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Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants $2 Million
for Advancement of Healthy Living
Gift to School of Public Health part of $50 million to UT System
A $2 million gift from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston will benefit the children of Texas and beyond.
The grant, which is part of a $50 million gift to The University of Texas System, will establish the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, a world-class public health research, education and service program in Austin to address critical health problems that impact healthy childhood development, including a particular focus on combating childhood obesity.
Michael and Susan Dell announce gifts to offer leading-
edge children’s health care, research and education
in
Austin. Photo by Marsha Miller, UT Austin
“The gift from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
will enable the UT School of Public Health to
expand its research programs in obesity and related
chronic disease prevention and build a strong research foundation for the development of a public health
program in Austin,” said Guy S. Parcel, Ph.D., dean
of the UT School of Public Health. Parcel holds the
M. David Low Chair in Public Health and the John
P. McGovern Professorship in Health Promotion.
The new center will conduct research to better understand and influence behaviors and environmental conditions that affect healthy living. Initial research will focus on preventing childhood obesity and its effect on related chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.
The center will bring together existing work from the School of Public Health’s Human Nutrition Center, including its successful and widely recognized programs: CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health), a K-5 school and family-based program designed to improve healthy eating and increase physical activity, and IMPACT (Incorporating More Physical Activity and Calcium in Teens), a program designed to improve bone health by increasing milk consumption and weight-bearing physical activity in adolescent girls.
“The funding for the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living will allow us to further our existing projects on child health, which focus on translating evidence-based research into common practice,” said Deanna Hoelscher, Ph.D., who will direct the center.
Deanna Hoelscher,
Ph.D.
“In addition,” she said, “it will allow us to develop new and innovative public health and dissemination studies with collaborators from UT Austin, the Texas Department of State Health Services, and other community and research partners. This is a great gift to the School of Public Health, as well as to the children of Texas.”
The $50 million gift to the UT System was announced May 15. Of the total, $38 million will provide a matching gift to help UT Austin establish the Dell Pediatric Research Institute adjacent to the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, being built at the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport; and $10 million will help build a Dell Computer Science Hall on the UT Austin campus to support UT’s quest to become the top-ranked public computer science department in the country.
“We are very excited
about UT’s shared commitment
to offer leadingedge
children’s health care,
research and education
right here in Austin,” said
Susan Dell, co-founder and
chairman of the Michael
& Susan Dell Foundation. “These new facilities are
a perfect complement to
other investments we’ve
made in children’s health,
math and science education,
and instilling healthy habits
to combat major risks like
Type 2 diabetes in children. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of UT
Austin’s historical excellence in life sciences research
and, in turn, make a practical difference in the lives
of children.”
Guy S. Parcel, Ph.D.
Susan Dell’s recent appointment to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports reflects her personal commitment to healthy living and ensuring children learn life-long, healthy habits.
“This gift is a visible symbol of the Dells’ continued commitment to bring world-class health and education facilities to the Austin area,” said UT System Board of Regents Chairman James R. Huffines. “It is also of special note that this grant ties for the largest gift from a living donor in the history of UT.”
UT System Chancellor Mark G. Yudof said, “The discoveries and advances made as a result of these grants will benefit the people of Texas, the nation – and indeed, the world – for generations. We are profoundly grateful for these extraordinary gifts.”