For more than 45 years, The Ahmanson Foundation has helped advance the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA’s clinical, research, teaching and community-engagement missions. The Foundation’s latest gift to the school’s new medical-education home, Geffen Hall, will benefit generations of aspiring healthcare leaders. Geffen Hall is among the school’s highest priorities during The Centennial Campaign for UCLA and will leverage the latest collaboration techniques and technologies to deliver a dynamic educational experience for tomorrow’s physicians and scientists.
Since 2011, UCLA Operation Mend has partnered with the New York office of Credit Suisse for its Annual Holiday Charity Initiative (HCI). At the end of every year, in conjunction with holiday celebrations, the Credit Suisse Americas Foundation provides matching support for charitable contributions made by employees toward selected causes and organizations. During its 2015 HCI, nearly 600 employees donated a total of $245,947 to Operation Mend, bringing the combined total of employee donations and corporate matching to more than $750,000.
The Eisner Foundation, founded by Jane and Michael Eisner, has awarded the UCLA Division of Geriatrics a $750,000 grant for three intergenerational programs: the TimeOut @ UCLA Program, Generation Xchange (GenX) Program and the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program, under the direction of Drs. Zaldy Tan, Teresa Seeman and David Reuben (FEL ’88), Archstone Foundation Endowed Chair in Geriatrics. TimeOut @ UCLA pairs college students with patients in need of companionship, providing mentoring opportunities and caregiver Faculty Giving Back respite. GenX trains and engages older adults who mentor K-3rd-grade students in South Los Angeles to help improve their academic skills. The Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program addresses the needs of patient caregivers by coordinating care and providing education, support and counseling.
Carol Grigor, a longtime member of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center board, has made a $1-million gift to support UCLA’s Geffen Hall. A former concert pianist and recipient of the Prince of Wales Arts Philanthropy Medal, Grigor currently resides in Scotland. Geffen Hall will enable UCLA to attract the best medical students and faculty and provide them with every opportunity for collaborative interaction.
UCLA alumnus James Peters, Jr., and his wife Beverly have continued their dedication to advancing medical discoveries through a $450,000 pledge. The contribution will advance translational studies in epilepsy, stroke and neurological disorders in underserved populations, under the direction of Dr. Christopher M. DeGiorgio (FEL ’87), professor and vice chair of the Department of Neurology and associate chief medical officer of Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. The gift also will support mentorship programs for undergraduate students interested in pursuing research in medicine and neurology. In addition, it will provide funding for investigations into the underlying mechanisms in the brain responsible for the epileptic state and seizure generation, conducted by UCLA neurobiologist Dr. Carolyn Houser (PhD ’78).
