The Power of a Name

Story by Holly Prestidge | Photos by Daniel Sangjib Min | Video by Tyler Trumbo

The late Dorothy A. Pauley wasn’t interested in just moving the needle. 

A longtime MCV Foundation trustee and beloved Richmond philanthropist whose family name is synonymous with generosity, she leaned into efforts that transformed lives on a profound scale. Her heart was open and her spirit was genuine, and it’s those attributes that will permeate the newly named Dorothy A. Pauley Department of Urology at the VCU School of Medicine. 

A gift of this magnitude sets us up for transformational change.

Adam Klausner, M.D., Endeavour Legacy Foundation Distinguished Chair in Urology and interim department chair

It is the first named department in VCU history.  

In honor of the care Mrs. Pauley received at VCU Health, her family’s foundation – the Endeavour Legacy Foundation – has made a significant gift to the School of Medicine that stands to propel urology care to new heights. The naming gift follows the department’s elevation last year from a division within the Department of Surgery, where urology has been housed since the 1950s, to a stand-alone department.  

It’s a historic moment full of possibilities for those charged with leading the department into the future. 

“A gift of this magnitude sets us up for transformational change,” said Adam Klausner, M.D., Endeavour Legacy Foundation Distinguished Chair in Urology and interim department chair. Being a stand-alone department, no longer part of the Department of Surgery, “gives us a seat at the table.” The support of the naming gift “allows us to really do the things we need to do to make local, national and international impact and become the top urology program anywhere.”  

The changes this gift has already initiated – plus those planned for the future – are significant. Goals include recruitment and retention of renowned specialists in the field as well as protecting time for faculty to pursue grants. These faculty will also expand the residency training program, and – in collaboration with colleagues at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and across the School of Medicine – advance state-of-the-art clinical care for patients with complex medical needs. Together these initiatives will ensure the department remains a national leader in a rapidly changing field.  

“The benefit of having an endowed department is that it provides financial support that lasts forever,” Dr. Klausner said. “The name Dorothy Pauley will be on our department and those in charge will be able to continue to use those resources and remember what that name meant, because it got us there and it’s going to continue to make us grow.” 

Generosity Inspired by Care  

Dr. Klausner said when he arrived at VCU in 2004, he was one of three physicians in the division of urology.  

Today, the department has 14 faculty, including 10 adult and four pediatric urologists, plus nearly a dozen advanced practice providers and an expanded residency program with 15 residents. 

Recruitment is underway with two new urologic oncologists on board and charged with developing innovative cancer treatment programs through expansion of clinical trials and robotic technology.  

Additionally, searches are underway for a vice chair of urology research and education, a vice chair for clinical operations, additional Ph.D. faculty to advance basic science research and more.  

Beyond people, infrastructure is changing, Dr. Klausner said. Ambulatory operations have been restructured with areas of focus including oncology and sexual health. Within the clinical care arena, VCU Health is the first site in Virginia to offer noninvasive ultrasound treatment for early- to intermediate-stage prostate cancer patients that eliminates the need for invasive surgery or radiation.   

Research has taken off, including a collaborative effort with the VCU Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering to develop novel technologies, particularly non-invasive tools, to study, diagnose and treat overactive bladder. The laboratory of “mechano-urology” in the department was recently awarded $3 million by the National Institutes of Health to explore that condition by differentiating brain activity and bladder influences.  

“This gift has allowed VCU to develop a urology research infrastructure that enables a synergy between research and translational science that we can bring right to the bedside,” said Dr. Klausner, who cared for Mrs. Pauley and helped her and her family navigate several of the matriarch’s health issues.  

He remembers a woman who never complained. He found in her and her family kindred spirits, people who understood that health care was more than medicine.  

For a physician known to answer patients’ calls while sitting in the sand on vacation in Virginia Beach, it was an unexpected but welcome partnership.  

“Health care has become very impersonal, but to have that personal touch where a patient can truly talk to their physician, that’s the legacy we’re building,” Dr. Klausner said. “We are investing in people, just as Dorothy Pauley did.” 

If you would like to support the Department of Urology within the VCU School of Medicine, please contact Andrew Hartley, senior director of development and integrated care, at aphartle@vcu.edu or 804-305-3055.