Honoring a Life of Service
The Morris N. Broad Distinguished Professorship is named to honor the life and service of Morris N. Broad, who was known among his family and friends for his personal warmth, excellent judgment, and enthusiastic support of basic neuroscience research.
A philanthropist and former president of American Savings and Loan, Broad served as Director and Vice President of the Ruth K. Biomedical Research Foundation, Inc., from its inception in 1988 until his death in 2016. The Foundation honors the memory of Ruth K. Broad, Morris Broad’s mother, and aims to expand knowledge to understand the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and work toward a cure by funding research in the neurosciences.
In the early 1990s, the Foundation became a support corporation of Duke University. It is managed through the office of Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs, and the board of directors is made up of Broad family members, physicians and scientists, and Duke advisors.
When Morris passed away, the directors of the Ruth K. Broad Foundation felt strongly that there should be a lasting tribute to him at Duke to honor his dedication to fighting Alzheimer’s disease. As such, the Broad professorship was endowed with assets from the Ruth K. Broad Foundation. Additionally, Morris’s sister, Ann Bussel, and Ann’s children, Deborah Bussel, Karen Berman, John Bussel, and Dan Bussel, directed a gift from the Shepard Broad Foundation to Duke to help co-create the professorship. The Shepard Broad Foundation, of which Morris Broad was chairman for many years, was created by Morris and Ann’s father, Shepard Broad, and has provided philanthropic support to hospitals, universities, and other charities throughout Florida and elsewhere.
“The combined efforts of the Ruth K. Broad Foundation and the Shepard Broad Foundation to provide support for an exceptional neuroscience researcher at Duke would have pleased my brother greatly,” says Morris’s sister Ann Bussel. “He was a wonderful brother, and I’m so glad we could do this for him.”
The Morris N. Broad Distinguished Professorship is vacant. The School of Medicine looks forward to filling this professorship in the near future.