their many contributions to JABSOM:
- Provided 10 students with full medical school scholarships in 2007.
- Establishment of the Weinman Chair in 2008, a resource that previous JABSOM Dean Jerris Hedges and current Interim Dean Lee Buenconsejo-Lum can tap into for their initiatives.
- Offered to match the donations provided by Hawaiʻi Pacific Health and the Queen’s Health System in 2018. Together, the three partners made a multimillion-dollar gift resulting in 23 full-ride scholarships. (Read UH News story)
- Funded a separate cohort of 10 students, known as the “Weinman Scholars,” in 2020. (Read UH News story)
- Provided significant seed funding for JABSOM‘s Learning Communities, launched in 2020. This innovative curriculum brings students together in small groups to augment their MD curriculum and provides wellness support while preparing them for the realities of a medical career.
- Support for the Hawaiʻi H.O.M.E. Project, where JABSOM students provide hands-on, direct care to thousands of houseless people on Oʻahueach year under the guidance of a practicing physician.
“As a very talented and accomplished, pioneering woman in the field of computer science and technology, Virginia clearly had a passion for life-long learning and leading a healthy lifestyle. She particularly enjoyed our Mini-Medical School offerings, and we are so pleased that we were able to reciprocate her generosity with knowledge that she could use herself and share with others,” said Buenconsejo-Lum.
At the UH Cancer Center, Virginia and Barry Weinman generously hosted the Weinman Symposium for the past 14 years, which they co-founded with UH Cancer Center Researcher Michele Carbone. The symposium has become a premier conference on leading edge cancer research for international experts in science and medicine.
“Virginia’s commitment to improving cancer research and care is an honor we hold dearly,” said Naoto T. Ueno, UH Cancer Center director. “Her legacy will forever remind us of the profound impact one individual can have on the lives of many and how through dedication and vision, we can come together to forge a brighter future in the battle against cancer.”
