Los Angeles Businessman Selim Zilkha Pledges $20 million to USC’s Neurogenetic Institute
The 125,000 square-foot, six-story institute will house more than 30 new faculty members involved in USC’s Neurogenetic Initiative. Construction is currently underway, and the building is slated to open at year’s end.
Through its design, the state-of-the-art institute will encourage interdisciplinary research and collaboration, emphasizing shared space and equipment and centralized core laboratories.
Researchers at the new institute will lay the foundation for new cures and therapeutic strategies to attack Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, anxiety and scores of other debilitating neurological and psychiatric disorders faced by millions worldwide.
"My mother and my eldest brother both suffered from Alzheimer's for several years, hence my interest in neurogenetic diseases," said Zilkha.
"We are so pleased by this most generous gift," said Stephen J. Ryan, dean of the Keck School of Medicine. "We were fortunate to be introduced to Selim through his friendship with Robert Day, chairman of the W.M. Keck Foundation, who has directly helped make the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute a reality."
"I have every confidence that the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute will have a major impact on science and research, especially in relation to Alzheimer’s disease and other dreaded diseases affecting the brain," added Day. "As a personal friend, I thank Selim for his philanthropy - his generosity will benefit Los Angeles and the nation."
Zilkha's father, Khedoury Zilkha, owned the largest private bank in the Middle East. The family moved to America in 1941.
The younger Zilkha attended the Horace Mann School in the Riverdale section of New York City and later earned a B.A. from Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. He served in the U.S. army in 1945. Zilkha then worked in finance for Zilkha & Sons in New York, Paris and London from 1947 to 1960.
In 1960, he founded Mothercare, a retail chain specializing in everything for the mother-to-be and her baby with branches in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States. He sold his interest in Mothercare in 1982 and returned to the United States.
In 1983, Zilkha entered the energy business, starting Zilkha Energy Co., a successful enterprise that explored the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas. The company was sold to Sonat Inc in 1998, which, in turn, sold the firm to the El Paso Corporation in 1999.
His present business interests include Zilkha Renewable Energy, a company developing wind farms in the United States; Socratech, a biotech company that has as its goal the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of a variety of brain disorders; and Laetitia, a vineyard and winery in Arroyo Grande, Calif.,
"This gift … is absolutely critical to the foundation of the institute, and all the hopes we have to develop a strong program in neuroscience," said Brian E. Henderson, the institute's director.
Unraveling the complexities of the nervous system will require a true interdisciplinary approach. The Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute will allow an intermingling of disciplines and ideas, Henderson said.
Zilkha will also serve as a member of the Keck School of Medicine of USC’s board of overseers.
Contact Lori Oliwenstein at (323) 442-2827.
Latest stories
- USC Price School Celebrates Naming Gift February 9, 2012 2:45 PM
- George Will Shares His Perspective on Politics February 9, 2012 1:10 PM
- Life on the Rez February 9, 2012 12:10 PM
-
For Journalists »
-
USC in the News
for 2/8/2012 »-
The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
-
-
Campus News
- Capital Connections
- USC faculty, staff and alumni in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento
- In Print
- New and recent books written or edited by USC faculty and staff
- Family Matters
- Achievements and awards
- Obituaries