University Times

The Maurice Falk Medical Fund has donated $1.5 million to endow the Philip Hallen Chair in Community Health and Social Justice in Pitt's School of Social Work and Graduate School of Pub lic Health.

In announcing the grant, Sigo Falk, chairman of the Falk Medical Fund Board, said that the fund was intended to "honor the life work of Phil Hallen in the human rights field" upon his retirement after 35 years as the fund's president. "This professorship will embody the foundation values and programs developed under Phil's leadership, and the board's commitment to social justice since the fund's creation in 1960," Falk said.

Hallen has served as president of the Falk Fund since 1963. The fund has named Hallen president emeritus, effective March 1. In that capacity, he will continue consulting activities and involvement with many local and national organizations associated wit h the fund's work.

A portion of the income generated by the endowment will be used to support conferences, symposia, films, videos or other forms of outreach organized by the Hallen Chair holder.

Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg cited two of the defining features of the professorship. "The first is its reflection of Phil Hallen's commitment to racial justice, particularly as played out historically in Falk grants to many areas in the University of Pi ttsburgh," he said. "The second is the ground-breaking action by the fund's trustees in naming this chair in honor of their CEO. This innovative departure honors the fund's long-time president in a way that we at the University find particularly satisfyin g because of Phil Hallen's long personal relationship with dozens of our administrators, faculty and students."

The Falk Medical Fund is a grant-making foundation incorporated in 1960 as an outgrowth of the Maurice and Laura Falk Foundation, which was established in 1929. For more than 30 years, the fund's focus has been social policy related to mental health, comm unity health, civil rights and minorities issues.

Since 1960, the fund has awarded more than $15 million targeted to the elimination of racism and the creation of programs that combined research in psychiatry and mental health with issues of racism, prejudice, violence and bigotry.