Anne Moore Lisio, MD, and Arnold Lisio ’56, ’61M (MD)

A $2 million endowed gift from Arnold Lisio ’56, ’61M (MD) and his wife, Anne Moore Lisio, MD, establishes the Lisio Distinguished Professorship in Italian studies. The Lisios’ generosity ensures that exemplary Italian instruction and scholarship will continue at the University of Rochester forever.

Donatella Stocchi-Perucchio—a Dante expert and faculty member within the University’s Department of Modern Languages and Cultures for the last 30 years—has been awarded the named professorship, which represents one of the highest honors a professor can earn.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Lisios for their ongoing generosity,” says Gloria Culver ’94M (PhD), dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. “Recognizing excellent professors like Donatella—from whom our undergraduates can learn, explore the world, and expand their thinking—is foundational to our liberal arts approach to education. This approach helps students gain the intellectual tools and the cultural awareness necessary to meet not just the economic, but also the ethical, political, and existential challenges of the contemporary world.”

The Lisios have long supported Italian studies at the University. In 2006, they established the Dorothy and Anthony Lisio Prize, an endowment created to honor Arnold’s parents. Awarded annually, the prize recognizes an undergraduate who has achieved excellence in Italian studies. In 2017, they endowed the Lisio Program in Italian Studies, a gift that makes it possible for students to study in Italy and better understand and appreciate Italian language, art, culture, and history.

“We strongly believe that the humanities are an important part of education,” says Arnold, a retired internist and a lifelong student of the humanities. “Pursuing Italian studies and embracing the country’s language, art, and culture has added to the richness of our lives and we know it enriches student lives. “We are thrilled that Donatella has been named as the first Lisio Distinguished Professor—she brings such vitality and knowledge to her teaching.”

“I am humbled and honored that Arnold and Anne have established this professorship and that the University has named me to it,” says Stocchi-Perucchio. “Knowing that this gift comes from scientifically trained people who embrace the humanities—through Italian literature, philosophy, archaeology, history, art, spirituality, and traditions—is especially rewarding in regard to both my scholarship and my educational philosophy.”

Arnold Lisio participates in the Lisio Program in Italian Studies in Arezzo, with Professor Donatella Stocchi-Perucchio and students. Campaldino, Italy, 2020.

Stocchi-Perucchio adds that the named position will provide her with more resources to pursue her scholarly work, advance the modern languages department, and educate the ambitious students who pursue Italian studies, whether in the classroom or onsite in Italy. She founded several of the department’s education abroad programs, too, including a semester-long program in Arezzo and other programs in Tuscany, Rome, Naples, and Procida.

Having participated in these onsite programs several times over the years, the Lisios have witnessed Stocchi-Perucchio’s teaching methods and have interacted with students whose lives have been enriched by them.

“Education isn’t just about utility and getting a job—it’s an instrument that helps us live in this world and engage in it fully,” says Anne, a medical oncologist. “Donatella is a gifted teacher. She helps students learn not just a language, but how it fits within a culture. She teaches not just to read a book, but how to think about it critically, how to discuss it, and how to ask questions about it. These are essential skills for all of us to have—and for those in science-based fields, we need the humanities to hone them.”

Arnold retired in 2013 from the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. He is a faculty member at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Since 1961, he has worked with medical students as an educator, helping to train generations of physicians. Arnold earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees at the University of Rochester and received full scholarships to both programs.

Anne is a graduate of Smith College and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. She is director of the Iris Cantor Breast Cancer Survivorship Program at Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.

* The official name of the endowed fund is the Arnold Lisio ’56, ’61M (MD) and Anne Moore Lisio, MD Endowed Distinguished Professorship in Italian Language & Culture

Read more about the Lisios’ generosity and a 2017 story, “Many Roads to Italy.” 

The Lisios are founding members of the Wilson Society, the University’s planned giving society.  

—Kristine Kappel Thompson, October 2021