“The greatest wealth is health” and UCI has just been given a historic amount of health indeed with a $200 million dollar donation towards the brand-new Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences. Through this donation, Susan and Henry Samueli will enable pioneering reforms in the pursuit of integrative health care.
The new college combines under its umbrella the Integrative Health Institute and the following UCI entities: the School of Medicine; the Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing; the School of Pharmacy (currently the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences); the School of Population Health (currently the Program in Public Health), as well as other research entities to form the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences. Inquiry and discovery in service of the global community are at the heart of UCI’s mission. Key to the success of the college – and this model of healthcare delivery – is research and care that crosses all departments and disciplines.
“UCI tries to take an integrative approach to learning whenever possible — growing alongside its students to better support their success. Our commitment to academic reformation is furthered by this donation, as the excellence of our medical school is reflected throughout the entire campus.” said Vice Provost of Teaching and Learning, Michael Dennin.
UCI has a history of being on the cutting edge of educational reforms, earning its spot as one of the top universities in the country for upward social mobility in students, and number one for achieving the American Dream. In fact, OVPTL itself is a fairly recent reform, led by Dennin.
Integrative health supplements conventional medicine with complementary and alternative medicine, and lifestyle and self-care. In other words, it broadens the focus of health to holistically address the physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual and environmental influences that affect a person’s health and well-being. Informed by scientific evidence, integrative health redefines the relationship between the practitioner and patient by focusing on the whole person and the whole community.
“Public health is all about protecting health and preventing illness and injury. This significant
investment will strengthen our understanding of prevention and our approach to assuring the
health of the whole person and whole community. It represents an extraordinary commitment
toward improving health and wellness for all,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, Executive Director, American Public Health Association.
The Samuelis’ gift will provide $50 million towards the construction of a facility to house the college and $5 million for state-of-the-art technology and labs. The gift also earmarks $145 million to create an endowment for:
- Up to 15 faculty chairs across the medicine, nursing, pharmacy and population health disciplines for senior, mid-career and junior faculty with expertise in integrative health
- Integrative health training and mentoring for interested medical school students
- Scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students planning careers in related fields
- Innovative curricular development and campus-wide interdisciplinary research projects
- Ongoing clinical services, research and education in the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, including investigations of non-conventional interventions as part of medical treatment and educating medical and lay communities about benefits and risks associated with new healthcare approaches
“Through its five academic medical centers, the University of California brings together top clinicians and researchers to provide world-class care, and with this gift from Susan and Henry Samueli, both valued UC alumni and supporters, UCI will help lead the way with important advances in personal and community health that will benefit Californians and others across the nation,” said UC President Janet Napolitano.
When asked what this donation says about the future of UCI, Michael Dennin commented, “These are exciting times, to be sure. I can’t wait to build on this momentum, and really see the benefits of donations such as these extended to all students. We’re always working to make things better, to ensure that everyone has access to the best education possible.”
Learn more about the new Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences by visiting http://cohs.uci.edu/