In October 2003, Deborah Greenspan, BDS, DSc, professor of clinical oral medicine at UCSF, found a disturbing growth at the base of Susan Buffett's mouth. Greenspan immediately referred Buffett to Brian Schmidt, DDS, MD, PhD, assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery, who diagnosed her condition as potentially life-threatening cancer.

Buffett then met David W. Eisele, MD, professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, who outlined a treatment plan incorporating surgery and post-operative therapy from a collaborative, multidisciplinary group of clinicians at the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Because of the seriousness of her diagnosis, Buffett spoke with specialists at a number of renowned cancer centers across the country. She was relieved to learn that Eisele's plan would provide her with top-quality care close to her home in San Francisco.

Eisele led the tumor-removal surgery, which was followed by reconstructive surgery performed by Pablo Leon, MD, assistant professor in residence in the division of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Buffett subsequently underwent six weeks of radiation therapy conducted by Jeanne Quivey, MD, professor of clinical radiation oncology.

Thanks to the combined efforts of this group—and Buffett's own courage and fortitude—she has made a remarkable recovery.

"Mrs. Buffett is doing extremely well, and we're all very pleased that she has been able to resume her normal life activities," reports Eisele.

In gratitude for the superb care his wife received, Warren Buffett—one of the world's most successful investors and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.—made a gift of over $6 million to support the work of Eisele, Greenspan, Leon, Quivey and Schmidt. "UCSF should be proud to have these exceptional people on its staff," says Mr. Buffett. "Each of them combines talent with compassion."

"Private support of this kind is critically important to our long-term success," Eisele maintains. "It enables us to recruit new faculty, explore novel therapies and launch clinical initiatives that will improve the lives of our patients. As we work to take our programs to an even higher level, Mr. Buffett's generosity will be an enormous help to us all."