Mark Pickelmann and Anita Marcott
When Anita Marcott’s late husband, Mark Pickelmann, needed a heart transplant, he was initially turned away from local hospitals in their home state of Michigan. The couple found care for Mark at UChicago Medicine.
Valluvan Jeevanandam, MD, professor of surgery and director of the heart and vascular center, successfully performed Mark’s heart transplant after giving him a clinical trial device, the NuPulse, as a bridge to transplant.
“Dr. Jeevanandam gave Mark an extra year and a half of life,” said Anita.
Jeevanandam is an expert in high-risk cardiac surgery. He has pioneered and developed numerous procedures and devices that have advanced the care of thousands of patients around the world, including performing the first in-human implant of NuPulse.
Over the course of a long and internationally recognized career, Jeevanandam has performed more than 1,000 heart transplants, and is known for helping patients who have been turned away by other doctors or institutions either because of the complexity or severity of their condition, or because they are underinsured.
I was so excited to give to the hospital and know that these gifts can potentially help thousands of patients.
Anita Marcott
While UChicago Medicine is world-renowned for the quality of its cardiac surgery program, which includes over a decade of experience in robotic cardiac surgery, and the best survival rate for heart transplant patients in the country, Anita also witnessed the cardiac and vascular team’s deep commitment to patient care.
“I’ve never been around so many kind people,” Anita said, remembering the long ordeal of her husband’s admittance and surgery, and the nurse who stayed with her the whole time. “I had never been treated so well. Every hour someone from the surgical area called to update me. The kindness and care continued even after Mark’s death, as several nurses and other employees remained in contact and offered support.”
Shortly after Mark’s death, Anita contacted Jeevanandam to discuss sponsoring a medical research project which would have a meaningful impact. They reviewed several potential projects and agreed on a gift to accelerate the development of a biobank, a repository where biospecimens, including bodily fluids and tissue, are collected for research studies. Biobanks are vital resources—the information researchers gain from specimens can be combined with information on patient health and outcomes to understand heart diseases and improve treatment options.
After the initial development of the physical space and protocols for acquiring, documenting, and storing specimens, Anita recently learned that the biobank had added specimens from partner hospitals, including Comer Children’s Hospital. This knowledge was particularly meaningful to her because of her long career working with special needs children, and moved her to expand the impact of her giving by formalizing plans for an estate gift.
In addition to providing the foundation for new research, the biobank plays a key role in the Heart and Vascular Center (HVC) Mentorship Program, which introduces South Side high school juniors and seniors to a variety of healthcare careers. The program, launched by Jeevanandam in 2020, aims to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals through various hands-on, real-world workshops and activities at UChicago Medicine. The HVC Biobank is among the array of research resources and opportunities students can observe and use.
On her most recent annual visit to hear updates on the research, Anita also brought a colleague’s daughter, a high school student who had expressed interest in a career in cardiac surgery. The student met the team and came away motivated and excited about her career plans.
Anita also plans to make annual gifts in addition to her recent gift and estate bequest. “I thought about how I could take this tragedy of my husband’s death and turn it into something good,” she said. “I was so excited to give to the hospital and know that these gifts can potentially help thousands of patients.”
