The Kempe Foundation is honored to announce the establishment of The Richard D. Krugman Professorship in Child Abuse Policy, Practice, and Prevention. This endowment has been launched through the generosity of Richard D. Krugman, a longstanding supporter of Kempe.
“I am grateful to the Kempe Foundation for creating this endowment, and I am excited to contribute to it so that the Kempe Center can continue to improve the lives of children and families who have experienced child abuse and neglect,” said Dr. Krugman.
Dr. Krugman was a protégé of Dr. Henry Kempe and worked alongside him for nearly a decade until Dr. Kempe passed March 7, 1984. Dr. Krugman became the director of the National Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect in September, 1981 after Dr. Kempe retired and moved to Hawaii in 1980. Krugman served as Executive Director of the Kempe Center (renamed in 1984 after Henry’s passing) from 1981-1990. Following this role, Dr. Krugman worked as the dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, a position he would hold for 25 years, becoming the longest serving dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. During that time, he repeatedly championed the Kempe Center and its role in combating child abuse and neglect, which led to an expansion in the faculty at the Center and the interventions, research, education, and trainings it embodies currently. The Kempe Center wouldn’t be what it is today, a nationally and internationally recognized center of excellence in its field, without the support, commitment, contributions, and compassion of Dr. Krugman. Dr. Krugman co-founded EndCAN (The National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect) in 2017 with his former patient, Lori Poland, and chaired its efforts to promote research and a grassroots movement to prevent child abuse. Dr. Krugman remains on the faculty at the Department of Pediatrics as a distinguished professor.
Dr. Kathi Wells, Executive Director of the Kempe Center, added, “We are thrilled with the establishment of the Krugman Endowment and its aim of attracting leaders in our field to conduct research, create new prevention measures, and formulate impactful policies to improve the well-being for vulnerable children and families. Dr. Krugman has long been a pioneer in providing effective clinical services and conducting research on childhood trauma, and his indefatigable efforts to raise awareness are an inspiration to many. We are grateful for his generous matching gift to establish the Krugman Endowment and for his ongoing commitment to Kempe and the children we serve. The Kempe Center is transforming the field of child abuse, neglect, and trauma by connecting people, information, and best practices to catalyze knowledge into action and this endowment will assist in the progression towards realizing our vision for a world without child abuse.”
This endowment has been established with seed funding from The Kempe Foundation and with a meaningful matching gift from Dr. Krugman. The holder of this endowment is intended for a professor in one or more of the Health Profession Schools on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, and who embraces multidisciplinary research and practice and policy development within the wider state, national, and international community.
