Clinical development fund makes first round of awards

Two years ago, when Yale University and the Yale New Haven Health System signed their first formal affiliation agreement, one of its provisions was a fund to expand the joint clinical programs of the School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Hospital.

In May, the two institutions announced the first awards from this new Clinical Program Development Fund, directing $17.6 million this year to 11 programs in brain disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disease, developmental disorders and organ transplantation. These areas have been designated clinical priorities by the school and hospital.

“We want to position the medical center at the top of the field in as many target areas as possible,” said Richard L. Edelson, M.D. ’70, co-chair of the fund and deputy dean for clinical affairs. “[This investment] is intended to allow these programs to push the envelope and, in some cases, to define the frontier.”

The funded proposals and investigators include:

Brain Disorders

• Clinical Neuroscience Center for Epilepsy and Neurovascular Diseases, Dennis Spencer, M.D.

• Yale-New Haven Medical Center Brain Tumor Center, Joseph Piepmeier, M.D., HS ’82.

Cancer

• Transimmunization: A New Method for Treatment of Graft vs. Host Disease, Prevention of Graft Rejection and Immunization against Tumor Antigens, Michael Girardi, M.D. ’92.

• Expansion of the Yale Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office, Leonard Farber, M.D.

• New Infrastructure and Organization for the NCI- Approved Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center, Vincent DeVita Jr., M.D., HS ’66.

• Innovations of Head and Neck Management, Clarence Sasaki, M.D. ’66, HS ’73.

Cardiovascular Disease

• Yale-New Haven Medical Center Endovascular Center,
Bauer Sumpio, M.D., HS ’86.

• Integrated Program for the Treatment of End-Stage Heart Disease, Barry Zaret, M.D.

• Endovascular Brachytherapy, Kenneth Roberts, M.D.

Developmental Disorders

• Yale-New Haven Medical Center Oncofertility Center, Steven Palter, M.D.

Organ Replacement

• Transplantation, Marc Lorber, M.D.

The fund received 23 proposals in the first round with requests totaling $69.1 million and awarded $17.6 of the $18 million available. Two committees, co-chaired by Edelson and Peter Herbert, M.D. ’67, HS ’69, chief of staff at Yale-New Haven Hospital, are now reviewing a second round of applications for $11.5 million in support.