The Bea Family Endowment for Medical Studies was established in 2005 by Javon R. and Vita E. Bea in honor of their family. Javon, a distinguished healthcare executive, is president and chief executive officer of Mercy Health System in Janesville, Wisconsin. As a business consultant, Vita works with Javon to bring forward-thinking health care strategies to a national audience. The Beas are members of the Institute for Church Life and Center for Social Concerns Advisory Council, and also the Badin Guild.

Javon and Vita are the parents of six children: Rebecca (’00), Maria (’02), Joanna (’09), Theresa (’10), and Javon Daniel (’14). Their oldest daughter, Sara, passed away in 2003. Sara had lived with multiple disabilities. The Sara Bea Learning Center for Students with Disabilities was established at Notre Dame in her honor.

The Bea Family Endowment for Medical Studies allows the Libraries to provide leading journals and other information resources to students, faculty, and researchers engaged in cutting-edge scientific and medical inquiry at all academic levels. Some examples of new journal subscriptions include Diabetes, Fly, Biology Letters, the British Medical Journal, and the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.