Honoring Philanthropy at Annual Society of 1866 Celebration

2025 Honorees, from left: Pierre Lavertu, MD; Robert R. Shenk, MD; and Patti and Ernie Novak

The Cleveland Museum of Art welcomed nearly 400 University Hospitals friends and benefactors on September 8, 2025, for the Annual Society of 1866 Celebration. In recognition for their incredible generosity and commitment to Northeast Ohio, Patti and Ernie Novak were honored with Samuel L. Mather Visionary Award. Robert R. Shenk, MD, and Pierre Lavertu, MD, received the 2025 Distinguished Physician Award.

Samuel Mather Visionary Award: Patti and Ernie Novak

When it comes to giving back, Patti and Ernie Novak have a simple philosophy—they consider the Northeast Ohio community family. University Hospitals has been the grateful recipient of that approach for many years.

In 2024, Patti and Ernie made a significant gift to Because of You: The Campaign for University Hospitals to support construction of the new Iris S. and Bert L. Wolstein Center as well as the caregiver education, training and simulation programming that will occur there. The Patti and Ernie Novak Executive Board Room within the center will be named in recognition of their support. Ernie is also helping lead the campaign to fully philanthropically fund the project. A portion of their gift will also benefit breast cancer patient care at UH Seidman Cancer Center.

Their past support includes the creation of the Ernie and Patti Novak Distinguished Chair in Health Care Leadership, an endowed position held by Daniel I. Simon, MD, President, Academic & External Affairs and UH Chief Scientific Officer.

Among UH’s most loyal advocates, Ernie joined the UH Board of Directors in 1999 and was the inaugural chair of the UH Cleveland Medical Center Board of Directors while Patti, a passionate supporter of UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s, was a founding member of the Naples Circle of Friends in Naples, Florida. Today, Ernie is an active executive cabinet member for Because of You, UH’s current $2 billion campaign.

UH Distinguished Physician Award: Robert R. Shenk, MD

Over his nearly 40-year career as a breast surgeon, Robert R. Shenk, MD, created a following amongst his patients and colleagues for not just his incredible skill as a physician, but for his compassion and understanding. Dr. Shenk retired in 2024 after serving as Medical Director of the Breen Breast Health Pavilion and as the inaugural Maryann Z. and Larry Kennedy Chair in Breast Cancer Prevention and Early Intervention. He spent his career committed to finding ways to cure cancer and reduce the impact of breast cancer through early screenings.

Dr. Shenk helped develop the health system’s first breast center at UH MacDonald Women’s Hospital and thanks to the High-Risk Breast Cancer Program he developed, more people were identified for screening and prevention through genetic identification and markers. His clinical research included identifying prognostic factors for breast cancer and developing new diagnostic methods, such as the early use of PET scans.

He was instrumental in training the next generation of breast surgeons through the Breast Surgery Fellowship program. Thanks to his work as a quality monitor for the Commission on Cancer, UH Seidman Cancer Center experienced high patient satisfaction numbers.

UH Distinguished Physician Award: Pierre Lavertu, MD

Pierre Lavertu, MD, is considered a giant in the field of head and neck surgery and oncology. Dr. Lavertu joined UH Cleveland Medical Center in 1998 as Director of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology. He now serves as Vice-Chairman of Academic Affairs for the Ear, Nose & Throat Institute in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and is the Homer D. W. Chisholm and Gertrude Kalnow Chisholm Chair in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at UH Seidman Cancer Center.

Dr. Lavertu has spent his entire career treating head and neck cancer patients. He was instrumental in creating a multidisciplinary tumor board and building active head and neck oncology programs that serve as leading regional referral centers. Along with two of his colleagues, he developed the first regimen of concurrent chemotherapy and radiation for head and neck cancer as we know it today.

To date, Dr. Lavertu has authored more than 100 publications, mainly related to the treatment of head and neck tumors and cancers and delivered more than 200 lectures. He is a member of numerous otolaryngology societies, has served as a reviewer for many journals and is on the editorial board of three major journals.