A great aspect of philanthropy is the potential for high reward. Philanthropists can take a chance on a risky idea that may revolutionize its field—an innovative solution that can transform the way we fight a disease, thereby saving or improving the lives of millions of people worldwide.
The risk is minimized through the thoughtful and strategic selection of projects proposed by teams of well-established, accomplished scientists and scholars.
The Department of Medicine is competitive in the national and international arenas of the major charitable granting agencies. For example, in December 2013, the National Sanitarium Association added $1 million to the nearly $5 million it had already granted to the Department of Medicine to speed up the discovery of effective treatments for chronic respiratory diseases that affect hundreds of millions of patients worldwide. With this most recent grant, Stephen Lam, Professor in the Division of Respiratory Medicine, will lead the development of a rapid screening technology to identify effective treatments for COPD, asthma and other respiratory diseases.
“We think of ourselves as venture capitalists looking to kick-start innovative, high-risk research projects that have a potentially high pay-off,” says William Acton, President of the National Sanitarium Association. “We hold an annual call for proposals Canada-wide, and UBC frequently comes out on top of our scientific review process, which reflects the quality of the work you’re doing.”
With your help, we can make further progress in improving the lives of patients in BC and around the world. To inquire about giving to support our critical research, please contact:
Stephanie Huehn
Associate Director, Development
Tel: 604.218.0275
stephanie.huehn@ubc.ca