University of California Irvine receives $30 million gift to construct a medical innovation building

Photo: Ezra Bailey/Getty Images

Supported by a $30 million lead gift from the Falling Leaves Foundation, University of California Irvine will move forward with construction of a planned medical research facility on its campus, which is expected to enhance its cross-disciplinary teaching and translational research, the organization said Monday.

The approximately 200,000 square-foot Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building will be one of the largest in the West, UCI said, and will provide space for core instruction and laboratories to extend advances in medicine and healthcare. 

The Falling Leaves Foundation was established by Prof. Robert A. Mah and Dr. Adeline Yen Mah in 2007.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

The building will be set in UCI's health sciences district along Michael Drake Drive, and is slated to include well-equipped wet laboratories and meeting spaces to foster research and training. Teams from diverse disciplines will strategically collaborate to drive innovations that bring insights and new treatments, the organization said.

The space will enable UCI to recruit and retain high-profile faculty and launch careers for basic, translational and clinically trained scientists. It will also allow students to learn alongside these researchers and physician-scientists on floors dedicated to specific health issues, including cancer, neuroscience and drug discovery. 

Findings revealed in these laboratories will be translated into tools to predict and prevent illness and treat disease.

The Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building will join the new Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences and Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing and Health Sciences Hall in the growing Health Sciences district, which is only a mile away from the planned UCI Medical Center-Irvine, now starting construction. 

Several established research facilities are also located in the district, including the Biomedical Research Center, which houses UCI institutes and centers where work is conducted in neurosciences, stem cell biology, genomics and proteomics, precision health, AI and data science, and infectious diseases.

THE LARGER TREND

Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the Association of American Universities, and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. 

The campus has produced three Nobel laureates, and it's known for its academic achievement and research. 

Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It's Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide.
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com