Chapman Foundation renews gift to support humanistic medicine at UF
Full-tuition scholarship makes a difference for passionate medical students
Reed Popp
For Reed Popp, a third-year medical student at the University of Florida, receiving the Jules B. Chapman, MD, Endowed Scholarship — the only full-tuition scholarship awarded by the college — was a life-changing experience.
“It has granted me the freedom to pursue my career aspirations without the burden of financial constraints,” Popp said. “This scholarship has enabled me to focus on my studies and my passion for ophthalmology.”
With a particular interest in addressing treatable blindness, such as cataracts, he hopes to participate in mission trips to assist those who lack access to necessary resources.
Popp’s decision to pursue a career in medicine was driven by a desire to serve the most vulnerable communities and to uphold the legacy of his late father, James D. Popp, MD, a rheumatologist who completed his medical residency in internal medicine at UF.
“Looking to the future, I am committed to making a significant impact in the field of medicine through providing care to communities and contributing to global health efforts,” he said.
The scholarship has also reshaped his views on philanthropy, underscoring the importance of giving back and supporting others. This is exactly what the Jules B. Chapman, MD, and Annie Lou Chapman Foundation had envisioned decades ago. Today, it is why the foundation recently renewed a five-year gift to the College of Medicine in support of the Jules B. Chapman, MD Endowed Scholarship, the Chapman Fund for Humane Care, Equal Access Clinic Network, and the Chapman Healing Garden at Wilmot Botanical Gardens.
A shared vision
Annie Lou Chapman and Dr. Robert Watson
The Chapman Foundation’s support for the college began shortly after the death of ophthalmologist Jules B. Chapman, MD, in 1991. His wife wanted to honor their shared vision of promoting humanism in medicine. She reached out to the college deans and expressed their wish to create a unique interprofessional program that would bring together medical and nursing students for shared learning experiences.
During a visit with Allen H. Neims, MD, then dean of the UF College of Medicine and now professor emeritus in the department of pharmacology and therapeutics, and Robert Watson, MD, then senior associate dean for medical education, who later became her physician, Chapman shared her vision and instantly connected with Neims and Watson. Her first decision was to create a scholarship fund for talented and compassionate medical students.
With her second gift, Chapman established the Chapman Humanism Fund, leading to the formation of the Chapman Humanism Society. This fund paved the way for the Chapman Society, a select group of fourth-year medical students primarily chosen by their peers for their outstanding compassion and professionalism.
The Equal Access Clinic Network is another transformative initiative supported, in part, by the Chapman Foundation, which created an endowment to help ensure its sustainability.
In 1988, a group of motivated medical students had the idea for the Equal Access Clinic. With the help of Watson, they created a plan to open a weekly clinic offering medical care to those without access.
The clinic opened its doors in 1992 and over the decades has grown into four walk-in primary care clinics that provide free medical care in the community.
“It’s become something I couldn’t even imagine,” Watson said.
The Chapman legacy
Bob Watson, M.D., right, and Annie Lou Chapman, left
After her husband’s death, Chapman dedicated the final two decades of her life to advancing compassionate care in medicine. She died in 2013.
Following her death, Watson sought a way to honor her legacy. After a conversation with C. Craig Tisher, MD, former dean and professor emeritus at the College of Medicine and the director of Wilmot Botanical Gardens, he made a gift to create the Chapman Healing Garden. Chapman was very fond of Tisher, who hosted her in his home and affectionately referred to her as “Annie Lou.” The garden now stands as a serene space for reflection and healing – a living tribute to the Chapmans’ belief in holistic, compassionate care.
The legacy of the Chapman Foundation, rooted in the vision of Jules B., MD, and Annie Lou Chapman and championed by Watson, has had a profound impact on medical education across Florida. What began at the UF College of Medicine as a commitment to fostering humanistic, compassionate care has grown into a statewide initiative, such as the Chapman Conference at the University of Central Florida, which provides opportunities for Florida medical students who participate in student-run clinics to share their experiences.
At UF, the Chapman Humanism Society and the Chapman Fund for Humanism set the standard, celebrating students, residents and faculty who embody the highest standards of patient-centered care.
Inspired by the Chapmans’ ideals, similar programs have been established at the University of Central Florida and Florida State University to support more caring and empathetic physicians.
A hallmark of the Chapman legacy is the unique selection process for scholarships, emphasizing humanistic qualities of compassion and kindness, ensuring that recipients reflect the characteristics that Chapman so admired.
Through these programs, the Chapman Foundation continues to transform medical education and patient care, leaving a legacy of humanism throughout Florida.
More about the Chapmans
Annie Lou Chapman and Dr. Robert Watson
The Chapmans were dedicated to service, medicine and their Florida community. Jules B. Chapman, MD, a Florida native and UF alumnus, initially pursued music studies at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago before finding his calling in medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee in 1939 and completed his internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he met and married his wife.
During World War II, Chapman served as a regimental surgeon in the European theater, distinguishing himself at the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he returned to Florida to establish an ophthalmology practice in West Palm Beach. Recalled to active duty during the Korean War, he later served as a hospital commander in French Morocco, retiring from the military in 1965 with the rank of Colonel.
Annie Lou Chapman, a Florida native from Haines City, also had a distinguished nursing career. During World War II, she worked as a nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami alongside Bascom Palmer, MD, in the pioneering days of cataract surgery. In the late 1930s, she served as a private nurse to Illinois Governor Henry Horner, during which she often spoke with his friend, President Franklin Roosevelt. She later supported Jules B. Chapman as his nurse throughout his successful ophthalmology career.
Before her death, Annie Lou Chapman created the private foundation to continue promoting humanism in medicine and named Watson as its trustee. Watson is currently a professor of neurology at Florida State University and professor emeritus at UF, where he served as senior associate dean of educational affairs for 18 years.
To learn more about supporting UF College of Medicine student scholarships, contact kruljt@ufl.edu or 352-627-7755.
