Skip to main content
Vilcek Foundation
  • About
    • About

      The Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions in the United States and fosters appreciation of the arts and sciences.

    • Our Mission
    • Our Founders
    • Board & Staff
    • Press Center
    • Contact
  • Prizes
    • Prizes

      The Vilcek Foundation Prizes are awarded to foreign-born individuals for extraordinary achievement in the arts and sciences.

    • About the Prizes

      Learn more about the Vilcek Foundation Prizes and the prizewinners.

    • Vilcek Prizes

      Awarded to immigrants with a legacy of major accomplishments.

    • Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise

      Awarded to young immigrant professionals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement early in their careers.

    • Vilcek Prize for Excellence

      Awarded to immigrants who have had a significant impact on American society, or to individuals who are dedicated champions of immigrant causes.

    • Prize Recipients
    • Grants for Organizations
  • Art
  • Events
  • News
Sign Up Search
Home > News > From Refugee to Philanthropist: Jan Vilcek Tells It All

From Refugee to Philanthropist: Jan Vilcek Tells It All

News | February 9, 2016
Share this page
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Jan Vilcek's memoir, Love and Science

Love and Science, a memoir by our president and co-founder Jan Vilcek, hits bookshelves today!  Published by Seven Stories Press, Jan tells two intertwined stories: The first an illuminating tale of scientific discovery, and the second, a story of fate and daring that would lead to his immigration to America.

Jan’s story starts in the former Czechoslovakia, where, as a Jewish child during the second world war, he went into hiding to survive the threat of deportation to an extermination camp. Afterward, during the political turmoil caused by the communist takeover, he completed medical school in Bratislava and embarked on a career in virology and immunology, two nascent fields whose importance were, at the time, unfathomable. He would also meet and marry Marica Gerhath, an art historian nurturing a taste for Western fashion and “decadent” modernist art.

In search of personal and professional freedom, the couple defected and immigrated to New York City in 1965. Arriving as penniless political refugees, they nevertheless built successful careers: Marica at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Jan at the NYU Medical School.

There, Jan’s attempts to create a cure for cancer using interferon and TNF blockers fell short, but ultimately led to the development of Remicade, the first in a new class of treatments for autoimmune diseases, and today, one of the world’s highest-grossing drugs—placing them in a position of unexpected material wealth.

Along the way, Jan and Marica tried shrimp for the first time, watched the Iron Curtain come down, and established the Vilcek Foundation to honor the many immigrants who, like them, risked everything for an opportunity to live up to their potential.

Love and Science, published by Seven Stories Press, is available for purchase at participating bookstores and via:

  • Seven Stories Press
  • Amazon
  • Barnes & Noble

You can listen to the audiobook, narrated by Daniel K. Isaac, via:

  • Amazon
  • Audible

We hope you will find their story as interesting and inspiring as we did!

Visit Janvilcek.com to learn more
Share this page
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

You may also be interested in

Join our mailing list

Sign Up
Vilcek Foundation
21 East 70th Street
New York, New York 10021

Phone: 212.472.2500

Email: info@vilcek.org

  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Our Founders
    • Board and Staff
    • Press Center
    • Contact
  • Prizes
    • Vilcek Prizes
    • Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise
    • Vilcek Prize for Excellence
    • Prize Recipients
    • Grants for Organizations
  • Art
  • Events
  • News
  • Careers
Connect with us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Vimeo
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
© 2023   Vilcek Foundation