Suzanne and Stanley Caplan are new donors to UCLA with a commitment to the Department of Surgery. Their support underwrites the work of Dr. Ronald W. Busuttil, executive chairman of the department, whose specialty is transplantation, including the liver and pancreas. Their contribution will bolster his highest priorities, as he continues to pursue excellence in patient care, research and education in this lifesaving mission.
UCLA alumna Jerri de Cordova has donated assets valued at more than $500,000 to establish a charitable-gift annuity benefiting the Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation. This contribution, made in honor of Mrs. de Cordova’s sister Jean L. Kline, will support highest-priority breast-cancer research at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. David and Randi Fett have pledged $500,000 to establish the David and Randi Fett Orbital and Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Fellowship Endowment at the Jules Stein Eye Institute (JSEI). It is in addition to their recent gift of $300,000 in 2010. These contributions support fellow training by Dr. Robert A. Goldberg, chief of ophthalmic plastic and orbital surgery at JSEI. The Fetts have strong ties to UCLA, since Dr. Fett’s grandfather (BA 1932), Mrs. Fett (BS 1984) and Dr. Fett (resident in ophthalmology at JSEI between 1981 and 1984) all received degrees at UCLA. This most recent commitment continues their long-standing tradition of giving in order to make a difference in the lives of others.
The Furlotti Family Foundation has committed $500,000 over five years to support the OCD Treatment Program in the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. The first payment of $100,000 launched the pilot study focused on the development, testing and dissemination of a novel virtual reality (VR)-based treatment for childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) under the direction of Dr. John Piacentini.
Long-time UCLA donors Wendy and Theo Kolokotrones have completed their pledge to support the redesign of the Jules Stein Eye Institute (JSEI) website. This contribution will help modernize the site and expand user functionalities for online visitors and JSEI staff and faculty. The Kolokotrones also have made a generous gift for corneal research headed by Dr. Bartly J. Mondino, director of JSEI. Their other recent donations of more than $100,000 each will advance the cutting-edge work of Dr. John Glaspy at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Dr. Helena Chang at the Revlon/UCLA Breast Center. An additional philanthropic investment will support residents under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Eckardt in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
The Jean Perkins Foundation continues its philanthropic dedication to UCLA Health through two major contributions to the UCLA Department of Surgery. A second $300,000 gift has been directed to the Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology (CASIT) to support the Prosthetic and Balance Haptic Project, improving prosthetic options for amputees and patients with lower-limb neuropathy. Dr. E. Carmack Holmes and Dr. Gregory Carman are codirectors of CASIT. In addition, the foundation is underwriting Dr. Justine Lee’s bone-growth research, under the direction of Dr. Timothy A. Miller in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
The family of William M. Ryan made a gift of stock to establish the Ruth Carr Quasi-Endowment Fund in The UCLA Foundation. This contribution is to underwrite the Ruth Carr Program for Physician Vitality under the direction of Dr. Andrew F. Leuchter and Dr. Elizabeth A. Bromley in the Center for Health Services and Society at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.
A contribution from Sun West Mortgage Company has been received by the UCLA Division of Pediatric Surgery. This support will bolster several of the division’s key priorities under the direction of Dr. James Dunn, chief, as well as Dr. James Atkinson, medical director of the UCLA Health - Santa Monica Medical Center campus.
Pat and Joe Yzurdiaga have made a $1-million contribution to the Pat and Joe Yzurdiaga Endowed Cataract Fund at the Jules Stein Eye Institute. This gift will support cataract programs under the direction of Dr. Kevin M. Miller, chief of the Comprehensive Ophthalmology Division.
