“If you train other people to do things well and they do things well even when they’re no longer associated with you, the reality is you’ve helped to give them the foundation so they could do things well into the future,” she said. 

The first recipient of the Rebecca E. Barchas, M.D. Professorship of Translational Psychiatry is Dr. Andrew Pieper. 

Pieper and his team of student and post-graduate researchers are investigating neurological degeneration. A focus right now is the blood-brain barrier, which Pieper said can break down with age, illness or injury, leaving the brain vulnerable to toxins from the blood and other potential issues. He said that can kill brain cells. 

The particular research is so new, Pieper said it’s not financially supported through traditional methods, which can take a long time to receive. 

“The funding from an endowed chair allows you to pivot very quickly in new directions and decide to study something right away, rather than having to go through a several-month-long process to secure funding,” he said. 

The professorship set up by Barchas provides some financial stability for the lab and empowers the researchers to pursue their hypotheses, hoping to affect lives in the future. 

“I hope that people can understand what a huge difference philanthropy can make in terms of pushing science forward in new, innovative directions,” Pieper said. 

“I know this chair will have impact,” Barchas said. “It will continuously have the potential for real good and, at times, for real greatness. And that thrills me.”

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story misspelled Dr. Andrew Pieper's name. This has been corrected. (10/03/2022)