With profound sorrow, the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation announces that our beloved president, Holly J. Humphrey, MD, MACP, a nationally renowned leader in medical education, passed away on April 17, 2025, in Hinsdale, Illinois, surrounded by her loving family. Her husband, Dr. Duane Follman, said the cause was pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Humphrey became the eighth president of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation in 2018. During her tenure, she made an indelible impression on the Foundation and on health professions education nationally. Working closely with the Board, she initiated a strategic planning process to identify what would become the Foundation’s three priority areas, which she considered central to the education of the next generation of health professionals: promoting diversity, equity, and belonging; increasing collaboration among future health professionals; and preparing future health professionals to navigate ethical dilemmas. Throughout her tenure, Dr. Humphrey emphasized the Foundation’s steadfast commitment to these priorities. She firmly believed that everyone who teaches, learns, or seeks care in our nation’s clinical learning environments must be treated equitably and feel a sense of belonging. These beliefs guided her life and work long before Dr. Humphrey joined the Macy Foundation and were foundational to her ethical and unwavering commitment to justice, compassion, and the humane principles of centering patients and supporting learners.