Newswise — UCB Pharma, Inc. announced that it has partnered with the nation's leading respiratory hospital, National Jewish Medical and Research Center based in Denver Colorado, to fund a fellowship program that will fill an important need in the training of outstanding physician-scientists and clinician-educators. The UCB Fellow in Allergy and Immunology will participate in the training program, which will provide enhanced understanding of the mechanisms and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases, as well as the skills to become a future leader among teachers of allergy and clinical immunology.
According to Dr. Rafeul Alam, Professor of Medicine and Head of the Divison of Allergy and Immunology at National Jewish, the UCB fellowship will address an important need at the medical and research center. "For years, National Jewish has maintained a top reputation with its exclusive focus on respiratory, immunologic and allergic disorders, and like other teaching hospitals has relied on its fellowship program for training of future leaders in the field," said Dr. Alam. "In the past decade, decreased government funding has progressively limited the ability of medical centers to fund fellowships, especially in non-surgical areas like allergy and immunology, so support from private partners has become increasingly vital." The need for highly skilled allergists continues to grow. Allergy prevalence across all age groups has been increasing since the early 1980s, and an estimated 50 million Americans currently suffer from allergies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
UCB Pharma, Inc., recognizing the important work being done by National Jewish, is funding the largest private fellowship grant in the medical center's history. "We have a shared focus and commitment with National Jewish in wanting to advance the understanding and treatment of respiratory and allergic disorders, and we agreed that it was important to fund a multi-year grant," said Mark Sullivan, Director of Strategic Planning for Allergy/Respiratory at UCB Pharma, Inc.
The UCB Fellow will be under the supervision of Dr. Rohit Katial, Director of the fellowship program and Associate Professor of Medicine at National Jewish and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. The fellowship program consists of two stages, with the first stage devoted primarily to clinical training. The second stage is dedicated to research training, involving coursework; laboratory research; and other activities designed to provide the foundation of skills necessary for success in academic medicine.
The fellow rotates among different Denver campuses, allowing for diverse experience in recognition and management of asthma, allergic rhinitis, urticaria, anaphylaxis, angioedema and immune deficiency diseases. The curriculum includes cross training in the care of pediatric patients, as well as experience in clinics that are important to allergy and clinical immunology such as otorhinolaryngology, dermatology and rheumatology.
UCB S.A. (http://www.ucb-group.com) is a global biopharmaceutical leader dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of innovative products in the fields of central nervous system disorders, allergy and respiratory diseases, immune and inflammatory disorders and oncology. UCB employs over 8,500 people operating in over 40 countries, and achieved revenues of € 2.1 billion (including net turnover, royalties, and fees) in 2004. UCB is listed on the Euronext Brussels with a market capitalization of approximately € 5.5 billion. Worldwide headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium.
UCB Pharma, Inc. is the North American subsidiary of UCB, with U.S. headquarters located in Smyrna, Georgia. UCB's key products in the U.S. are Keppra® (levetiracetam), Zyrtec®" (cetirizine HCl), Tussionex® CIII (hydrocodone polistirex/chlorpheniramine polistirex), and Metadate CD™ CII (methylphenidate HCl, USP). UCB S.A. markets the antihistamine treatment Xyzal® (levocetirizine) in Europe and has a development program underway in the U.S. for that product.
" Zyrtec is licensed to and co-promoted with Pfizer, Inc. in the United States.
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