UC San Francisco on Friday launched one of the largest fundraising efforts ever set by a U.S. university, a $5 billion campaign aimed at tackling the most complex biomedical questions of our day and working more broadly to improve the quality of people’s health over their lifetimes.
Rising health care costs and the treatment of complex diseases and conditions have increased pressure on the U.S. health care system. At the same time, the country faces widening health disparities among people of different social statuses, ethnicities and genders. Additionally, the population is aging; by 2050, the number of Americans over age 65 is expected to double.
UCSF plans to solve some of the most pressing issues with innovative treatments and new discoveries developed using next-generation technologies, massive and diverse data sets, and a world-class clinical enterprise. UCSF: The Campaign will focus on three “Grand Challenges”: solving fundamental biological mysteries; accelerating the translation of discoveries to transform patient care; and working with others who share our commitment to ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to live a healthy life.
Harnessing Bay Area Innovation
UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS, said the boldness of these goals reflects the distinctive region in which UCSF makes its home: the highly innovative ecosystem of the San Francisco Bay Area.
“UCSF is one of the world’s premier biomedical universities, and we are experiencing a dynamic convergence with Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area,” Hawgood said. “This sparks new and serendipitous combinations of brilliant scientific minds, innovative technology and our region’s pioneering spirit. The goal of the campaign is to empower us to have an exponentially greater impact – to seize a once-in-a-generation opportunity to solve the most challenging and vexing problems in human health.”
As one of the world’s preeminent universities, we must increase our support for our students and faculty to sustain the next generation of leaders and provide them with the advanced tools and world-class facilities that will catalyze transformational advances in biomedicine.
“As one of the world’s preeminent universities, we must increase our support for our students and faculty to sustain the next generation of leaders and provide them with the advanced tools and world-class facilities that will catalyze transformational advances in biomedicine,” added Hawgood.
“UCSF is a national leader, and its collaborative, entrepreneurial spirit makes it uniquely suited to address the greatest challenges in health for individuals and populations,” said William E. Oberndorf, chair of the UCSF Board of Overseers and chairman of Oberndorf Enterprises.