An anonymous $50 million gift will fund a center for mental and physical healthcare services on the UCSF Mission Bay campus, Matthew W. State announced last night at the University’s regular meeting of its Community Advisory Group. Dr. State, MD, PhD, the Oberndorf Family Distinguished Professor and chair of psychiatry at UCSF, is a world-renowned researcher on neurodevelopmental disorders.
“There have been artificial separations between medicine, pediatrics, neurology and psychiatry for far too long,” said State. “In addition to leading to poorer outcomes and higher costs, these separations have helped foster the stigma surrounding mental illness. With this landmark gift, we are going to break down these barriers, improve the care of our patients and their families, and help erase that stigma.”
According to a press release issued this morning by the university, the Child, Teen and Family Center will include treatment for autism and neurodevelopmental disorders, eating disorders, hyperactivity, attention and learning problems and dyslexia. The effects of urban stress and displacement will be included in medical and psychiatric care as well as in cutting-edge clinical research conducted at the facility.
UCSF has a long history of leadership in neurological diseases and disorders such as Alzheimers and the new facility will help partner psychiatry with faculty from the world-renowned UCSF Department of Neurology Memory and Aging Center. “We are just beginning to fully appreciate that mental and physical health are truly inseparable. We need to research this area in much more depth, not only to treat illness more effectively, but to understand how to best promote brain health as we age,” State said.
UCSF has made a commitment to partner with the surrounding community, as outlined in their recently adopted Community Planning Principles, “in order to identify potential community concerns that may arise from UCSF’s physical development prior to the time that individual projects are brought forward for approval.”
The generous gift includes the property at 2130 Third Street as well as the construction of a 140,000 square foot facility, which will be located close to the newly opened UCSF Medical Center.
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