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1st appeared
17 November
1999 Hillblom Foundation Awards $3 Million Endowment to Center for Craniofacial Anomalies The UCSF Center for Craniofacial Anomalies has received an endowment from the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation, Inc. to establish a distinguished professorship and allow the internationally renowned program to enhance its research on cleft lip and palate and other craniofacial deformities. The Larry L. Hillblom Foundation, Inc. this week announced the $3 million award -- California’s first endowed professorship in craniofacial anomalies and only the second of its kind in the nation. Of the endowment, $2.5 million will go to the professorship and the remaining monies will support the development of professional training exchanges and direct patient care in the Northern Mariana Islands and throughout Micronesia. "This endowment will elevate the standard of knowledge in the field of craniofacial malformations worldwide," said Karin Vargervik, DDS, director of the UCSF Center for Craniofacial Anomalies. Located within the UCSF School of Dentistry, the center currently treats and provides long-term care for nearly 3,000 patients with a variety of congenital and acquired conditions that affect the face and skull. Genetic mutations or in utero exposure to irradiation, viral infection, alcohol or drugs can cause these deformities, as can accidents and diseases. "I’m pleased that we are fulfilling my brother’s desire to leave a legacy of funding medical research and treatment to world-class facilities like UCSF’s Center for Craniofacial Anomalies," said Terry Hillblom, a board member of the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation, Inc. Because craniofacial defects can affect speech and appearance, the physical and psychological effects of these conditions can be profound, said Vargervik. "Most craniofacial deformities require reconstruction and rehabilitation," said Douglas Ousterhout, MD, DDS, and clinical professor in the UCSF School of Medicine and School of Dentistry. "The new distinguished professorship will advance the treatment of skull and face defects that will make positive changes in the physical and emotional health of children and adults affected with these conditions." In addition to contributing to research efforts and improved patient care, the Hillblom endowment will allow practitioners in Micronesia to receive training at UCSF in the treatment of craniofacial deformities. This should lead to better care and follow-up treatment for residents of these Pacific islands, said Vargervik. Hillblom founded DHL Worldwide Express in 1969 while attending UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law and later relocated to the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. After being injured in a plane crash in 1993, Hillblom was treated by UCSF’s Ousterhout at the Ralph K. Davies Medical Center in San Francisco where he received reconstructive surgery for multiple facial injuries. A second plane crash took his life in 1995. Hillblom’s will designated the bulk of his estate be used to create a charitable trust that would, in part, fund medical research at UC. Links: Source: Rebecca Sladek Nowlis
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