 | Mr. Schwartz takes a closer look at Dr. Kessler's research. |
Over the past five years, Jim Schwartz (BBA ’47) has donated generously in support of Parkinson’s disease research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Not only a philanthropist, Mr. Schwartz is also a tremendous advocate on behalf of the medical school. When he first considered taking action to advance Parkinson’s disease research, Mr. Schwartz turned to his former daughter-in-law and Northwestern alumna, Karen Pritzker (BA ’80). Like Mr. Schwartz, Ms. Pritzker’s own father also suffers from Parkinson’s disease—both of her children’s grandfathers are affected. She responded to Mr. Schwartz’s request with her own gift. Together, they have given $500,000 to create the James L. Schwartz Fund for Stem Cell and Parkinson’s Research in support of the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology and the work of Department chair, Dr. Jack Kessler. The number of individuals with Parkinson’s disease in the United States is expected to double to 2 million by 2025. Facing such a stark statistic, Mr. Schwartz’s hopes for the fund are optimistic, but pragmatic. He echoes an opinion often heard from scientists that a new treatment for Parkinson’s disease is at least ten years away. Mr. Schwartz acknowledges the efforts and time that are necessary in medical research, emphasizing the need for patient diligence, saying “you cannot be unreasonable with this disease.” His hope is for Dr. Kessler’s work to find a way to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.  | Jim Schwartz (r) and his son Stephen Schwartz listen as Dr. Kessler describes his work.
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As a Northwestern alumnus, Mr. Schwartz has a longtime connection to the University—three generations of Schwartz men have attended the school. Mr. Schwartz decided to support the medical school’s research efforts because, to him, “Northwestern represents an active research program that attracts talented people.” His philanthropy supports outstanding work that holds real, and realistic, promise for the future.
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