Philanthropy plays a major role in helping the UT Health Science Center San Antonio reach its goals. Both large and small gifts can help make lives better through education, research and clinical practice.
Printer Friendly Format

The UT Health Science Center San Antonio played a key role in The University of Texas System’s record-breaking year for philanthropy that placed the UT System second in the nation for fiscal year 2008-2009.

Along with two other UT System institutions (UT Austin and UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas), the Health Science Center brought in nearly 70 percent of the funds raised systemwide for a total of $801.5 million overall.

“State funding has been decreasing over the years and right now the Health Science Center receives only 25 percent of its budget from the state,” said UT Health Science Center President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP. “That is why philanthropy plays such an important role in our overall budget.”

“We had a remarkable year,” he added. “We are indebted not only to Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long, who entrusted us with $25 million, and the CTRC Foundation for their transformative gift, but to the thousands of other donors — individuals, foundations, corporations, organizations and our own alumni — who have invested in the Health Science Center.”

Record-breaking fiscal years in 2007 and 2008
In fiscal year 2008, the UT Health Science Center raised a remarkable $119 million in new gifts, following on the fiscal year 2007 gifts of $55 million, in two record-breaking years.

The Health Science Center has raised more than $250 million over the last five years, with a record number of gifts which have brought the Health Science Center national and international prominence in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, nursing, dentistry and many other fields.

A new vision for the Health Science Center, recently announced by President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, focuses on translational research, the sparking of new research and treatments ideas through the collaboration of researchers and clinicians.

President Henrich’s new vision focuses on research
In late September, President Henrich unveiled a new vision for the university that focuses not only on educational and clinical excellence, but also heavily on research.

“We are fortunate to have two new facilities. We just opened the Medical Arts & Research Center in August and we are expecting that the South Texas Research Facility will be completed in late 2011. Many universities would love to have these new state-of-the art facilities. We must use them wisely and invest in our research program,” President Henrich said.

“The synergies created by researchers and clinicians working side by side in these two new buildings, along with our researchers and clinicians at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center next door, will help generate novel research questions and move new discoveries more quickly into practice,” President Henrich said. “This is the crux of our mission: to makes lives better. Our time is now.”