The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute received a $25 million donation June 17, making it one the nation’s largest gifts solely directed toward the study of the brain.
Terry Semel, chief executive officer of Yahoo! Inc., and his wife made the donation to the institute, which will be renamed in honor of them.
Faculty at the institute say they hope the donation will create a unique relationship between the scientific developments coming out of the institute and the community.
“The endowment will focus our efforts toward the community … and it will bring great science and great clinical care into closer (proximity) with the community’s needs,” said Peter Whybrow, director of the institute.
Specifically, the money will be instrumental to the development of new programs and the “training of young people,” Whybrow said.
The institute currently conducts a wide array of research into various illnesses, diseases and behaviors of the brain.
“(The institute) is dedicated to the pursuit of better clinical care for psychiatric and neurological disorders … and a comprehensive program of research and education,” said a press release regarding the donation.
In particular, researchers at the institute study everything from genes to culture, autism to Alzheimer’s disease.
Among the many challenges facing the institute is a lack of funding due to state budget cuts, Whybrow said, and the donation will help sustain the program.
Another obstacle the institute grapples with is teaching the public how to take care of its own health.
“We need to create a closer attachment to the community and to create awareness on the part of the public,” Whybrow said.
In this case the purpose of the institute is twofold: to cure brain disease and to help prevent it.
“We want to help not only brain diseases – such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia – but we also want to learn how to minimize it and to teach people how to be good custodians of their health.” Whybrow said.
Many of the problems society faces today, such as anxiety disorders and obesity, arise from a “demand-driven environment,” he added.
The Semels recognize the current situation and are donating to the institute to enact change.
“We want to help lift the stigma that weighs heavily on millions of Americans suffering from diseases of the brain by inspiring greater public understanding of the impact of biology, genetics and culture on behavior and personal health,” Semel said in the press release.
The institute embodies this sentiment in its mission, and many of the researchers say they are committed to enacting social change.
“If the general public knew more about how their environment is becoming toxic and thought things through carefully, we would be better off. … We want to teach people how to take better care of themselves,” Whybrow said.
The institute is among the largest in the world, with 700 clinical faculty, 1,300 staff members and operating revenues of more than $200 million, according to the press release.
And though the institute is not well known in Los Angeles, it is renowned around the world, especially Europe, Whybrow said.
With the help of the $25 million donation, researchers say they will make significant strides toward curing many illnesses and keeping the institute at the forefront of neuropsychiatric developments.