Ryan LeuteritzUCI had a successful 2017-18 school year, being named “Best Regional College” by Princeton Review, along with receiving multiple top 10 rankings on lists like “best public schools nationwide” by U.S. News and World Report. Accolades like these have paid off for the university, as UCI announced that in fiscal year 2018-19 they saw a 22 percent increase in funding year over year.
Donors including the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, the National Science Foundation, and various other private foundations and charities provided UCI with a record $441 million in research and other funding for FY 2018-19, primarily targeting the school’s prestigious science and academic pursuits.
UCI Health, ranked among the top 10 California hospitals according to U.S News, garnered the largest increase in research funding at $155 million. The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (CFCCC), which is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive care center in Orange County, accrued $25 million, up 21 percent from FY 2016-17. The CFCCC brings together scientists and experts from UCI’s School of Medicine, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering and more, to facilitate cancer research programs, patient care and clinical trials. In 2018, CFCCC clinical trial research resulted in the FDA approval of a new drug intended to treat ovarian cancer.
Chao Cancer Center
UCI’s Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, known for their breakthrough research in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and brain injury, received $10.3 million in research funding, split between Dr. Leslie Thompson and Dr. Magdalene Selier. Dr. Thompson, whose research interests focus on human genetic disorders, will use her $5.6 million grant to focus on advancing stem-cell based treatments for Huntington’s disease, a progressive brain disorder that affects one in 10,000 Americans. Dr. Seiler will focus her $4.7 million grant on treating degenerative eye conditions through the development of stem cell-derived retinas.
The School of Education also saw an increase in funding by nearly 300 percent from last year, totaling $27 million in 2018-19. Much of this increase is due to a grant of $14.7 million from the U.S. Department of Education, to expand the reach of the Pathway to Academic Success Project, headed by UCI professor of education, Carol Booth Olson. The project is a reading and literacy improvement program aimed at high-needs middle and high school students in Southern California.
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