FAVR co-founders William K. Ehrenfeld, MD (left) and Ronald J. Stoney, MD (right) with their mentor, Edwin Jack Wylie, MD, circa 1973.
The Foundation for Accelerated Vascular Research (FAVR) was established in 1982 by Ronald J. Stoney, MD and William K. Ehrenfeld, MD, vascular surgeons at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), with a generous gift from a grateful patient.
Initially called the Pacific Vascular Research Foundation, the non-profit supported vascular surgeons who conducted research concerning innovative treatment strategies for targeted vascular diseases. In 1990, thanks to its first multi-year grant, the Foundation began supporting basic vascular science, focusing on the causes and mechanisms of vascular disease. In the late ‘90s, FAVR added an outreach component to its programs in hopes of achieving its mission to prevent death and disability from vascular disease.
In 2008 the Board of Trustees decided to build on the past and move us into a new era. FAVR is working to accelerate vascular research through a novel research model based on leveraging the power of each Investigational Collaboration Unit (ICU). An ICU consists of several researchers who collaborate on a patient-centered vascular research problem. FAVR's ICU model is expected to cut the time to develop patient treatments by as much as 50%.
