World-leading health care starts with the people. It’s within the brilliant minds and caring hearts of our health care superstars at VGH and UBC Hospital that the best patient care is found.
Donor funding through Chairs and Fellowships has played a vital role in attracting and retaining such stars of health care. By funding their research, donors directly impact care at our hospitals.
By investing in people, supporting their research, and offering them an opportunity to explore and share their knowledge, the care offered to patients throughout BC continuously transforms.
This is where the next generation of care is born. And philanthropy is absolutely vital in order for this to happen.
Decades of philanthropic support for our research centres, such as the Vancouver Prostate Centre, have fueled their development into global leaders in their field. Clinician-scientists have leveraged donor dollars many times over in competitive research grants to have some of the best patient outcomes in the world for men living with prostate cancer.
VGH’s Blusson Spinal Cord Injury Centre and the Vancouver Stroke Program—two other leading programs at VGH and UBC Hospital—bring together translational medical research and patient care thanks to generous donations.
This is why I am proud of the role our Foundation plays with donors to transform health care. This includes community leaders, individual donors and philanthropists, such as Foundation Board Member Ali Pejman who raised an incredible $2.7 million for epilepsy fellowships in BC. And Arran and Ratana Stephens, who donated $1 million and established the Stephens Family Fellowship in Gastroenterology.
This is the difference that people make. Investments from yesterday are felt by patients today, and the same will be true for tomorrow.
While making final preparations for this issue, I received the sad news that the Foundation’s founding Chairman, Peter Bentley passed away. More than forty years ago —at the request of the Premier of the time—Peter established the VGH Foundation. Over four decades, his wisdom and encouragement guided management and the Board to create an engine of health care transformation through philanthropy. His life and contributions are an extraordinary example of the impact one person can have on our community and for generations to come.
We stand on the shoulders of giants. And with that I am proud to share with you this issue of Vital as we explore the stories of these incredible minds today, and the impact it will have on care tomorrow.
Warmest Regards,
Angela Chapman
President & CEO, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation