If you’re ever in Charlotte, North Carolina, chances are a local will recommend a visit to Serenity Garden. The four-acre property contains azaleas, waterfalls, and art installations that blend seamlessly with nature and was home to Patrick “Pat” Reames, M.D. and his wife, Patsy.

Now, Patsy is ensuring Pat’s influence extends beyond Serenity Garden — to Johns Hopkins, where he trained as a radiologist in the early 1960s under Russell H. Morgan.

In appreciation of the training and opportunities Pat received at Hopkins, he and his wife, Patsy, were dedicated supporters of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Department of Radiology for two decades through annual, current-use giving. Shortly after Pat’s passing, Patsy sought a lasting way to honor his legacy. She established The Patrick M. Reames, M.D., Fund, an endowment that will provide resources to advance clinical care and education.

Less than a year later, Patsy deepened her support with a transformative estate gift, which will create two new endowed funds — The Patrick and Patsy Reames Professorship in Radiology and The Patrick and Patsy Reames Research Fund.

“I felt so blessed being married to Pat, and he was such an exceptional person,” Patsy says, “I wanted to do something to honor him.”

The commitment from the Reames estate marks the largest gift in the Department of Radiology and Radiological Science’s history. Karen Horton, MD, the Martin W. Donner Professor and department director, emphasizes the critical role of philanthropy in radiology.

“Clinician-scientists play an essential role in translating research into real-world treatments, but to do that effectively, they need funding to protect their time from daily clinical demands,” she says, adding an endowed professorship allows faculty to spend more time on groundbreaking research.

Because much of radiology happens behind the scenes, Horton notes, the field often faces challenges in attracting philanthropy.

“Most departments have grateful patients, but there can be a disconnect between patients and radiologists,” she says. “Radiology is integral to care, but you don’t necessarily know us. Most of the time, we’re just a name on the report.”

Patrick Reames and his wife Patsy Reames in Charlotte, NC 2023.

The resources from the Reames’ gifts will help equip trainees with the skills they need to navigate a rapidly evolving field. Funding will allow residents to learn from outside experts in artificial intelligence and the business of radiology, critical areas shaping the future of the specialty.

For Patsy, a trained nurse, the rapid evolution of medicine is both remarkable and inspiring.

“Life has just mushroomed with technology,” she says. “I haven’t studied radiology, but it's life-changing. People are living longer.”

Pat, who trained at Hopkins during what Horton calls “the golden years” of radiology, embraced new technology throughout his career. That depth of knowledge and generosity defined Pat, both as a radiologist and as a mentor. Now, Patsy hopes his legacy will continue through the endowments in both their names. In addition to celebrating her husband, the funds will also honor her memory and enduring philanthropic impact, ensuring that her generosity continues to support meaningful initiatives for generations to come.

“I want to keep his memory alive,” she says. “In 10 years, it would be wonderful if a student might look at a picture and say, ‘This is Dr. Reames, who the professorship is named after, and this is the kind of person he was.’"