$4 Million Gift for School of Medicine Chair, Lung Disease Research

Tulane University has received a $4 million gift to strengthen the School of Medicine’s fight against pulmonary fibrosis and other deadly lung diseases, bolstering its growing reputation as a hub for research and patient care. This visionary commitment establishes the Allen A. Johnson Jr. Distinguished Chair in Medicine Endowed Fund and creates the Allen A. Johnson Jr. Research Acceleration Fund to strengthen translational discovery in the John W. Deming Department of Medicine.

The gift honors the memory of Allen A. Johnson Jr., a Birmingham, Alabama, native who served for 41 years on the board of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United, now the second-largest privately held bottler of Coke products in North America. He was the grandson of Crawford Johnson Sr., who founded its predecessor, Birmingham Coca-Cola. Allen Johnson Jr. died in 2021 from pulmonary disease and was under the care of Dr. Victor J. Thannickal, chair of the John W. Deming Department of Medicine at Tulane.

Thannickal’s expertise, compassion and commitment to Johnson’s care left a deep impression on Johnson’s family, and their gratitude to Thannickal lies at the heart of this gift.

The donors are Johnson’s nephew, Conrad Rafield, and his wife, Peggy; Johnson’s niece, Margot Shaw, and her husband, Gates; and others who prefer to remain anonymous.

“Allen believed deeply in lifting others up,” Rafield said of his uncle. “The care he received from Dr. Thannickal meant a great deal to our family, and honoring that dedication is an important part of this gift. If our family can help an innovator take a courageous next step — or help a patient breathe more easily and live more fully — then we are honoring Allen in exactly the way he would have wanted.”

For Tulane School of Medicine, these investments build directly on long-standing institutional strengths, said L. Lee Hamm, senior vice president and dean of the School of Medicine.

“Philanthropy like this not only propels the development of lifesaving therapies but also strengthens our academic mission, elevates our national standing and — most importantly — delivers hope to patients who urgently need it,” Hamm said. “Tulane is profoundly thankful to the Rafield and Shaw families and all who helped make this possible.”

The endowed chair is designed to ensure Tulane can continue to attract and support world-class physician scientists whose work stands at the forefront of pulmonary medicine. The donors have asked that special consideration be given to scholars with a dedicated focus on pulmonary fibrosis and chronic lung diseases when naming the inaugural chair holder. Complementing the chair is the research acceleration fund, a flexible resource that allows scientists to pursue breakthrough ideas swiftly and strategically.

“We are grateful to Allen’s family for making this extraordinary gift that represents an enduring testament to his desire to find better treatments for this deadly lung disease,” Thannickal said.