The Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine will establish a new endowed chair thanks to a legacy gift from Trude Kahn Hollander, M.D. A longtime friend of the UC San Diego Shiley Eye Center, which houses the department, Hollander has made arrangements in her estate plan to fund the Dr. Trude K. Hollander Endowed Chair. The endowment will support a faculty member in the Division of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

“We appreciate Dr. Hollander’s generosity for choosing the UC San Diego Shiley Eye Center to leave her lasting legacy toward our future growth, innovation and success,” said Robert N. Weinreb, M.D., director of the Shiley Eye Center.

Recognized internationally as a leader in patient care, teaching and research, the UC San Diego Division of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has pioneered operations and techniques that have become the standard in the field of oculofacial plastic surgery—a specialty that focuses on disorders of the eyelids, orbits, face and lacrimal system. The establishment of the Dr. Trude K. Hollander Endowed Chair will help the division to attract and retain a leading faculty member in this specialty. At UC San Diego, endowed chairs created by philanthropic gifts provide chair holders with funding support for teaching and research. As endowments, these funds live on in perpetuity.

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Hollander first became aware of the division’s work when she came to the Shiley Eye Center as a patient in the late 1990s. She got to know Don O. Kikkawa, M.D., chief of the Division of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and they remained close friends.

“Dr. Don Kikkawa is and always has been the perfect example of a true physician who makes a difference,” said Hollander. “He has an extraordinary pair of hands and eyes which bring healing for the most complicated and rare eye conditions. He has been my idol from the moment I met him.”

Hollander completed her medical degree in Bonn, Germany in 1936; she was one of four women to graduate in a class of 120. She left Germany before World War II to complete her internship at Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco, then moved to Massachusetts and became board certified in gynecology. She met her late husband, Alfred, a prominent dermatologist, while practicing in Springfield. Hollander enjoyed a 45-year career in medicine before the couple retired to San Diego in 1979. This year, she celebrated her 104th birthday.

“Trude is an extraordinary person,” said Kikkawa. “Her grace, beauty and generosity are unparalleled. I have been extremely blessed to be her friend and am so touched and grateful for her kindness.”

At UC San Diego, the Office of Gift Planning offers a variety of ways to make an impact and create a legacy on campus. From including a bequest in a will or living trust, to designating UC San Diego as a beneficiary of a retirement account, to making a gift of an appreciated security that will provide income for life, planned gifts can help individuals achieve financial as well as philanthropic goals. To learn more, visit giftplanning.ucsd.edu.