The University of Nebraska Foundation has received a substantial gift
from the Terry K. Watanabe Charitable Trust to assist HIV/AIDS research,
education and service activities at the University of Nebraska Medical
Center. The amount of the gift is undisclosed.
The gift, made by Terry K. Watanabe, the former president and CEO of
Oriental Trading Company in Omaha, will benefit and support UNMC’s HIV
Clinic, as well as HIV/AIDS-related research and educational activities.
It also will create a distinguished chair and the Terry K. Watanabe HIV/AIDS
Resource Center on the second floor of the Lied Transplant Center.
As part of the gift, Dr. Susan Swindells, associate professor of internal
medicine-infectious diseases and medical director of UNMC’s HIV Clinic,
has been appointed the Terry K. Watanabe Distinguished Chair for HIV/AIDS
Research and Care.
I am committed to ensuring that the finest care is available to all
those living with HIV/AIDS, Watanabe said. It is vital to me that patients
from around the country and within our region have an opportunity to receive
the best treatment and resources in the Midwest. I applaud the tremendous
strides of Dr. Swindells and the University of Nebraska Medical Center
in making this opportunity a reality.
Terry Watanabe’s support of HIV/AIDS activities provides UNMC with
a unique opportunity to further improve our clinical efforts, as well as
our research and education services. We are truly grateful for his generosity,
said James Armitage, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine.
UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., agreed. Our vision is to become
a world class academic health sciences center. Mr. Watanabe’s gift will
move us in that direction. The community’s support for the Medical Center
has been unprecedented. The public private partnership will advance these
programs substantially.
A strong advocate for HIV/AIDS research and care, Dr. Swindells has
participated in 29 grants totaling in excess of $6.5 million since arriving
at UNMC in 1991. She also has secured contractual funding for 19 contracts
totaling nearly another million dollars.
The Watanabe gift is amazingly generous and will help us in countless
ways to improve our services for people affected by HIV, Dr. Swindells
said. The Resource Center we are creating will be a perfect environment
for patients and their loved ones to spend time with case managers, counselors,
nutritionists and other health care personnel.
In addition, Dr. Swindells said, the gift will help UNMC maintain access
to the best and most recent therapies for patients, as well as support
new research endeavors. Through the gift, UNMC also will expand its educational
outreach by sponsoring regional conferences to update providers and educators
about the latest HIV/AIDS information.
Mr. Watanabe’s gift shows his commitment to providing the best possible
care and services for people in Nebraska, and his faith in our program,
Dr. Swindells said. It also sends a message about the importance of this
issue in our region and will help people realize that despite all the progress
we have made, HIV is still a problem in Nebraska.
The UNMC program enrolled 132 new patients during 2000, Dr. Swindells
said, of which 27 percent were female; 44 percent were from minority populations;
20 percent live in rural areas; and 38 percent were infected by heterosexual
transmission.
Watanabe has long been committed to supporting health, human service
and research organizations in Nebraska and across the nation. In addition
to AIDS prevention and research, his focus has been on the United Way of
the Midlands, high-risk youth, educational outreach programs and diversity.
The Terry K. Watanabe Charitable Trust is dedicated to helping create environments
that lead to achievement and excellence.