11/17/2025
'Edward M. KovachKovach (C’57, L’60) earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Georgetown, served as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, and practiced labor law in San Francisco for several decades. He also met his wife of more than 50 years at Georgetown, and together they had five children.
Alex Kovach speaks from the podium in Gaston Hall
Alexandra Kovach du Pont “He led an interesting, fulfilling and fortunate life, and he was appreciative of every moment,” said his daughter, Alexandra Kovach du Pont. “And then, in 2014, he finds himself back at Georgetown, diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.”
Throughout his treatment with John Marshall, MD, director of the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers at Georgetown Lombardi, Kovach was treated as not just a patient but a whole person, Kovach du Pont said. Inspired by the care he received, they decided to create the Kovach Lecture.
“This beautiful concept of cura personalis, how we care for one another, patients and doctors in both directions, as full people listening to each other, asking questions, taking time to check in, these are the things that make a difference,” Kovach du Pont said.'
The Edward M. Kovach Cura Personalis Endowed Lecture featured Anthony Fauci, MD, in conversation with CBS News' Norah O’Donnell.
