Harvard Medical School Osher Institute Joins With Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships To Fund Innovative Research Projects

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2003

BOSTON -- June 30, 2003 -- The Harvard Medical School Osher Institute and Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies (HMS) has joined forces with the Chicago-based Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships (GPP) to create matching grants for pilot studies involving complementary and integrative medical therapies that may treat and cure disease.

The Harvard Medical School Osher Institute and Division were established to facilitate interdisciplinary and inter-institutional faculty collaborations for evaluation of complementary and integrative therapies.  The Institute also is involved in the delivery of educational programs to the medical community and in the design of evidence-based, sustainable models of complementary and integrative care delivery. 

The non-profit Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships funds pioneering research to accelerate cures for disease by creating partnerships with innovative researchers, leading research institutions, nonprofit organizations and dedicated philanthropists.  The new collaboration, which will benefit the Harvard Medical School Osher Institute Fund for Innovation and Discovery, allows HMS and GPP collaboratively to identify specific projects that ultimately may provide advances in treating patients with acute and chronic conditions.  The GPP funding will support projects from Harvard Medical School Osher Institute researchers and proposals submitted by Harvard investigators to the Osher Institute Pilot Studies Research Program.

“The Harvard Medical School Osher Institute’s collaboration with the Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships is a wonderful opportunity to advance our mutual interests to evaluate the safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness and mechanism of complementary and integrative medical therapies in a rigorous manner” said David Eisenberg, MD, Director of the Osher Institute.  “We recently established the Pilot Studies Research Program and have actively sought donors interested in providing additional support for these awards; the donors of Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships were seeking innovative medical research projects to support.  We are grateful to GPP donors for their funding, which will allow the Harvard Medical School Osher Institute to advance in a much more robust way.”  

The Osher Institute Pilot Studies Research Program’s first request for applications resulted in 76 proposals from Harvard faculty, including: 41 clinical trials, 21 basic science investigations, and 14 studies involving health services research.  Clinical areas of interest included oncology, neurology and neuroscience, pain management, psychiatry and cardiovascular disease. Modalities to be tested included herbs and supplements, acupuncture, mind-body techniques and massage.  The applications underwent peer review by senior Harvard faculty with at least two independent experts reviewing and scoring each application.  

Five pilot grants were awarded in January 2003.  However, several dozen meritorious projects remain unfunded.  Support from the Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships and other donors will enable HMS to support additional pilot studies.

“Since cutting-edge research often may not receive mainstream medical research funding, the Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships has set out to advance those projects that have the capacity to provide breakthrough results,” said GPP President and CEO Dr. Bruce E. Bloom. “Our support of this initiative is unique because it offers our donors the opportunity directly to fund innovative medical research projects that can make a difference in the lives of patients.  But most importantly, it allows us to get to know Harvard researchers personally while traveling together down the path to scientific discovery.”

The Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships was co-founded by George and Judith Goldman, who created the nonprofit organization as a way of “giving back” after Judith’s successful battle against multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that has been in remission since 1990.  Today, the Foundation continues to inspire new advances in medicine by seeking out, validating and co-funding innovative research that may cure catastrophic diseases, such as cancer.

By establishing key matching grants, GPP hopes to advance breakthrough research at HMS that may improve the lives of patients suffering from catastrophic diseases.  Initially, three research proposals will receive support from GPP.

“Through our new philanthropic partnership with the HMS Osher Institute, we hope to push the research envelope and to bring greater donor involvement to the research process," said Dr. Bloom.

Contacts: 
Judith Montminy, Harvard Medical School, 617-432-0442 (judith_montminy@hms.harvard.edu)
Bruce Bloom, Goldman Philanthropic Partnerships, 847-948-5512 (Bruce@GoldmanPartnerships.org)