Former NEOMED President Jay Gershen’s Impact Remembered

“A real connector with people, a good listener and very inquisitive.” Those are qualities that former Northeast Ohio Medical University board chair J. David Heller associates with former NEOMED President Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., who passed away Nov. 12, aged 74, from lymphoma and related complications.

Heller and other spoke with the Cleveland Jewish News about Dr. Gershen, who retired from NEOMED in 2019.

Daniel Blain, vice president of advancement and president of the NEOMED Foundation, praised Dr. Gershen’s leadership, noting, “He was always seen as someone above the fray who could bring together diverse people in the community.”

Dr. Gershen’s widow, Carol Cannon, said, “He always said he liked to work from the back of the room, meaning he would work with others to achieve a common goal, bring people along and enlist them in the vision that he was helping to create.”

Read about Dr. Gershen’s impact and legacy in the full story published by the Cleveland Jewish News.

To maximize the continued impact of Dr. Gershen’s hard work, the NEOMED Foundation has established a new scholarship fund in his memory. The scholarship will be awarded annually to one or more students from an underrepresented minority group studying in any NEOMED program. The scholarship is a way to honor the legacy of Dr. Gershen, who throughout his career was a passionate advocate for increasing diversity in the health professions.

To make a gift, please visit neomed.edu/give (and select the Jay A. Gershen scholarship from the drop-down menu) or send a check payable to the NEOMED Foundation at 4209 State Route 44, Rootstown, OH 44272. Please be sure to indicate on the check that it is a gift in memory of Dr. Gershen.