Newswise — The Fred H. Bixby Foundation has donated $5 million to the UCLA School of Public Health to expand the school's research, service and training in the fields of population and family planning. The gift will create a permanent center dedicated to these activities, increase support for faculty research and outreach projects, and double the number of doctoral fellowships available each year from three to six.
Established in 2001 with a generous gift from the same foundation, UCLA's Bixby Program in Population and Reproductive Health works to advance reproductive health issues, especially in developing countries, through student internships, faculty research, lectures and conferences, and outreach initiatives.
The program's initiatives employ a range of innovations, including the use of technology to disseminate up-to-date health information to areas where population growth remains high and reproductive health services are poor or inaccessible. Recent student projects have addressed population and reproductive health issues in Guanajuato, Mexico; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and northern India.
"UCLA's School of Public Health is now poised to house one of the leading reproductive health and population centers in the United States," said Dr. Linda Rosenstock, dean of the school. "Thanks to the commitment and vision of the Bixby Foundation, we are able to develop and enhance programs that enrich our students' training and make a difference in people's lives."
"The Bixby Foundation is dedicated to ensuring the continued excellence of population studies and research at UCLA's School of Public Health," said John Warren, trustee for the foundation. "The creation of the Bixby Center will enable UCLA students to step up their efforts on behalf of women and their families worldwide."
Founded in 1972, The Fred H. Bixby Foundation was established by Fred H. Bixby Jr., scion of a pioneer Long Beach family, to support activities related to the problems of overpopulation. The foundation has supported such programs at the UCLA School of Public Health since 1975.
The UCLA School of Public Health is dedicated to enhancing the public's health by conducting innovative research, training future leaders and health professionals, translating research into policy and practice, and serving local, national and international communities. More information about the school is available online at http://www.ph.ucla.edu/.
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