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Source: Lordelyn del Rosario
415-476-2557
03 November 1999
UCSF receives $5 million from the Hellman family to support promising junior faculty
UCSF has received $5 million from the Hellman Family to support and encourage young faculty members whose research shows great capacity for distinction. The Hellman Family Faculty Fund will allow UCSF to support junior faculty members as they build their research programs, before they apply for outside funding from foundations and federal agencies.
Mr. and Mrs. F. Warren Hellman chose to make their donation to UCSF at this time as the campus, with the recent groundbreaking at Mission Bay, looks ahead toward the exciting health science advancements that will come in the new millenium.
“We have been considering this gift to the campus for some time. We made the decision now because we want to support the outstanding young researchers at UCSF and we also want to give this world class university a morale boost. We and the people of San Francisco need to support the incredible teaching, research, and patient care being done at UCSF,” said F. Warren Hellman, a San Francisco investment banker. “Our goal is to give UCSF support by providing a specific avenue for faculty to develop their research and careers and to focus now on the future rather than the past, to look to the promise these faculty bring as they work to find answers to mankind’s most devastating illnesses.”
Supported by the $5 million donation, the Hellman Family Faculty Fund will be designated exclusively for non-tenured professors. Junior faculty often exhaust their research start-up monies before grants from external sources have been secured. The Hellman Family Faculty Fund will ensure that important research conducted by junior faculty continues during this interim period.
“The generosity of the Hellmans will energize and strengthen our faculty’s research,” said Chancellor J. Michael Bishop, MD. “This gift is spectacular recognition for our campus and the research being done here and it builds upon and adds to the exciting potential for our campus, symbolizing the incredible energy UCSF brings into the next century. We are most grateful to the Hellmans for their generosity and recognition of the value of the work of our young faculty.”
It is estimated that approximately $500,000 in funding, indexed to inflation, will be available each year for junior faculty. The maximum award amount will be $50,000 per faculty member.
Although awards may not be used to cover faculty salaries, they may be used for student or research assistants’ salaries. A similar fund was established by the Hellmans at UC Berkeley in 1995.
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