A Pittsburgh family donated $100,000 to create an endowed fund at the UPMC Division of Cardiology in honor of UPMC cardiologist Dr. Saul Silver. The Myers family wanted to give back in return for the compassionate care that their parents, Annie and Sorel Myers, received from Silver over the past three decades.
Annie and Sorel Myers
“I was touched and speechless when I learned about the gift. There are two kinds of people in this world: givers and takers. I’ve never been good at taking,” said Silver, pictured above with Annie. “When I first heard about this gift, I wanted this to be something special for physician assistants and nurse practitioners – the people who spend so much time with our patients and without whom we could never function.”
As a result of the Myers’ generosity, one physician assistant or nurse practitioner – also called physician extenders – will receive a financial gift in recognition of their compassionate care for cardiac patients. This gift will also recognize leadership skills, commitment to community and empathy towards patients. The recipient can use this award for scholarly activities in cardiology, to attend national conferences and join peer organizations. Silver expects to give the first of these annual awards in the Spring of 2021.
The Division of Cardiology and Silver hope that this fund will help retain talented physician assistants and nurse practitioners to continue serving the Pittsburgh region. “I think they’re the forgotten infantry in this entire health care system,” Silver said.
“When we talked to Saul about doing something to recognize him, he said he wanted to recognize physician extenders who excelled in patient-centered care. That wasn’t surprising to us – that’s the type of person Saul is,” said Simone Karp, Sorel and Annie Myers’ daughter.
“Saul has always been able to interpret, diagnose and solve the most complicated medical challenges with our parents, and he never ceases to amaze us with his knowledge and dedication,” said Rita Rabin, Karp’s sister.
Silver moved to Pittsburgh in 1987 and joined a practice in the Shadyside area. He met the Myers family in 1988 at synagogue and years later became Sorel’s and then Annie’s doctor.
He cared for them both through several challenging health conditions. Sorel died of lung cancer in 2009, but Silver continues caring for Annie to this day.
He encourages everyone in his practice, and everyone he mentors, to practice the same type of patient-centered care that impressed the Myers family. Silver, who is on staff at UPMC Shadyside and sees patients in the new West Mifflin outpatient center, hopes this fund will inspire future physician assistants and nurse practitioners to treat every patient like family.
Fund contributors include family members of Sorel and Annie Myers: Lloyd and Debbie Myers, Andy and Rita Rabin, Fran Darling and Joe Haguel and the Karp Family Foundation.
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