John, Janet Sung Donate $1 Million For Scholarships In UB School Of Medicine And Biomedical Sciences

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A Western New York entrepreneurial couple who have worked steadfastly to improve health care in Western New York are giving a $1 million cash scholarship gift to the University at Buffalo's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

John J. Sung, CEO of Windsong Medical Park, and his wife, Janet H. Sung, M.D., founder and president of four radiological practices, including Windsong Radiology, P.C., made their mark and their money in Western New York and wanted to reinvest the proceeds of their success locally.

"What better way to show our gratitude and appreciation," said John Sung, "than to provide scholarships for UB medical school students who have good grades, need the money and demonstrate soundness of character, including a genuine, caring attitude, generosity of spirit and leadership potential?"

Janet Sung concurred that the gift to the university "has made us very happy because my husband is finally realizing a dream that began when he was a college student in Korea, working his way through school and depending also on scholarships."

"Besides," John Sung added, "these scholarship students might become the very doctors who help us fulfill the rest of our dream -- to have a clinic like the Mayo clinic that brings national recognition to Western New York."

UB President William R. Greiner praised the Sungs at a news conference held at the university to announce their $1 million gift.

"We are extremely grateful to John and Janet Sung for their gift, which will enable bright, deserving students to realize their dreams of completing medical school and establishing exciting careers in medicine," Greiner said.

"We are so pleased," he added, "that the Sungs chose to invest in the Western New York community in this manner. Their gift is a sign of confidence in UB's ongoing efforts to provide a world-class education for its students. We're grateful to the Sungs for their support and for serving as such wonderful entrepreneurial role models for our students."

John R. Wright, M.D., dean of the UB medical school, added: "We are pleased and deeply gratified by this generous support for student scholarships. There is always a need in this area and the Sung gift will be put to good use."

All students in the school will be eligible for the scholarship monies, which will be distributed beginning in September 2001.

The Sungs' story began in Korea where both were born and attended college. They moved to the United States as a newly married couple in 1972, arriving in New Jersey with only $200 in their pockets. While Janet Sung did her residency, John Sung earned his MBA from Seton Hall University, completed his CPA training and then worked for the accounting firm of Hauser, O'Connor & Hylind.

In 1977, they moved to Buffalo where Janet Sung held positions in radiology with area hospitals. John Sung worked first for the accounting firm Peat Marwick Mitchell then taught at Daemen College and had his own office before working full-time with his wife.

When Janet Sung wanted to pursue her "patient-centered radiological practice," her husband encouraged her and the result was five employees and a new business, Harlem Radiology P.C., which opened in a converted Pizza Hut building in 1987.

Her focus since then has been on combining the latest technology and hands-on, compassionate medical care in efforts to use mammography to detect breast cancer in its earliest and most easily treated stages.

Now the Sungs operate Windsong Radiology, which has more than 120 employees and is the only free-standing clinic in Western New York with full diagnostic accreditation from the American College of Radiology. The Sungs attribute their growth to three things: putting the patient first, buying and working with the latest medical technologies, and continual training for staff members using this cutting-edge equipment.

Others also have recognized the success of the Sungs.

General Electric uses Windsong as a site to demonstrate its imaging equipment. Janet Sung is quoted often by the news media as an expert in the fight against breast cancer. She has given numerous presentations to professional and community groups, and has been featured as a successful female practitioner in "Vocational Biographies" in 1989 and in CareerWOMAN in Spring 1991. In 1992, she received the Community University Citation for outstanding achievement from the UB Medical Alumni Association.

In 1998, the Sungs were named Entrepreneurs of the Year for Upstate New York in the health-care category by Ernst and Young.

The Sungs, who live in Clarence, have two children. Brian will graduate from Fordham University Law School this May and Janice has completed her second year at the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Janice recently was named a Howard Hughes Scholar by the National Institutes of Health.

For information on how you can support the University at Buffalo, go to http://www.buffalo.edu/giving.