More than 100 people celebrated the success of the AGA Research Foundation’s Looking Forward: Giving Back fundraising campaign on May 16 at the AGA Research Foundation Benefactors’ Dinner. The income from the $10.5 million dollar endowment raised will support young investigators in perpetuity. The campaign began in October 2011.
AGA Research Foundation Chair and National Campaign chairman Dr. Martin Brotman, AGAF, said the endowment would provide a safe, secure source of funding for the AGA Research Foundation to support future grant awards. Although endowment campaigns are more difficult to conduct than cash gift drives, he said, the end result justified the efforts of the many volunteers, as research funding will become available at a time that federal funding has become more difficult to secure.
Dr. Martin Brotman
“Those that are particularly vulnerable to this problem are the young, well-trained investigators, who are launching their careers,” he said. “It’s very, very hard for them to be competitive for federal funding at a critical time in their careers when they are transitioning from dependency on their mentors to independent research.”
The Benefactors’ Dinner was an opportunity to thank both the donors and the volunteer fundraisers, and also awardees had an opportunity to say thank you in person to the individuals and corporations who are supporting the AGA Research Foundation’s efforts. A number of investigators provided the attendees with updates on their AGA Research Foundation–funded research.
As a clinical practitioner, Dr. Brotman said he is well aware that what he does in clinical practice is the result of research done by dedicated GI research investigators.
Also during the dinner, Dr. Brotman received a special award saluting his work that made the campaign a success. As a clinical practitioner, Dr. Brotman said he understood that everything he does in his practice comes from work done by people dedicated to research.
“We all have an obligation to give something back to the field that made us so successful, whether you’re a researcher or a clinician,” Dr. Brotman said before Saturday’s dinner. “That’s why I agreed to take on the chairmanship of the national campaign, because I, along with my colleagues, owe a huge debt of gratitude to the field of research in gastroenterology.”
The work continues, as the AGA Research Foundation has now developed a 5-year plan to assist in building the endowment to $75 million. This will strongly support the future of AGA’s research mission.
About the AGA Research Foundation
The AGA Research Foundation, formerly known as the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition, is the cornerstone of AGA’s effort to expand digestive disease research funding. Since 1984, the AGA, through its foundations, has provided more than $44 million in research grants to more than 830 scientists.
The AGA Research Foundation serves as a bridge to the future of research in gastroenterology and hepatology by providing critical funding to advance the careers of young researchers between the end of training and the establishment of credentials that earn National Institutes of Health grants. Learn more about the AGA Research Foundation or make a contribution at www.gastro.org/about/aga-research-foundation.
