
The Cary Council may not be familiar to all, but it’s a dedicated group of Southwestern Medical Foundation (SW Medical Foundation) that supports “the advancement of early research at UT Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) in partnership with SW Medical Foundation.”
Its fundraising event, “An Evening With DocStars,” is aptly named as it recognizes members of the UT Southwestern Medical Center faculty who are working on “promising research.”
This year’s honorees are Dr. Christina Herrera, Dr. Margaret “Katie” Hoge and Dr. Avanthi Shah, who have “united in the pursuit of preventing and treating disease that affect various stages of child development.”

In responding to the announcement, UT Southwestern President Dr. Daniel Podolsky said, “The Cary Council has been a catalyst for innovative research focused on a wide range of important unmet medical needs by investing in the next generation of physician scientists at UT Southwestern. Their creativity in generating support for new research initiatives has been both inspiring and galvanizing.”
The class of 2023 rock stars will be honored at the dinner presented by the Abby and Michael Gregory Foundation on Thursday, November 2, at the T. Boone Pickens Biomedical Building at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
According to SW Medical Foundation President/CEO Michael McMahan, “The Cary Council’s grant recipients are leading exceptional work to provide better care for parents and children through their various areas of focus. We are thrilled to see the Council continue its steadfast support of UT Southwestern’s innovative research, and we look forward to tracking the progress of their grant recipients as they pursue such worthy goals.”
The selection was made by The Cary Council Steering committee from UT Southwestern members nominated by UT Southwestern leaders.
Since 2017, The Cary Council has honored the work of 18 UT Southwestern faculty members.
As The Cary Council Chair Josie Sewell explained, “The importance of these seed grants cannot be overstated. These grants build credibility for brilliant early-career researchers, and to-date have enabled past recipients to secure more than $13 million in follow-on funding, which is crucial for next steps in the meaningful research they are pursuing.”
Sponsorships of the evening and tickets are currently available here.
* Graphic courtesy of Southwestern Medical Foundation