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Wendy and Leonard Goldberg. |
UCLA Health Sciences has received a pledge of $10 million from Wendy and Leonard Goldberg, in large part to support migraine research, which will be led by Dr. Andrew Charles (MD ’86, RES ’90, FEL ’92), Meyer and Renee Luskin Chair in Migraine and Headache Studies. “The Goldbergs’ visionary gift, which names and endows the UCLA Goldberg Migraine Program, is one of the largest in history from individuals to support migraine research and treatment,” says Dr. John C. Mazziotta (RES ’81, FEL ’83), vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and CEO of UCLA Health. “It will be a complete game-changer in the field of headache and migraine, locally and globally.”
Migraine, a disabling disorder of the nervous system that affects one-out-of-four Americans, is the third most common of all medical disorders worldwide. Every 10 seconds, someone in the United States goes to an emergency room with a migraine-related complaint. Despite the fact that it is clearly a major public-health issue, migraine has remained largely in the shadows, commonly minimized as “just a headache.” “Migraine is generally under-recognized as a major medical problem, in part because it is not fatal,” says Dr. Charles. “But it is not hyperbole to say that it can ruin lives.”
The Goldbergs want to help advance the understanding of migraine and the care of patients with this disorder, which has a major genetic component. “Leonard and I have seen firsthand in friends and family members how debilitating migraines can be,” says Wendy Goldberg. “We are eager to help find better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.”
A portion of the Goldbergs’ gift also will establish the Goldberg Head and Neck Fund, led by Dr. Gerald Berke (RES ’80, ’84), Victor Goodhill, MD, Chair in Head and Neck Surgery, and the Goldberg Health System Fund.
Leonard Goldberg is an award-winning film and television executive and producer, who has served as head of programming for ABC and president of 20th Century Fox. He currently is executive producer of the CBS series Blue Bloods. Wendy Howard Goldberg is co-author of the national bestseller Blue Bloods Cookbook and Marry Me, and she collaborated on the bestseller Hollywood Moms.
She currently serves as president emeritus of the California State Summer School Arts Foundation.
For more information, contact Karen Colimore at: (310) 267-0496
