Yale School of Medicine Gifted $3 Million from Physician Couple to Establish Endowed Professorship and to Advance Research in Multiple Sclerosis

Betsy Coward Phillips, MD, and Herb Phillips, MD, JD, have always been inspired by the words of the fictional boxer, Rocky Balboa: “Life ain’t about how hard you can hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Both have embodied this philosophy throughout their personal and professional lives. Their $3 million gift to Yale School of Medicine (YSM) is a testament to their resilience and commitment to advancing medical research on multiple sclerosis (MS).

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurological disease in which the immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath covering the nerves in the central nervous system. This damages nerves in the brain and spinal cord, causing symptoms such as vision loss, difficulty walking, and fatigue. Multiple sclerosis affects nearly 1 million people in the United States and 2.9 million worldwide.

The Phillips’ decision to give $3 million to YSM is rooted in gratitude to Betsy’s physician, David Hafler, MD, William S. and Lois Stiles Edgerly Professor of Neurology, professor of immunobiology, and former chair of the Department of Neurology at YSM, and their commitment to supporting his research in MS. Betsy has been battling the disease since 1985. The generous gift will establish an endowed professorship in neurology named after Hafler upon his retirement and will provide a secure base for continuing significant research efforts in MS.

“There are no words to describe how touched I am by Herb and Betsy’s gift,” says Hafler. “It brought me to tears. For someone like me, who has dedicated my life to both science and patient care, this recognition is an incredible honor.”

The Phillips’ gift will enhance YSM’s ability to explore and develop novel treatments and provide essential funding for salaries. “This kind of support is invaluable,” says Hafler. “It allows researchers to engage in innovative experiments without the constant pressure of securing grant funding.”

Betsy grew up in Sylva, a small town west of Asheville, N.C. Her parents, a high school English teacher and a lawyer, were fervent believers in education.

“My mother and father knew about three colleges: the University of North Carolina (UNC), Harvard, and Yale,” Betsy recalls. Though she was accepted at Yale, she attended Duke University instead, where she met Herb. Herb hails from Morehead City, N.C., and his academic journey took him to Davidson College in that state.

Betsy was 19 years old and Herb was 20 when they met during a summer physics class at Duke 50 years ago. After completing their undergraduate studies, both went on to finish medical school and residencies at UNC School of Medicine at Chapel Hill.

In April 1985, the Phillips’ journey took a sudden turn when Betsy was diagnosed with MS while completing the last four months of her internal medicine residency and after the birth of their first child. At that time, the only treatment for MS was steroids. Betsy left her medical career to focus on her health and growing family. In 1991, despite no longer practicing medicine, she attended a medical conference in Chapel Hill.

“One of my residency cohorts, Tom Barber, MD, was there,” she recalls. “He said if my MS is that bad, I should go see Hafler, his Emory College roommate.”

In 1992, facing the debilitating and worsening symptoms of MS, Betsy contacted Hafler, a prominent neurologist known for his research in MS. Hafler, who was a Harvard faculty member at the time, had a reputation for innovative approaches to treating autoimmune diseases.

“By 1995, David had discovered that MS is an autoimmune disease,” says Betsy. “If it were not for his intervention, I might have been in a wheelchair for the past 25 years. He’s the reason I’m alive and able to walk today."

Hafler was the first to identify autoreactive T cells in MS. And after years of investigation, he went on to discover human regulatory T cells, showing that they were defective in MS and allowed activation of the autoreactive T cells. His pioneering work that led to the discovery of the genes that cause MS provided a fundamental understanding of the disease and has led to significant advancements in understanding MS and developing effective treatments.

“David pretty much discovered what causes MS and how to treat it. His work is foundational for the modern MS treatments we see today,” says Betsy.

Herb’s career in orthopaedic surgery was promising until a wrist injury abruptly ended it in 2000 after practicing medicine for 13 years. Not one to be easily defeated, Herb decided to switch paths.

In 2002, at age 47, he pursued a law degree from UNC, focusing on medical device product liability litigation, and specifically around orthopaedic devices, such as design and engineering defects in hip and knee replacements. For 20 years, until he retired in December 2024, Herb used his combined medical and legal expertise to advocate for better standards in medical devices.

“I practiced nationally, providing a unique blend of science and law,” Herb reflects. “Now, Betsy and I are retired people looking to pay it forward.”

The Phillips’ gift is driven by their belief in the importance of humanism in science and medicine.

“Our years in medical school and residency at Chapel Hill were a crucible. They changed our perception of what we’re capable of achieving,” Betsy recounts. “We were taught to think about everything very scientifically, but it’s also tempered with this wonderful heaping helping of humanism.”

Both reinforce their motivation for giving to YSM with a proverb: You can give a person a fish and feed them for a day, or you can teach them to fish and feed them for a lifetime.

“We’re giving the gift of hiring a fisherman in this job who will continue to do David’s research, teaching others of the history of MS and the past and future treatments of MS, and continuing to find the best and the brightest minds for that specific professorship at Yale that will continue his work,” says Herb.

Philanthropy for them is a habit formed early in life. “Habits of giving usually begin in childhood. In Sunday school, you push your pennies in for foreign missions. These positive habits follow you through life,” they explain.

Hafler’s pioneering work in understanding the genetic basis of MS and developing targeted therapies has transformed many lives, including Betsy’s. Her treatment journey, which started with basic immune suppression therapies, evolved into more sophisticated treatments thanks to Hafler. Early on, there were very few treatments for MS, but Hafler’s research enabled the development of effective immunosuppressive therapies.

“David is not only a brilliant scientist but also a compassionate clinician,” says Betsy.

“I develop very special relationships with my patients and was honored to be involved in Betsy’s care for three decades,” Hafler shares.

The Phillips’ approach to philanthropy is deeply rooted in their values and life experiences. “We were given a lot of tools to bootstrap ourselves, while so many people were told to bootstrap themselves, but never got a pair of boots,” says Herb. “We understand the importance of lifting others. Our goal is to provide support that will continue to advance MS research long after we’re gone.”

While they support various causes, including the prevention of homelessness, hunger, and domestic violence, their decision to give significantly to YSM was a direct result of their gratitude for Hafler’s work. “We could have given to other institutions, but we chose Yale because of David’s remarkable contributions to MS research and treatment and his extraordinary patient care delivery,” Betsy reaffirms.

“We hope that our philanthropy will inspire others to give back,” adds Herb. “And that our legacy will be remembered as supporting future generations with the tools needed to succeed.”