Making Sure the Kids Are All Right

Bernie and Billi Marcus long have been advocates for the children of Georgia, investing in organizations that improve the health and safety of young people in the state. Continuing the tradition, the Marcus Foundation has given more than $11 million to the Department of Pediatrics in Emory University School of Medicine.

The gift creates the Marcus Society in Pediatrics, a partnership of faculty experts who specialize in cystic fibrosis, infectious diseases, juvenile arthritis, heart disease, and many other areas.

“This is a remarkable investment in the future of our department and the future of Georgia’s children,” said Barbara Stoll, George W. Brumley Jr. Professor, chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and president and CEO of the Emory-Children’s Center.

The Marcus Society comprises and is the “intellectual home” for fifteen Marcus Professors in Pediatrics—six funded by a previous gift and nine funded by the most recent one.

The Marcus Society also hosts an annual visiting scholar. The Marcus professorships represent the greatest concentration of these distinguished academic positions funded by a single donor in any one area at Emory.

“We hope the Marcus Society will be a game changer for pediatrics in Georgia by bringing together enterprising minds to tackle complex medical issues affecting our children,” says Bernie Marcus, who cofounded Home Depot and chairs the Marcus Foundation.