A Heartfelt Heritage
An alumni couple’s stethoscope endowment fund honors a grandfather’s legacy
By Stacey Bomser
Photography by Colin Lenton
Dr. Jeffrey Jackman calls stethoscopes “one of the most iconic and fundamental tools in medicine.”
W
hen Jeffrey Jackman, M.D. ’97, was accepted by the Miller School, his grandfather, Samuel Seitlin, a lifelong ’Canes supporter, could not have been prouder. To show his excitement, Seitlin took his grandson to the bookstore to buy his first stethoscope, a gift Dr. Jackman cherished throughout medical school and into his professional career.
“Stethoscopes are one of the most iconic and fundamental tools in medicine,” said Dr. Jackman, a cardiologist in Northern Virginia. “Despite all the technological advancements, the stethoscope remains one of the few things that still physically connects physicians to their patients through each examination.”
The profound impact of that simple gift prompted Dr. Jackman and his wife, Melanie Nathanson, M.P.A. ’97, to establish a stethoscope endowment fund honoring Seitlin, who served on the medical school’s board of overseers and founded Seitlin and Company, once Florida’s largest privately held independent insurance agency. The couple hopes to extend to incoming medical students the same sense of pride, confidence and excitement for the future that Dr. Jackman felt upon receiving his stethoscope from his grandfather.
“Sam was such a generous man,” Nathanson said. “If he were alive today, I think he would take every student to the bookstore to buy their first stethoscope. Being able to provide this critical instrument to them and keep the memory of this incredible man front and center is an honor.”
In August, during the John G. Clarkson Freshman White Coat and Pinning Ceremony, each first-year student received a Miller School-branded stethoscope.
“A stethoscope serves as a tangible symbol of the start of a student’s medical education journey and entry into the world of medicine,” said Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School. “We are grateful to Jeff and Melanie for their generosity in establishing this tribute, which will welcome generations of aspiring physicians to the Miller School.”
To support the Miller School of Medicine Stethoscope Fund, click here. 
