Donor Impact Report, 2025
Inova Schar Heart and Vascular
Endowed leadership: Schar Chairs
A transformational investment in the future of cardiovascular care
2025
Endowed leadership accelerates discovery, care and community impact
Thanks to the $75 million transformational challenge gift from Dwight and Martha Schar—one of the largest gifts dedicated to advancing heart health in the nation—Inova Schar Heart and Vascular has established five endowed Chairs to elevate leadership, strengthen innovation and expand cardiovascular excellence across the region.
Endowed Chairs represent enduring philanthropic investments. They provide resources, stability and protected time that allow leaders to teach, innovate, lead research, grow programs and advance the future of care.
The Schar Chairs
Below are the inaugural chairholders, as announced in August 2025.
Christopher O’Connor, MD, MACC, FESC, FHFSA, FHFA
President, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular Schar Distinguished Chair, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular Professor of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine
President, Inova Medicine Service Line Schar Chair, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular Director Emeritus, Interventional Cardiology, Inova Professor of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine
Schar Chair, Advanced Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Medical Director, Advanced Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Program, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular Professor of Medical Education, University of Virginia
Richard F. Neville, MD
Schar Chair, Vascular Surgery Associate Director, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular Chief, Vascular Surgery, Wound Care, Hyperbaric Medicine, Inova Professor, Department of Surgery, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services Professor, Medical Education, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Inova Campus
Garima Sharma, MD
Martha Schar Chair, Women’s Cardiovascular Health Director, Preventive Cardiology and Women’s Cardiovascular Health, Inova Schar Heart and Vascular Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
L-R: Wayne Batchelor, MD; Steven Nathan, MD; Garima Sharma, MD; Richard Neville, MD; and Christopher O’Connor, MD. Photo by Mike Morgan.
Endowed Chair impact — what philanthropy makes possible
Endowed leadership creates a sustainable engine for innovation—one that continues to grow year over year, long after the initial gift.
