For immediate release
March 15, 2005
Contact: Bob Beard
(434) 982-4490
reb8e@virginia.edu
U.Va. HEALTH SYSTEM RECEIVES $2 MILLION GIFT FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND TRAINING
There’s a new effort at the University of Virginia Health System to bring U.Va.’s long expertise in infectious diseases to thoseoverseas who need it most. The worldwide pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. and the Pfizer Foundation are donating a total of $2 million over the next four years to fund a new program at the Health System’s Center for Global Health. The Pfizer International Health Initiative will support international exchanges of post-doctoral fellows and students between U.Va. and a number of global partners, including governments and universities in Brazil, Uganda, Ghana, Mexico, Philippines and China.
The gift from Pfizer and the Pfizer Foundation will allow at least two post-doctoral fellows or junior faculty from U.Va. to travel overseas for one year of research in infectious diseases, clinical microbiology, epidemiology, biostatistics or other subspecialty of global health. That number will go up to six fellows if each fellow chooses to spend four months overseas.
In addition, the same number of students or fellows from international partner nations will receive infectious disease training at U.Va. These fellows will then return to their home nations to train others in the academic, policy and public health arenas of global health. The initiative will also target new sites where international exchanges could significantly help AIDS prevention.
“The mission is to enhance patient care and prevention of infectious disease. To that end, the Center for Global Health has a long track record of collaboration with our colleagues around the world,” said Dr. W. Michael Scheld, professor of infectious diseases at U.Va. and director of the Pfizer Initiative. “We are proud that one hundred percent of the fellows who have trained at U.Va. have returned to their home countries to take positions of high responsibility- such as secretary of health, chair of the department of medicine and chair of microbiology. They are leading the effort to fight diseases such as HIV/ AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in their home countries.”
“U.Va. is very proud to be a partner with the Foundation in this important effort to help eradicate infectious diseases around the globe,” said Dr Arthur Garson, Jr., vice president and dean of the U.Va. School of Medicine. “This will expand opportunities for our students and fellows to advance their research and training careers in global health.”
“We are very pleased to fund this important joint health initiative,” said Dr. Joseph Fezcko, President of Worldwide Development at Pfizer. “This program demonstrates Pfizer’s continued commitment to build capacity to fight HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases that affect developing countries.”
You don’t have to be in medical school to participate in the program. The Pfizer Initiative will also fund a minimum of six to eight weeks of overseas study in global health for up to 20 U.Va. students from medicine and other disciplines, such as nursing, public policy or law.
Pfizer Inc. discovers, develops, manufactures and markets leading prescription medicines for humans and animals, and many of the world’s best-known consumer brands. Pfizer’s philanthropic efforts totaled more than $686 million in 2003 – nearly $1.9 million per day. Pfizer recently received the Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy Award from the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy in recognition of its commitment to corporate giving. The Pfizer Foundation, Inc. is an independent charitable foundation established by Pfizer in 1953 to promote access to quality health care and education, to nurture innovation and to support the community involvement of Pfizer people.
For more information on the Pfizer Initiative, please call Dr. Scheld at (434) 924-5241 or email wms@virginia.edu.
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