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UH News Release link: http://www.hawaii.edu/news/article.php?aId=6953

Gift received as the John A. Burns School of Medicine kicks off its 50th anniversary year

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Contact: Jodi Leong , (808) 492-0597 Dir of Communications, External Affairs and University Relations

Video/audio available

Link to broll and sound: http://bit.ly/15CP82E

The University of Hawai’i’s John A. Burn School of Medicine (JABSOM) has received a generous $5 million pledge from the Kosasa family, the founders of ABC Stores.

The gift is the largest private philanthropic investment in JABSOM by an individual donor or family, to date.  It will benefit the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health and enable the program to invest in its clinical training, research and faculty development.

“We are deeply touched by this vote of confidence.  We realize it’s an investment.  It’s an investment in a department that has shown results, value to our community, value to our healthcare partners in Hawai’i, value to the medical school and university.  But even beyond that, how we sustain what we have for generations to come,” said Dr. Ivica Zalud, chair, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health, JABSOM.

The gift will create the $4 million Kosasa Endowed Chair for Zalud, the current department chair.  The remaining $1 million will be used to create two Kosasa endowed professorships in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health.

The Kosasas are well-known for their philanthropic support of a variety of non-profits across the state, and have been generous supporters of the University of Hawai’i` and JABSOM.

In 2000, the family invested in the start-up of the Institute for Biogenesis Research (IBR).  IBR has now secured its second grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Center of Biomedical Research and Excellence.

“Now, 15 years later we’ve created a whole new generation of scientists who are working on issues around maternal fetal medicine and helping families have children, that might not otherwise have had the opportunity,” said Dr. Roy Magnusson, associate dean for clinical affairs, JABSOM.

“I think the students will understand that what is given to you, you should give back.  And I think that’s the most important thing, is to give back.  I’ve had a wonderful opportunity and education and I’d like to give that back to our medical school and to our students, said Dr. Thomas Kosasa, professor emeritus.

“That kind of gift 15 years later keeps on giving and we hope to be really good stewards of this gift and to make sure it’s put to its very best use,” Magnusson said.

The Kosasa family’s investment coupled with the recent gift from Dr. Santosh Sharma to create the Lakshmi Devi and Devraj Sharma Endowed Chair, brings to $7 million the amount of endowed faculty commitments made to the department in the past six months.

The UH Board of Regents approved the Kosasa gift at its monthly meeting on January 22, 2015.

The endowments will be held and managed by the UH Foundation.

SOUNDBITES:

Dr. Ivica Zalud, Dept. of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health, JABSOM 

This is a huge vote of confidence for what this department did in the past, what we’re doing now and what we want to do in the future for the state of Hawai’i and beyond, the Pacific Rim and even nationally.  (:14)

The investment is a gift for the department, truly inspired us to touch the stars.  We are deeply touched with this vote of confidence.  (:10)

Dr. Roy Magnusson, associate dean for clinical affairs, JABSOM

So that kind of gift 15 years later keeps on giving and we hope to be really good stewards of t his gift and to make sure it’s put to it’s very best use. (:11)

Dr. Thomas Kosasa, professor emeritus, JABSOM 

I think the students will understand that what is given to you, you should give back.  And I think that’s the most important thing is to give back.  I’ve had a wonderful opportunity and education and I’d like to give back to our medical school and to our students.  (:15)

B-ROLL 1:17

:00-:36 –  9 clips of gift announcement at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children

:37-1:08 – 6 clips of the nursery at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children

1:08-1:37 – 5 clips of Dr. Zalud talking to class

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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.