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UCSF Receives Landmark $50 Million Gift for Cardiovascular Research and Treatment
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CVRI Director Shaun Coughlin
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A $50 million gift to UCSF will fund construction of a new building for cardiovascular research and clinical treatment at the University's Mission Bay campus. Donated by Atlantic Philanthropies, the gift is the largest single commitment from a foundation in UCSF's history.
The 232,000-square-foot building will house the world-renowned UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI), as well as a new UCSF Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and an outpatient cardiac facility aimed at predicting and preventing the recurrence of disease. (See rendering, upper right corner.)
Cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, accounting for roughly 950,000 deaths each year—a figure that is expected to increase as the population ages.
As a collaborative center, the new structure will allow basic scientists and clinicians previously dispersed over several sites to come together and share ideas, accelerating the discovery of treatments for those dreaded ailments. The building will also enable the CVRI to recruit 26 new faculty investigators.
"This is an extraordinary opportunity to develop a disease-focused research program and clinical facility literally from the ground up," asserts CVRI Director Shaun Coughlin, MD, PhD.
The gift is the second major donation for the Mission Bay campus from Atlantic Philanthropies, which was founded by New Jersey businessman and philanthropist Charles F. Feeney, co-founder of the Duty Free Shoppes chain of airport outlets. Atlantic also contributed $20 million to the Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building, now under construction at Mission Bay.
"Atlantic Philanthropies is known for its generosity in areas that have major social impact, and we are gratified by the foundation's faith in our research and clinical commitment," says UCSF Chancellor J. Michael Bishop, MD. "The Cardiovascular Research Institute is at the forefront of discovery in some of the world's most debilitating diseases. This building will be critical to our success."
With construction plans now underway, the University faces a unique fundraising challenge.
"In the coming months, UCSF will be working to meet Atlantic's dollar-for-dollar match requirement and raise the resources necessary for the building's construction," explains Jim Asp, Associate Vice Chancellor for University Development and Alumni Relations. "Matching the Atlantic gift is an ambitious goal, but one I'm confident we can achieve."
To support the new CVRI building, contact Gayle Hagen at 415/514-2610 or ghagen@support.ucsf.edu, or Sue Merrilees at 415/514-2612 or smerrilees@support.ucsf.edu.
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