Bugher基金会提供了宝贵的资金,想法来支持美国心脏协会的研究,研究人员
With more than $63 million in gifts, the Henrietta B. 弗雷德里克·H. 博格基金会是美国心脏协会历史上最慷慨的捐赠者之一.
With a large chunk of those donations going toward brain health, Bugher基金会是美国心脏协会历史上中风研究的最高资助者.
但钱并不是博格基金会受托人所给予的唯一珍贵礼物.
They've provided transformative ideas, too.
从一开始, 早在1984年, Bugher受托人不仅想投资科学,也想投资科学家——主要是职业生涯早期的科学家. 通过资助他们的研究想法,受托人鼓励年轻的研究人员留在这个领域. 结果如何呢? 原来的122名受助人中约有90%确实继续从事研究, 包括未来的美国心脏协会主席和提出支架重大改进的科学家, the tiny tubes frequently used to resolve heart attacks.
几十年来, the Bugher Foundation has funded five multiyear projects, 每个都有不同的关注点. The emphasis on up-and-comers has remained. Along the way, Trustees noticed something. 而早期职业科学家描述他们的工作充满了激情, their presentations were way too technical. 因此,受托人开始提供培训,帮助研究人员将他们的研究成果转化为大众. 结果如何呢? 从那以后,博格校友获得了许多其他的大笔资助、晋升等.
然后是他们最伟大的想法——实施一项经过欧洲杯压球考验的商业原则,这项原则尚未在医学界获得牵引力.
In biz-speak, it's known as cross-institutional collaboration.
More simply, it's turning research into a team sport.
Starting with the third Bugher-funded project, three institutions were chosen separately and told to work together. Because it was a foreign concept, the start was bumpy. By the end, everyone saw the benefit. 它已成为美国心脏协会庞大研究组合的标准组成部分,并在科学领域得到广泛应用.
现在, 美国心脏协会成立100周年,美国心脏协会与博格基金会的合作也有40年了, 公共卫生组织和家族基金会之间的联系比以往任何时候都更加紧密. In fact, a sixth funded research project — a $12.在美国心脏协会成立一百周年的当天,该协会宣布将捐赠9.25亿美元用于研究中风作为一种全身性和慢性疾病.
"We've never found a partner who could do a better job, who held more trust and more of our confidence,布莱恩·亚当斯说, 博格的三位理事之一. "After 40 years, we're still here and we intend to stay here."
There's still one more fascinating layer to all this. This story of the Bugher Foundation itself, 一个由两个家族经营的家族基金会的故事——与出资人没有任何关系,也没有任何心血管疾病方面的专业知识, 也没有任何家族关系, yet became such a powerful force in the field.
The colorful tale starts with a colorful figure, 弗雷德里克·汉密尔顿·博格, 他是纽约市前警察局长,也是20世纪之交一个非常引人注目的家庭的成员th 世纪.
His uncles included George Dewey, the only U.S. Navy officer bestowed the rank of Admiral of the Navy, 和约翰·罗尔·麦克林, the owner and publisher of The Washington Post and Cincinnati Enquirer; one of his first cousins owned the Hope Diamond. McLean, Virginia, is named for his family.
弗雷德里克和他的妻子亨丽埃塔的财富主要来自房地产. 他们死后,这笔财产留给了他们唯一在世的孩子弗雷德·博格.
Mainly for tax purposes, Fred's lawyer set up a foundation. 美国国税局的规定要求有一个目的. 因为他的父母都死于心脏病,弗雷德选择了心血管研究.
Fred died in the early 1980s with no heirs. 他的钱捐给了基金会.
The lawyer behind it all was Nelson Adams. 当底线膨胀时,他请来了罗伯特·“鲍勃”·罗宾逊来管理资金.
The plan, though, was to spend it on cardiovascular research. 所以去找在这个领域处于领先地位的组织是有意义的. 当然是美国心脏协会.
分子生物学是当时的热门话题,所以董事会很乐意投资. When it was time to discuss a focus for the second Bugher-funded project, AHA leaders recommended switching to an emphasis on stroke. 为什么? For the simple reason there was plenty of room to make a difference.
他们带来了多么大的改变啊.
“专业, 我非常感谢美国心脏协会和博格基金会之间的关系, 就我个人而言, the same is true for how I feel about the Trustees," said AHA Chief Executive Officer Nancy Brown. “他们很体贴。, prepared and innovative in everything they do, always pushing us forward and always with an eye toward helping people."
随着几十年的过去,勃格受托人家族的一代又一代也在过去.
目前任职的三位理事是布鲁斯·亚当斯、布莱恩·亚当斯和盖利斯·沃德. 每位理事都追随包括纳尔逊·亚当斯在内的前任理事的脚步, 丹·亚当斯和鲍勃·罗宾逊.
Over the course of the relationship with the Bugher Foundation, 美国心脏协会的首席执行官从达德利·哈夫纳(Dudley Hafner)到卡斯·惠勒(Cass Wheeler)再到南希·布朗(Nancy Brown). Yet no matter who represents each side, 他们一直在寻找新的方法来改善和延长受心血管疾病和中风影响的生命.
“在这段漫长的历史中,我们已经发展出一种几乎像友谊一样的关系,布鲁斯说. “我们已经建立了一种真正的伙伴关系,我们共同努力,以一种协作和更有效的方式,真正推动科学的发展."
As the AHA begins its second 世纪, 盖利斯设想到2124年, heart disease will no longer be the No. 美国人的头号杀手.
"I would like to see it become a very obscure disease," she said. “在整整一个世纪的范围内,我认为这实际上是可能的."