A name can say everything, and in this case, it does. We’ve changed our name from the Pacific Vascular Research Foundation to the Foundation for Accelerated Vascular Research to more accurately reflect the urgency of our longstanding mission — to prevent death and disability from vascular disease. And that’s not all we’ve changed.
As we continue to build on our 25-year “Bedside-to-Bench-and-Back” legacy of translational research, we now have a new research model — the Investigational Collaboration Unit (ICU). An intentional play on “Intensive Care Unit,” our ICU is the operational unit that links venture philanthropy — from individuals, foundations and corporations — with scientific research and private industry to speed discoveries into the most promising solutions to vascular disease.
We have work to do: According to the The Milken Institute, the economic burden of chronic disease will grow to $6 trillion within twenty years. A major portion of these dollars includes the cost for treating vascular disease. Thus, as we transition into the next 25 years of service, we are confronting this growing epidemic with a more responsive research model, guided by the key tenets of successful venture philanthropy to improve human health.
Our ICU model is an evolutionary product of the creativity and collaborative spirit that distinguishes our Wylie Scholar Award Program and our newly named Laboratory for Accelerated Vascular Research located at the University of California, San Francisco. These programs not only continue to develop outstanding surgeon-scientists and support patient-focused, clinician-centered research, but now also serve to incubate research projects for each ICU we generate.
The Foundation for Accelerated Vascular Research is more than an innovative research model accelerating translational medicine. Most importantly, we are concerned and committed people who have a passion for making things happen. Now more than ever, we are seeking financial partners to invest in our vision and commitment to accelerate research into the cause, prevention and treatment of vascular disease. Your investment in FAVR is an investment in discovery — Discovery at the Speed of Life.
Charles Versaggi, Ph.D. and Eric J. Hall, CFA
Co-Chairmen of the Board of Trustees
Jerry Millhon
Executive Director
