Jean Elrick, MD: Creating a Legacy as a Physician and a Donor

Jean Elrick, MD, remembers her first day at Massachusetts General Hospital. She was a third year Harvard Medical School student embarking on her first clinical rotation. “I remember leaving the hospital that first day, standing out front and thinking that this is the place to be. I do not need to be anywhere else for my career.”

In her 27 years at Mass General, Dr. Elrick has seen the hospital from almost every side — student, physician, patient and administrator. She joined the medical staff of Mass General in 1991 after completing a surgery internship, an anesthesia residency and a fellowship in critical care medicine. Currently, as senior vice president, Administration, she is responsible for hospital operations and three clinical departments, including oversight of 2,900 employees.

She has seen many changes in medicine. Dr. Elrick recalls that in 1986, “the only scrubs stocked in the women’s locker rooms in the OR were dresses. Three other female surgical residents and I changed that.” It was also a time of few computers. “An enterprising resident would learn where the labs were and how to print out results instead of waiting for the paper report to make its way to the floor,” she says.

One thing that has not changed is the culture of the hospital. “There is tremendous respect for the patient care, research, education and community service mission of the hospital,” explains Dr. Elrick. “People know that they are part of something great here. Mass General is a place that has been made over 200 years. Each generation tries to contribute to the culture that they find when arriving here and strives to make it a little bit better.”

In addition to working here, Dr. Elrick is a Mass General donor. “Philanthropy allows you to create a legacy whether your name is put on something or not,” explains Dr. Elrick. “At Mass General, you know that your donations are being put to good use to fulfill the hospital’s mission. In my role, I see firsthand the extraordinary breadth of activities at the hospital, and how philanthropy is being used to support those endeavors.”

“I have included Mass General in my estate plan,” adds Dr. Elrick. “It is a good way for me to give back to an institution that has been so important to me as a patient, physician and executive. My gift is unrestricted, because times change, and the greatest need of the hospital when it receives my gift might not be definable today. I would like to be a role model for colleagues to give back to the institution that has been so pivotal in their careers and to encourage others to step forward and become Phillips Society members.”