The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is providing $ 75 million each to two New York universities to help advance its global health initiative.
A grant will establish an infectious disease institute at Rockefeller University, aimed at “international scientific collaboration that advances basic research, transforms it into practical benefits for humans and can respond quickly to the pathogens of anxiety.” It will be led by Nobel laureate Charles Rice, chair of the Covid-19 Clinical Advisory Task Force in New York State.
“We are deeply grateful for the SNF’s extraordinary generosity,” said Richard Lifton, president of Rockefeller University. “The COVID-19 epidemic emphasizes the critical need to invest in infectious disease research to understand the biology of pathogens and their interaction with host species to enable the development of highly effective and sustainable vaccines and therapeutics.”
A separate 75 million grant to create the SNF Center for Precision Psychiatry and Mental Health will go to Columbia University, which will focus on using genomics to improve the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of mental illness.
“The insights provided by genomics and micro-medicine are proving to be of tremendous value in improving human health and quality of life,” said Lee Bollinger, president of Columbia University. “Through this new center, our researchers can meet an urgent human need by using the right drugs to improve mental health for all.”
