How Philanthropy is Helping Fund the Medical Science of Tomorrow

The field of medical science is constantly growing and developing; each day researchers attempt to find new means to ameliorate the symptoms of illnesses and even cure disease completely, but such efforts aren’t without their restrictions. While, in an ideal world, budgets would be limitless and resources plentiful, the truth is that medical science funding is often stretched to its limits. That is why the dedication and financial support of philanthropists is vital if research is to continue.

Philanthropy and medical science: An important partnership

There is little doubt that medical science would struggle without the generous backing of philanthropists. Numerous researchers are working around the clock on a variety of vexing cases but there often aren’t the resources or funds to achieve the success they would hope for. It is an unfortunate fact that research grants are not always forthcoming and laboratories often lack sufficient financial support. That is why institutes often have to compete for the attention of donors and private backers.

Not all medical research is conducted in laboratories controlled by the big pharmaceutical companies, most is actually carried out in smaller independent venues, and research becomes a slow process due to budget constraints, and a lack of resources. In addition, research teams are often pitted against each other during applications for funding, which can discourage them from working together on projects that can make a real difference. Imagine, then, what the financial backing of a philanthropist could do.

Sudden injections of money and business acumen can vastly improve a laboratory’s morale and productivity, as well as uniting experts in a range of medical fields. Collaborations under such conditions are not only plausible, but also encouraged, and discoveries are able to take place in an entirely new environment. Without the barriers that inadequate funding can impose upon laboratories and the researchers, medical science can stretch its legs and get to work; there is so much more to be learned, if only all institutes were provided for in such a way.

Examples of medical sciences that have benefited from philanthropy

Philanthropy has resulted in an array of discoveries across medial science, including those in physiology, anatomy, pharmacology, and neuroscience. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, for example, has undertaken valuable work in the fields of genetics, immunology, and molecular biology, while MIT and Harvard’s Broad Institute has departments studying cancer, chemical biology, metabolism, and infectious diseases. The Scripps Research Institute, which was originally founded using donations from philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, centers its studies on HIV/AIDS, molecular biosciences, alcoholism and addiction research, and human chemical sciences, among others, and has seen a number of notaries pass through its hallways since 1924.

What is interesting is that many of these institutes started life following a donation of money by private investors, only to become independent research facilities later; these venues are able to undertake high impact projects without boundaries, enabling training programs and research methods to be developed where none would have existed before.

Not all philanthropic acts took place in the past; indeed, it is vital for the continuation of medical science that those more fortunate continue to give. Patrick Dwyer, Merrill Lynch’s Financial Advisor, is just one of the modern day philanthropists supporting the medical sciences, offering time and funds to the Neuroscience Centers of Florida Foundation. Aiming to improve the quality of healthcare provided to those within the State, the centers have focused their attention on academic neurology and the training of neurologists; two areas that are key in this field. Philanthropy, it seems, has aided some of the world’s greatest developments in medical science, and continues to do so via men and women such as Mr. Dwyer; investment in medical science is integral to the future health of all Americans, and it is noble of those in higher positions to give something back in this way.

Whether money is being given directly to institutes or laboratories, or to organizations supporting work on an array of conditions and diseases, the generosity of philanthropists has proven time and time again that money should be no object when it comes to the medical science of tomorrow. Uniting departments, encouraging research across fields, and funding equipment and resources, the financial backing provided by philanthropists such as Howard Hughes and Patrick Dwyer has proved invaluable in a number of developments in recent history, and will continue to do so as medical science progresses across the generations. It can only be hoped that such work continues, and that researchers are energized by the discoveries they make.