BCM names outpatient center in honor of Lee and Joe Jamail

Baylor College of Medicine announced today that its outpatient clinic on the McNair Campus will be named the Lee and Joe Jamail Specialty Care Center in honor of the renowned Houston attorney and his late wife.

"Joe Jamail is a great friend of Baylor College of Medicine," said Dr. Paul Klotman, BCM president and CEO, "and he has been a great friend for many years. His wife, Lee, was a terrific advocate for the College, serving on our Board of Trustees from 1994 until her death in 2007. It is most fitting that we recognize them by naming the first patient care center on the McNair Campus in their honor."

The Lee and Joe Jamail Specialty Care Center at Baylor College of Medicine is home to several of the College's top groups, including the Alkek Eye Center, the Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders Center, the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, the Center for Aesthetic Surgery, Baylor Dermatology and the Robert R. and Kay M. Onstead Foundation Ambulatory Surgery Center.

"Baylor College of Medicine has played a very important role in the history of our city and nation," said Jamail. "Its achievements in training the finest physicians and in research and creative treatment are unsurpassed. Lee and I have always been proud of Baylor College of Medicine. It holds a very special place in our lives. I consider it a great honor and privilege to be recognized by such a quality, world renowned organization and know Lee would feel the same."

A native Houstonian, Jamail received both undergraduate and law degrees from The University of Texas. He has been a practicing attorney since 1953. He has been widely recognized as one of the greatest trial lawyers in the history of the United States and has received numerous honors throughout his career.

Lee Jamail first joined the BCM board in 1994. She also served on numerous other boards and was an active supporter of higher education. She served as a member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, including as chair of its Health Affairs Committee. In her early career, she worked as a speech pathologist and established the first volunteer program of the Houston Speech and Hearing Center.

Over the years, the Jamails have given generously to educational, civic and charitable causes throughout Texas. Lee and Joe have supported BCM through gifts and service; Mr. Jamail donating the value of his representation of Baylor in claims involving many tens of millions of dollars. They have supported a number of education and research programs at the College and in 2006, the Dalton Tomlin Chair in Medical Ethics and Health Policy was established at BCM in appreciation for Joe's legal contributions to the College.

BCM's McNair Campus is a 35-acre tract adjacent to the DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The outpatient care building opened in November 2008 with the Alkek Eye Center as the first practice to occupy the state-of-the-art center.