Try to reach Douglas Tilden and you never know from where he'll be answering. He could be working on community centers with Children International in India. He could be sending you a message while doing fieldwork for CARE, an organization fighting poverty. Or he might be in San Francisco, where he's championing music education efforts with SFJAZZ, and where his educational sponsorship appears throughout the de Young Museum's King Tut exhibit.

Having built a life in the transportation industry, Tilden is no stranger to travel. He's considered many places home: Boston; New York; Guam; Hong Kong; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Previously CEO of Ports America, the largest port company in the United States, Tilden now serves on the board of directors. But in 2000, amid his work and philanthropic activities, Tilden developed tinnitus, a perception of sound often described as a ringing, buzzing or humming in the ears. For some a permanent disruptive condition, tinnitus sent Tilden in search of help.

He found Linda Centore, RN, PhD. Centore is a clinical professor and chair of the Division of Behavioral Sciences, Professionalism and Ethics at the UCSF School of Dentistry.

"I worked extensively with Dr. Centore in dealing with the fallout from my tinnitus," Tilden says. "She's just an amazing person. Tinnitus makes living life very difficult. I couldn't have gotten where I did without her incredible ability to help people deal with this condition."

To show his gratitude for transforming a debilitating life sentence into a continued active life, Tilden told Centore he would fund a project of her choosing. Tilden's $250,000 gift to the School of Dentistry supports a cause close to the professor: upgrading and expanding existing facilities to a state-of-the-art home for teaching and treatment specific to pediatric care. The Douglas, Stephanie & Maylynne Tilden Pediatric Dental Care Center, named for Tilden and his two daughters, will better serve an increased number of the low-income young patients who come to the school for treatment.

"UCSF has been great to me and my family," says Tilden, whose gifts to the University have supported a number of projects. "As part of my life philosophy of giving back, I wanted to do something for UCSF. This was very much my way of saying thank you to Dr. Centore for everything she does."

To support the Douglas, Stephanie & Maylynne Tilden Pediatric Dental Care Center, contact Christopher Ruetz at 415/476-3645 or CRuetz@support.ucsf.edu.