Philanthropy runs deep in the Alcus family. Parents Mary Pat and Darren made a point of teaching their children the value of giving their time, talent and treasure. So, it wasn’t surprising when their daughter, Claire Alcus, who recently graduated from the Miller School with her medical degree was drawn to the community-service aspect of the school’s Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Department of Community Service (Wolfson DOCS).
Wolfson DOCS is a student-led outreach program that runs five weekly clinics and nine annual health fairs that provide care to underserved patients throughout South Florida. Shortly after Claire started at the Miller School, the Alcuses, longtime supporters of the higher education institutions they and their children attended, made an initial gift earmarked for the program.
Claire Alcus, M.D. ’26, Caitlin “Katie” Dowell-Esquivel, M.D. ’26, and Cecilia “Ceci” Amaro, M.D.’26 served as the 2025–26 executive directors of Wolfson DOCS.
As Claire got more involved in Wolfson DOCS each year, taking on leadership roles and currently serving as one of the three executive directors, the family wanted to do more. Their response was to initiate a challenge grant through the Wolfson DOCS endowment, knowing that matching funds from the Wolfson Foundation would help it grow.
“We believe strongly in giving to endowments because they give in perpetuity, and a matching funds challenge magnifies that impact,” said Mary Pat, who spent her professional career advising foundations and endowments and now sits on several nonprofit boards. “By leaving a gift of permanence, we are helping sustain a program that plays such a critical role in the health of the community and enhances the Miller School education.”
Wolfson DOCS is a fundamental component of the Miller School experience, with 98% of students participating in its unique hands-on learning opportunities. Endowment gifts have been crucial to its ability to provide ongoing care to individuals in need.
“We believe strongly in giving to endowments because they give in perpetuity, and a matching funds challenge magnifies that impact.”
“The generous funding provided by the Alcuses is invaluable to Wolfson DOCS, as it allows for the provision of key services to the most medically underserved in our community while also providing our students excellent clinical experience,” said Amar Deshpande, M.D. ’02, faculty adviser to Wolfson DOCS, and professor of medicine and senior associate dean for medical education at the Miller School. “Endowments, in particular, allow the program to budget for clinical services perpetually, securing a stable and consistent delivery of care.”
The Alcuses, who also serve on the Miller Parents Council, encourage fellow parents, as well as alumni who benefited from the Wolfson DOCS training, to join them in supporting this one-of-a-kind program.
“Our philanthropic philosophy is to give as meaningfully as one can,” Mary Pat said. “We can think of nothing more important than helping ensure the long-lasting future of the Wolfson DOCS program. By leaving this legacy in honor of Claire’s time here, our family will forever have a connection to the Miller School of Medicine.”
5 Facts
You Need to Know About Wolfson DOCS
The student-run program continues to expand its volunteer services
It has been 55 years since students at the Miller School of Medicine hosted their first health fair in Big Pine Key. Those health fairs eventually evolved into the Department of Community Service, a student-run, nonprofit organization endorsed by the medical school. A generous donation in 2006 formally endowed the program as the Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Department of Community Service (Wolfson DOCS).
Although the program has grown substantially in both size and scope over the years, Wolfson DOCS remains true to its mission: deliver compassionate, high-quality health care to the underserved populations of South Florida through leadership, training and education.
