Strategic Plan:
It is our intent to establish the Center for Liver Diseases at UT Southwestern as a center of excellence and as the foremost center in the region and state for information, research, and treatment of Hepatitis and related liver diseases. We intend to gain the support of the community in developing the potential of the Center, which already includes the largest Hepatitis research group in Texas. Our goal is to raise at least ten million dollars in endowment funding for the Center.
Need for Long-Term Endowment Funding:
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center propses to endow and establish a Center for Liver Diseases to provide state-of-the-art clinical care, teaching, and research on a variety of liver diseases and to serve as a resource and research center for investigation in the field of Hepatitis and related liver diseases for the region and state. Building on the tradition of excellence in liver disease established at UT Southwestern by Drs. Willis Maddrey, Burton Combes, and William Lee, the particular areas of interest of the Center will include, but are not limited to, Viral Hepatitis, Acute Liver Failure, Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, Hemochromatosis, Porphyria, Autoimmune Liver Disease, and Alcohol/Chemical-induced liver disease.
Under the direction of Dr. William Lee, the proposed endowed Center will have the following goals and objectives:
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To develop new techniques for the assessment and treatment of diseases of the liver and biliary tract, with emphasis on Hepatitis B and C.
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To gain valuable insights into the basic mechanisms of virus-host interactions in Viral Hepatitis.
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To further clinical studies in the treatment of a variety of conditions leading to cirrhosis and Liver Cancer.
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To increase understanding concerning the cause of Acute Liver Failure and to devise new treatments for the rapidly fatal condition.
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To provide all patients regardless of race or gender with state-of-the-art care for liver diseases, through the facilities of UT Southwestern, Zale Lipshy University Hospital, Children's Medical Center, and the Parkland Health and Hospital System.
