In November 2024, the JP Conte Family Foundation made a transformative $5 million gift to UCSF to establish two professorships in the Department of Neurology. These endowed positions, overseen by department chair S. Andrew Josephson, MD, will support groundbreaking research and activities related to Parkinson’s disease—a cause deeply personal to Jean-Pierre Conte and his family.
For Jean-Pierre, known as JP, this connection to UCSF began when his father, Pierre Conte, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 75. After moving from the East Coast to the Bay Area in their early 70s, Pierre and his wife, Isabel, cherished their time as grandparents, playing an integral role in JP’s children’s lives. JP coached soccer at his son’s school, and he remembers his father always being there with him.
“It was wonderful to have multiple generations be a part of my children’s upbringing,” JP reflects.
JP’s parents, Pierre and Isabel Conte have compelling immigrant stories. Pierre lived through the Nazi occupation in Lyon, France, where he witnessed brutal scenes, including bodies of French civilians piled up in the schoolyard. At 18, he immigrated to the U.S., eventually settling in Brooklyn. Although a leg injury kept him from serving in the Korean War, he contributed to his infantry by fitting recruits with uniforms. This training as a tailor became his trade and he turned it into his career after the war.
JP’s mother dreamed of living in America from an early age. “She wanted to escape the restrictions on women in Cuba, where she grew up,” he shares. “When she was old enough, she left for a weekend trip to Miami and never looked back, heading straight to New York.”
Born in Brooklyn and mostly raised in New Jersey, JP was mentored by Wall Street titans who were loyal customers of his father, then a clothing salesman at the exclusive Paul Stuart store in New York City. They helped guide JP through his education and early career, leading him to his current role as chairman and managing partner of Genstar Capital, a premier middle-market private equity firm.
When Pierre was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in his mid-seventies, JP was determined to secure the best medical care for him. Through the VA Medical Center in San Francisco, JP met a team of UCSF doctors, and he was reassured by the exceptional expertise and care they provided.
“I knew right away that my dad was getting the tops of the top at the VA,” JP says. “UCSF is an incredible place – the #1 recipient of NIH funding, with some of the most highly regarded clinician-scientists working to improve treatments for Parkinson’s and other diseases.”
His father’s battle and eventual passing only strengthened JP’s commitment to supporting Parkinson’s research and investigations into neurodegenerative disorders that the Department of Neurology helps lead nationally. He remains deeply impressed by Dr. Josephson’s work and dedication.
“Andy is such a great ambassador for UCSF,” JP notes. “He is on a mission to find better solutions for brain health. When you meet him, he comes across as the kind, caring Midwest guy next door, yet he’s also the smartest guy in the room.”
For JP, investing in UCSF means empowering the best-equipped players to tackle the most complex problems in health. “And they are right here in our backyard!” he adds.
Dr. Josephson is deeply grateful for this opportunity to provide talented faculty members from the Department of Neurology and the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences with the time and resources they need to do their most excellent work.
“This heartfelt gift from the JP Conte Family Foundation not only honors Pierre’s memory but also fuels our ongoing support of those brilliant clinician-scientists who will help us improve treatments and, ultimately, find a cure for Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders,” he says.