Orange County Couple Donates To UC Irvine

IRVINE, CA — Longtime University of California Irvine supporters Susan and Henry Samueli have announced a $200 million gift -- the largest in its history -- for a first-of-its-kind College of Health Sciences focused on interdisciplinary integrative health.

The donation is the seventh-largest to a single public university, according to UCI officials, who said the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences will be "the first university-based health sciences enterprise to incorporate integrative health research, teaching and patient care across its schools and programs."

"This gift catalyzes UCI's belief that human health and well-being requires a science-based approach that engages all disciplines in caring for the whole person and total community," said Chancellor Howard Gillman. "Susan and Henry Samueli's dedication, their vision for what is possible and their deep generosity will help UCI set a standard that, over time, other medical centers in the U.S. can follow."

According to UCI, integrative health "redefines the relationship between the practitioner and patient by focusing on the whole person and the whole community. It is informed by scientific evidence and makes use of all appropriate preventatives, therapeutic and lifestyle approaches, and healthcare professionals and disciplines to promote optimal health and wellness."

"Despite our technological advances, too many people still suffer from chronic conditions such as pain, diabetes and heart disease or are caught in a cycle of taking too many medications," Susan Samueli said. "We must change what we mean by `healthcare' and how we train all who provide care, including physicians, nurses and pharmacists. Today's health science students ask about integrative health from day one; harnessing that interest is key to turning our national system in a better direction."

Her husband, co-founder of Broadcom Corp., said: "Susan and I have supported healthcare research for nearly 20 years, and over that time, we have seen a significant expansion of the scientific evidence demonstrating the value and efficacy of integrative health. This evidence base is critical as UCI -- a young, innovative institution -- takes this big and influential step.

We are very excited for the UCI College of Health Sciences to become a national model for integrative health," he said. "We believe this model will eventually become the standard approach for promoting health and well- being in our society."

The existing Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine will become the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute and will focus on improving medical care by supporting multidisciplinary research, education, clinical service and community programs. Faculty and students in computer science, engineering, social sciences, business and other areas will collaborate within the institute to study the future of human health.

• 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 campuswide interdisciplinary research projects
• ongoing clinical services, research and education in the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, including investigations of nonconventional interventions as part of medical treatment and educating medical and lay communities about benefits and risks associated with new healthcare approaches.

The Samuelis previous donations to UCI totaled more than $70 million, including a $30 million gift from the Samueli Foundation earlier this year for a convergent sciences building. In 2000, the couple received the UCI Medal -- the university's highest honor -- for contributions to UCI's mission of teaching, research and public service.

UC Irvine Photo