The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation was established with a simple but powerful mission: to give back. The private family foundation is committed to sustaining vibrant, healthy communities through support of transformative organizations. MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is honored to be among these partners.
As longtime supporters of MedStar Georgetown’s work, the Marriott family has recently deepened its investment in the physical and programmatic future of our care community. This past fall, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation granted $2 million to support the construction of our new Medical/Surgical Pavilion. The Foundation coupled this extraordinary investment with a $1 million Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery endowment. This endowment will increase the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery’s capacity to maintain technological resources and research infrastructure, as well as attract the most talented physicians and medical students from around the world.
Under the direction of Richard E. Marriott and J. W. Marriott Jr., the Foundation’s board is composed of descendants of J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott, original founders of the hospitality company that bears the family’s name. The Marriott family’s gifts to MedStar Georgetown stem from a commitment to health equity and their personal appreciation for care received at the Hospital.
“MedStar Georgetown University Hospital has done so much to support the health of our community, including my family,” explains Richard Marriott. “We believe that every person deserves access to the kind of superior medical care we have experienced here firsthand. Through our philanthropic support, we hope to grow the Hospital’s lifesaving efforts.”
The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation’s investment will yield tangible results. “We are deeply grateful for the Marriott family’s comprehensive investment,” says Pam Maroulis, the Hospital’s vice president of Philanthropy. “The leadership conveyed by this significant contribution to our Medical/Surgical Pavilion helps to set the tone for our $112 million philanthropy campaign.”
Bruce Davidson, MD, chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, notes that this gift will increase capacity for medical innovation. “The family’s support of our department will drive further clinical advancement that will help our patients. There is no question that we will see the impact of this generosity for years to come.”
H. Jeffrey Kim, MD, a neurotologist/otologist who specializes in ear disorders, underscores how important this investment will be to clinician training and patient care. "The generosity of the Marriotts will have significant impact on the medical education and innovative research for our next generation of otolaryngologists at Georgetown, and it will also enable us to support medical missionary work,” he says.
In addition to these most recent investments, funding from The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation is already fueling other important care initiatives. In 2016, the Foundation made a $6 million, five-year commitment to the Early Childhood Innovation Network (ECIN). Led by MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Children’s National Health System, ECIN works to improve the academic, physical, and mental health trajectories of Washington, D.C.,’s most vulnerable children.
Inspired by the Marriott family’s donation? There are countless ways that MedStar Georgetown patients can support our efforts to provide world-class care. Be it through gifts of time, talent, or treasure, we all have
something to give back to our community.
