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Contact: 210-567-3080 |
Hughes institute awards $2.2 million grant (1/9/96)
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the nation's largest private philanthropy, has awarded the Health Science Center a $2.2 million, four-year grant to support disease-related fundamental research. The Institute selected the Health Science Center's Medical School from among 117 applicants as one of 30 in the country to receive funds aimed at sustaining critical research programs. "Academic medical centers across the country are being squeezed by reductions in patient care revenues and restrictions on government research spending," said Purnell W. Choppin, MD, president of the Institute. "These centers are best known to the public for providing advanced patient care, but they also play a critical role in carrying out biomedical research - especially basic research that may not be undertaken in the private sector. Even some of the best researchers at these schools are now searching for resources. We hope these grants will help medical schools to continue laying the groundwork for new treatments and methods of prevention of diseases." Says Health Science Center President John P. Howe III, MD, "I am immensely proud of the faculty of our young institution. The competition for these funds was intense, and for these nationally recognized reviewers to select us from among the 117 competing medical schools is a tribute to the quality of both our research and our medical care." The Health Science Center will apply $550,000 each year for four years to recruit and support new basic research faculty, including underrepresented populations such as women and ethnic minorities; to enrich the scientific environment through support for visiting scientists, conferences and other activities; and to support innovative pilot research projects. "We will use the new funds to build on the Health Science Center's existing areas of research and clinical strength," notes program director Robert A. Clark, MD, chairman of medicine and holder of the Dan F. Parman Chair in Medicine. "Those strengths include cancer, diabetes, bone cell biology, the microbiology and immunology of infectious diseases, aging, neuroscience, human genetics and genome research, molecular genetics, the study of molecular structure and clinical research. "This support will have a real impact on our activities in the coming years, especially in areas such as our ability to recruit the best and brightest to San Antonio," Dr. Clark says. "This is, in essence, a 'report card' on the quality of our people and our institution," Dr. Howe says. "It sends an important message that San Antonio and South Texas are becoming increasingly important in global bioscience efforts. "This is a shared success," Dr. Howe said. "This community has made a major investment in the biosciences and the Chamber has placed great emphasis on this segment of our economy as well and we appreciate their continued support." Bob McClane, chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, also welcomed news of the grant. "The Chamber is focusing on selected key issues in 1996. One of those is working to extend our city's strengths in biosciences and medicine. "Under the leadership of Dr. John Howe, the UT Health Science Center has set the pace for much of this nation in teaching, patient care, research and community service," McClane notes. "Just last year, U.S. News & World Report awarded the UT Health Science Center its highest ranking by naming that institution one of the nation's top 10 in educating the next generation of primary care physicians. The Center has evolved into an economic magnet that benefits all of South Texas. This award will help ensure the Center continues to build on its research and clinical strengths." Contact: Mike Lawrence, (210) 567-2570
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