For someone diagnosed with an obscure disease, navigating the array of evolving research, clinical trials, and specialized procedures can be overwhelming. A number of factors add to the confusion, among them inconclusive research findings and the difficulty of deducing the costs and benefits of each potential option based on partial data. Harder still is the task of coordinating care across a landscape where researchers work in different locations, at different institutions, and may not be in touch regularly regarding their findings. Often, the doctors themselves lack the resources to guide the patient through this maze, and the patient may simply, and possibly tragically, become resigned to choosing among fewer options. The Daniel McMenamin Endowment seeks to improve care, coordination, and collaboration for patients with rare diseases by increasing awareness, improving access, and fostering cooperation among patients, physicians, and researchers. Daniel Terrence McMenamin, MD (April 12, 1976–March 16, 2017) earned his medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College, having also studied at Cornell as an undergraduate. After completing his residency and fellowship at the NYU School of Medicine, he continued to train in psychoanalysis at Columbia University, an intensive program of study pursued by a tiny percentage of psychiatrists, while building his own successful psychiatric practice. Even during his illness, Dan never wavered in his dedication to his patients. From his first diagnosis of uveal (ocular) melanoma in 2013 to the metastasis that claimed his life in 2017, he continued to strive, in his own words, to “learn as much as possible while helping others and yourself become the best person you and they can be.”
