Saving Lives in Challenging Times
Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Your ongoing support of UT Southwestern continues to have a tremendous impact, especially in these challenging times. While the pandemic has dominated news headlines since early 2020, the pressing needs of other important health issues haven’t stopped. Your efforts have allowed us to continue advancing the most promising research in neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, cardiology, and more.
As you know, UT Southwestern health care providers work tirelessly to treat those who come to us for help, whether impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic or by other health concerns. At the same time, our researchers are investigating new approaches to treating diseases beyond what’s possible today. Taking on the greatest challenges in medicine is what our clinicians and scientists do best.
In this second issue of Pathways, you will learn more about one of our leading strategic priorities: combating brain diseases. Under the leadership of supporter and friend Robert B. Rowling, there has been significant momentum in an ambitious effort to raise $500 million in philanthropic support for the Campaign for the Brain benefiting the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. UTSW also is investing $500 million in the O’Donnell Brain Institute for a $1 billion total initiative. We have surpassed our goal, thanks to the generosity of friends like you, and we are grateful for these gifts of every size that collectively are having an extraordinary impact.
Also in this issue, you’ll read about Nader Pouratian, M.D., Ph.D., the new Chair of Neurological Surgery, who specializes in innovative surgical care for depression, blindness, and movement disorders. Dr. Pouratian holds the Lois C.A. and Darwin E. Smith Distinguished Chair in Neurological Surgery and is among the many top specialists whom we’ve been able to recruit to our institution who treat both pervasive and rare diseases. With your help, our reputation as a leading academic medical center has enabled us to build upon this foundation of excellence.
I also want to highlight the work of the Hematologic Malignancies and Bone Marrow Transplantation Program led by Robert H. Collins Jr., M.D., and his team. This program has developed a reputation for both exemplary patient care and groundbreaking research – including an exciting development involving CAR T-cell therapy, a type of immunotherapy that is used to treat leukemia and lymphoma. It actually enhances the ability of a patient’s immune system to attack cancer cells, and UTSW was the first in Texas to offer CAR T-cell therapy to treat advanced cancer.
As you can see, beyond innovative COVID-19 care and research, lifesaving work continues unabated at UTSW, furthered through your commitment to accelerate our progress. UT Southwestern would not be where it is today without the generosity and philanthropic spirit of our supporters. We are grateful for each of you who work alongside us in delivering on our three-part mission as a premier academic medical center.
