Renowned communications pioneer Andrew J. Viterbi has given $50 million to the University of California San Diego in honor of his father, ophthalmologist Achille Viterbi. The gift will result in the founding of the Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and the Viterbi Family Vision Research Center as well as establish six new endowed faculty chairs.
“With this historic gift – the largest ever to the Department of Ophthalmology – UC San Diego has the potential to cure blindness to help millions of people worldwide,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosia in a UC San Diego News Center article.
The Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology is the first named Health Sciences department at the university. Its focus is clinical care and vision research, which complements the research and clinical efforts of the Shiley Eye Institute.
The Viterbi Family Vision Research Center, which will be located on the La Jolla campus, will concentrate on research to find cures for a number of eye diseases. Studies will center on curing glaucoma blindness and restoring vision lost through retinal degeneration as well as to those who have reversible vision loss due to cataracts or infections.
“This enduring and extraordinary gift by Andrew Viterbi will be transformative,” said chairman and Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology Dr. Robert N. Weinreb in the university news story. “Not only will it expand interdisciplinary collaborations across campus and the San Diego community, but also worldwide. Moreover, it will accelerate the pace of discovery and innovation of our vision research that is focused on preventing vision loss, restoring vision and, most importantly, cutting blindness.”