UCLA Health has received a $20 million donation from the Saul and Joyce Brandman Foundation to create a lung health center for pulmonary disease research, prevention and treatment. The UCLA Saul and Joyce Brandman Foundation Center for Lung Health, named after the longtime philanthropists and supporters of the university, will also function as a training destination for scientists and physicians studying lung disease.
“There’s nothing more important than our research,” said Joyce Brandman, who established the center in honor of her late husband, Saul Brandman. “Because if we don’t have the research, then what do we have?”
The formation of the center comes at a crucial moment for Los Angeles, which this past winter was devastated by wildfires that have spurred widespread concerns about air quality and long-term wellness. General awareness and interest surrounding respiratory illness has also increased significantly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Steven M. Dubinett (RES ’84), dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and associate vice chancellor of UCLA, deemed the foundation’s gift “both transformational and timely, given the effects of the California wildfires on air quality and lung health.”
One of the center’s priorities is to evaluate risk among individuals who have an elevated exposure to environmental hazards, such as air pollution, in pursuit of novel interventions. “I always think of these issues with lungs for older people, but that’s not necessarily so,” Brandman said. “Why couldn’t it happen to a child, with all of this in our air? I do know that if they are patients at UCLA, their doctor will do everything they possibly can.”
In addition to funding research, training, fellowships, equipment, symposia, therapeutic development and other activities, the gift from the Brandman Foundation will also be used to endow an administrative chair reserved for the director of the center, as well as a pair of term-appointment chairs supporting faculty in the UCLA Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep Medicine, Clinical Immunology and Allergy. One term-appointment chair will focus on lung health acceleration while the other will explore lung health innovation.
The center is also expected to expand patient access to clinical trials and harness emerging technologies to help determine risk of lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other conditions.
Dr. John Belperio, chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep Medicine, Clinical Immunology and Allergy and Guitiara Pierpoint Endowed Chair in Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis, will serve as the center’s inaugural director. “The extraordinary effect of this gift on our research and community cannot be overstated,” Dr. Belperio said. “This vital support will empower our team to make significant advancements in a stunning array of areas, from risk prediction and early disease detection to drug efficacy and lung transplantation. The City of Los Angeles and the field of pulmonary medicine owe the Saul and Joyce Brandman Foundation a debt of gratitude.”
Brandman dedicated the lung health center to her husband, who had COPD and other respiratory issues. She recalled paying for extra seats on flights to accommodate her husband’s oxygen tank so that they could travel and make the most of their final years together. What motivates Brandman to invest in pulmonary disease research is a desire to prevent others from experiencing what her husband went through.
“He knew when his quality of life was over,” Brandman said. “What are you going to do but accept it? He had to accept it. I had to accept it. And life does go on. But I know he would be so happy to see the research that John is going to be doing with the money we’re giving.”
Physician-scientists at the center will investigate various causes of lung diseases in order to develop new prevention strategies, diagnostic tests and treatments. They plan to take an equitable approach to their research, working to address health disparities that make pulmonary illness more prevalent among veterans and under-resourced communities.
The foundation’s investment will also enable UCLA to open a fund supporting the creation of the center and research initiatives overseen by its director, as well as a fund advancing the work of the Saul Brandman Endowed Chair in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, currently Dr. Richard Channick. “As someone whose work has directly benefited from the Brandmans’ generosity and passion for pulmonary care, I can personally attest to the life-changing impact of their contributions,” Dr. Channick said. “This visionary project, which will cultivate generations of leaders in the field, is in good hands.”
An active and philanthropic member of the Jewish community, Brandman has served on the boards of American Friends of the Hebrew University, Beit T’Shuvah, Brandman University, Eisenhower Health and Los Angeles Jewish Health, as well as the McCallum Theatre, the UC Riverside Foundation and the Brandman Centers for Senior Care.
This marks the single largest donation from the Saul and Joyce Brandman Foundation to UCLA over three decades of giving to various health initiatives and beyond. The family’s legacy also encompasses the Saul and Joyce Brandman Breast Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Brandman Centers for Senior Care at Los Angeles Jewish Health. “I probably hope to accomplish much more than can be done,” Brandman said. “All we can do is continue with our research. Because the research will tell us where we’re going to go and where we’re going to end up.”
For more information, contact Gretchen McGarry at: 310-794-4746
Christi Carras is a senior writer for UCLA Health Sciences Development.
