Nearly 40 years ago, Arnold Porath accepted an invitation to sit in on a board meeting for the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Since then, he has served in almost every capacity on that board and helped to create its ethics committee. He has helped establish fellowships and programs benefiting UCLA’s patients, physician–scientists and community. Fueled by curiosity and dedicated to making an impact, Porath focuses on advancing medical ethics, end-of-life care and orthopedic research.
Why has he been so passionately committed to UCLA’s mission? “It’s the people,” Porath said.
One of the first people with whom Porath partnered was Neil S. Wenger, MD ’84, MPH ’89. The two men helped found the UCLA Health Ethics Center to promote excellence in patient care through environments where moral insight, sensitivity and commitment flourish. In 2008, Porath helped create the Clinical Ethics Fellowship Program with James Hynds, LLB, PhD, the center’s clinical ethicist, to educate and train individuals who shared their vision.
Fellows develop the skills to apply core ethical principles to clinical decision-making and thereby support clinical teams navigating ethically complex cases. Graduates have gone on to lead medical ethics programs internationally, reshaping policy and care worldwide.
Porath also champions the work of Thanh Neville, MD ’05, MS ’12, another member of the Ethics Committee. She introduced him to the UCLA 3 Wishes Program, a palliative care initiative, which she founded and directs. In this program, clinicians elicit and implement meaningful end-of-life experiences for patients and their families, with an average cost of just $35 per patient. “On the first anniversary of the program, I remember a presentation to medical staff and donors, and family members got up to speak,” Porath said. “It was unbelievable to hear them, that there could be any pleasant thing, any joy. Their loved ones died, but what they experienced with the program — it just changed everything.”
In 2024, the Arnold Porath From the Heart Fund was established, led by palliative care doctors Emily Martin, MD, MS ’20, and Daniel Karlin, MD ’12 (RES ’16). The palliative team provides symptom management, emotional support and care coordination for patients and loved ones navigating a life-altering diagnosis. Porath’s philanthropy expands capacity, programming and bereavement services. Encouraging clinicians to “think with their heart,” the program supports providers in extending their compassion through meaningful acts, such as a special meal in the hospital or a thoughtful gift. Families facing the financial burden of a serious illness (such as loss of income) can access financial support through the fund.
This year, Porath pledged an additional $500,000 to From the Heart, bringing his lifetime contributions to UCLA Health to over $1.8 million.
“The most important thing I have is the love of being curious,” Porath said. “It’s about observing a need; can I do anything, fix anything? Big or small, whatever it is, can I make an impact?”
Porath has been a longtime supporter of David McAllister, MD, professor and chief of sports medicine in the UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. McAllister’s biomechanics research team has pioneered research to better diagnose, treat and prevent ACL and other knee ligament injuries common in young athletes. Porath helped create a biomechanics postdoctoral fellowship program to support the training of young investigators to make new discoveries and become potential thought leaders in the field.
Porath hopes that his actions will lead others to discover how they can make a change. Inspired by his mother, who “couldn’t give a million dollars, but could give a lot of $10s,” his curiosity helps him uncover possibilities.
“It’s taking care of your community; it’s about being a part of the whole,” Porath said. “Maybe one person will find out what’s available to them so that they can make a little difference, too.”
