The establishment of an ICEC Mentorship Endowment fund by Paul Kaplan

Paul Kaplan, son of Dr. Henry Kaplan and Leah Lebeson Kaplan, passed away in June 2021 from cancer. Prior to his death, Paul had demonstrated a decades-long interest in human service and cancer care to the underserved globally.

Paul Kaplan, in discussions with his sister Ann Kaplan and her husband, Robert Spears, and through them, with Norm Coleman, generously bequeathed a portion of his estate to the International Cancer Expert Corps Mentorship Program. Paul, who had a nearly 40-year long friendship with Norm, designated that the fund would be named the C. Norman Coleman / Paul Kaplan Endowment Fund for Mentorship.

Building on a highly successful management model of an endowment related to cancer research in Boston, the endowment fund will be managed by the ICEC Endowment Committee, which will oversee the investment and strive to achieve a predictable and ideally growing level of funds to support ICEC-sponsored mentoring relationships and ICEC Twinning Programs. The specifics of the mentorship program and the performance review process are designed to further knowledge related to cancer care for health-disparities populations globally and to enable young health professionals to pursue careers in that aspect of global health. The Endowment Committee will determine the annual amount of funds to be awarded and, with scientific guidance, will select awardees for all research grants in accordance with parameters approved by the ICEC Board of Directors.

ICEC welcomes and encourages additional contributions to grow the fund, enabling more granting opportunities in the future.

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