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In many ways, Bill Parfet and his family were pivotal in bringing WMed to life and making the medical school a reality.

In 2011, Parfet helped create what would become the medical school’s W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus when, as chairman and CEO of MPI Research, he donated the company’s 350,000 square-foot building in downtown Kalamazoo to WMed.

The campus itself sits on the plot of land that was acquired by Parfet’s great-grandfather, W.E. Upjohn, and became the growth center for The Upjohn Company, at one time housing the very research facility where Motrin, Xanax, Halcion, Rogaine, and Zyvox were discovered.

“Kalamazoo is special to me,” said Parfet, who is chairman and CEO of Northwood Group and serves as executive chairman of inviCRO, a leading global provider of imaging-based service solutions and image analysis software for the pharmaceutical and prescription drug development industry. “This is where my family chose to put a stake in the ground.”

Now, Parfet and his wife, Barbara, are preparing to serve as hosts next year of the medical school’s 5th Annual Imagine Gala, an elegant black-tie event that will be held on the evening of May 16, 2020, at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus.

Bill and Barbara are following in the footsteps of the Gala’s previous hosts – former WMU President John M. and Linda Dunn in 2017; William D. Johnston and Ronda E. Stryker in 2018 and, most recently, Ken and Julie Miller.

As in previous years, guests at the upcoming Gala will receive the red-carpet treatment and partake in what is being billed as a “luxurious coastal-inspired evening.”

Last year’s Gala attracted its largest-ever crowd as more than 400 people gathered at the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus. for the event. As in previous years, the Gala will serve as a fundraiser for Early Introduction to Health Careers (EIH), the medical school’s pipeline programs for elementary and high school students from Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS).

The 5th Annual Imagine Gala will also serve as the platform for the launch of an additional fundraising initiative that Bill Parfet said will allow donors, through their generosity, “to participate first-hand in the research, medical development, and patient care that is occurring in Kalamazoo as a result of the great progress that WMed is making.”

“WMed is a rising star on the horizon of health care in the Midwest,” Parfet said. “It’s amazing the significant contributions that the medical school is making and the incredible future that it has. We’re fortunate to have the medical school here and we want to be able not only to establish its legacy but allow it to be sustainable for many, many years to come.”

With all of that in mind, Parfet said the new fundraising initiatives will allow guests to make further contributions to benefit the medical school, whether that be funding an endowed department chair position or supporting research efforts at WMed.

“We’re talking about teamwork here,” Parfet said. “Kalamazoo is a team, a team of people where individuals can come together to make a lot of great things happen in one night at the Gala. It’s exciting and it’s a new trend to pull the community not only in to sit at the table but to partner with – and be a part of – the programs going forward.” 

Reservations for the 5th Annual Imagine Gala will be available soon at med.wmich.edu/GALA. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.