Medicine Alum Celebrates School’s Impact on His Family

VCU School of Medicine alum Seth Forman, M.D., traveled this spring to the MCV Campus from Tampa, Florida, to mark two occasions — his 20th class reunion and the 50th class reunion of his late father Arthur Forman, M.D., who graduated from the School of Medicine in 1972.

The younger Dr. Forman, a dermatologist, graduated in 2002 and stayed on the MCV Campus through 2006 while he completed his residency training. During the reunion weekend’s festivities, Dr. Forman and his wife Hannah attended the 50-year memorial service at Monumental Church to hear his father’s name read aloud by a classmate.

“I can’t put into words how my wife and I felt,” Dr. Forman said. “If anyone has the opportunity to experience that — unfortunately, it wasn’t for the best reason — but they should certainly observe that ceremony. It was very moving.”

Dr. Forman connected across generations of classmates at the 2002 class party and later at the 50-year Grand Alumni Society Induction Brunch. He started Reunion Weekend with a tour of the Department of Dermatology, where he was thrilled to see professor emeritus Kenneth Blaylock, M.D., Class of 1958, continuing to make an impact for today’s residents and patients.

The excellence that began with MCV must be maintained. Medical education must be accessible and affordable for the next generation who will care for us.

Seth Forman, M.D., VCU School of Medicine, Class of 2002

In recent years, Hannah and Seth Forman established an endowed fund in dermatology to be used at the chair’s discretion for the department’s most pressing needs. They’ve also made a planned gift through a beneficiary designation and supported scholarships through the School of Medicine Annual Fund with a gift in honor of the Class of 1972 and Seth’s late father Dr. Arthur Forman.

At Reunion Weekend, Hannah and Seth were inspired to begin planning for yet another gift. If you’re interested in learning more about gift planning, visit our planned giving website to find more information.

Our institution needs us,” Dr. Forman said. “Medical school is not just a four-year relationship; we must not short-change our alma mater and ourselves. We must continue to nurture our medical school. The excellence that began with MCV must be maintained. Medical education must be accessible and affordable for the next generation who will care for us. And we must be an example to others to demonstrate appreciation. Hannah and I are thankful for and appreciative of MCV for my experience and that of my father.”

How It Works: Planned Gifts through Beneficiary Designations

The process to make plan a gift through a beneficiary designation was easy for Hannah and Seth Forman.

If you are considering including a gift for the MCV Campus in your estate, simply name Medical College of Virginia Foundation as a beneficiary or partial beneficiary of your retirement plan, life insurance policy, commercial annuity, financial account or donor advised fund.

For many people, the most tax advantaged way to make a gift through their estate is by naming MCV Foundation as a beneficiary of their retirement plan and leaving other less-taxed assets to their heirs.

The steps are easy:

If you would like to support the School of Medicine’s Department of Dermatology, please contact Jodi T. Smith, director of development, by calling 804-628-2248 or emailing jodi.smith@vcuhealth.org.