A May 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building marked a significant milestone in UC Irvine’s commitment to advancing medical research to predict, prevent and treat disease.
Chancellor Howard Gillman expressed his enthusiasm for the project. “The research done in this building will help shape the future of health and wellness,” he said. “Soon teams from diverse disciplines – cancer, neuroscience, vision, vaccines, genomics, and so much more – will strategically collaborate to drive innovations, novel insights and new treatments to help communities thrive.”
The research done in this building will help shape the future of health and wellness.
Chancellor Howard Gillman
Made possible by $53 million in generous philanthropic support from Adeline Yen Mah, MD, and Robert Mah, PhD, through their Falling Leaves Foundation, the 215,000-square-foot building will be one of the largest translational research hubs on the West Coast once it becomes fully operational in the coming months.
Steve Goldstein, MD, PhD, FAAP, vice chancellor for health affairs, emphasized the building’s future impact during the ceremony: “The Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building marks a new era in research innovation, with a distinct strategy to rapidly translate discoveries into prevention and cures,” he said.
The Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building marks a new era in research innovation, with a distinct strategy to rapidly translate discoveries into prevention and cures.
Steve Goldstein, MD, PhD, FAAP
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
Key features of the Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building include:
- Customized state-of-the-art spaces for collaborative translational research programs selected through a rigorous application process;
- A focus on project-driven medical innovation to prevent and cure diseases such as inherited blindness, cancer and neurological disorders;
- And a strategic location in the UC Irvine Health Sciences District to facilitate collaboration of clinicians and investigators.
The building will house several leading-edge programs, including the Robert A. Mah Molecular Innovation Center and the Adeline Yen Mah Vaccine Center, both endowed by additional support from the Mahs. Adeline Mah, MD, highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary research, saying, “This building is more than brick and glass. It is a sanctuary for innovation: A space where the imagination and determination of brilliant minds will shape the future of medicine.”
This building is more than brick and glass. It is a sanctuary for innovation: A space where the imagination and determination of brilliant minds will shape the future of medicine.
Adeline Mah, MD
