Hillman Foundation commits $30 million more to Pitt

Money will support cancer research

The Henry L. Hillman Foundation is re-upping its commitment to cultivate cancer research and care by committing an additional $30 million over the next 10 years to the University of Pittsburgh and the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

Pitt and UPMC jointly announced the new award Wednesday. Specifically, it will support the Hillman Fellows for Innovative Cancer Research Program.

The money is on top of $20 million the foundation committed for research on cancer over the previous decade, officials said.

In remarks to the university’s board of trustees Wednesday, Pitt chancellor Patrick Gallagher called the gift remarkable in what it will enable researchers to do and what is says about the now-deceased couple, Henry and Elsie Hillman, and their impact on the region as philanthropists and civic leaders.

The fellows program already has spread support to more than 100 investigators and touches areas from precision medicine technology to detection and treatment of lung and breast cancer, Mr. Gallagher said. The new award will total $3 million per year for the next decade.

“This new investment by the Hillman Foundation extends the life-changing commitment to innovate and be at the forefront of cancer care,” Mr. Gallagher said. “It also is a shining example of Henry and Elsie Hillman’s legacy.”

The fellows program began in 2004 with the initial $20 million award. The program offers “seed” funding to scientists and encourages partnerships with young researchers.

In a statement released after the board meeting, David Roger, president of the Hillman Family Foundations, said having top-quality research at the cancer center was very important to the Hillmans.

“They were both extraordinarily proud to be associated with the work of so many brilliant doctors and scientists who have been a part of the program,” he said.

Robert Ferris, a past fellow, said the program had helped fund research at UPMC in stem cell biology, cancer vaccines and cellular therapies.

Also at Wednesday’s trustees meeting, Mr. Gallagher:

• Updated the board on initiatives including efforts to combat sexual assault, including training the last year for3,800 undergraduates, dozens of workshops, and other education for faculty and staff. He said student awareness of campus programs has since risen from 18 percent to 80 percent.

• Reported that fundraising at Pitt reached $174.1 million in fiscal year 2017, thirdbest in Pitt’s history.

The fate of Pitt’s Titusville campus, facing enrollment losses and a budget shortfall, was not mentioned during the meeting. But in an interview afterward, Mr. Gallagher said the options have been narrowed to either closing the campus or pursuing an approach that would allow outside educational entities to lease space so they and Pitt could continue to provide instruction on the campus.

Under that latter scenario, residence halls might remain open.

Mr. Gallagher said Pitt hopes to bring to the board an action plan for the university regarding Titusville by its February meeting.

An animal rights protester briefly interrupted the meeting until being removed from the Assembly Room in the William Pitt Union. Leila Sleiman, of the North Side, a member of Justice for Animals, reiterated accusations by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that mice are being abused in unnecessary university lab experiments. Pitt called the accusation “an extension of a campaign of misinformation” about the university.