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| President's
Message |
"Possibly our actions generally as a nation are misinterpreted because we misinterpret the effects of our actions." |  |
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PREFACE
Several years ago Mr. Howard Nochumson, Executive Director of Washington Square Health Foundation brought to the Washington Square Health Foundation’s Board of Directors’ attention that so much information existed in bits and pieces relative to diabetes, cell biology, cell chemistry and islet cell implantation that it seemed reasonable that such knowledge could be blended wherein a functional (physiologic) cure for diabetes could become a reality in a reasonable time period.
Our Foundation’s Board explored this idea and after much discussion asked itself several questions:
- What would be the potential result(s) if a brain trust, representing a combination of scientific expertise, could be assembled and charged with the challenge of exploring the development of a functional cure of diabetes?
- What would be the chances of success if that group could meet in closed sessions for a three-day period and test the plausibility of this train of thought?
- Would it be reasonable to expect that such a group of sophisticated scientists could and would shed barriers protecting personal expertise (after all, scientists are known to protect their pet projects and expertise) and thereby form a team that would be willing to push aside such barriers and work as a unit to accomplish a common goal? and
- After such sessions, would they be able to state such a project is not only possible but doable – and could they provide a road map for our consideration?
This idea and the resulting questions were eventually shared with Dr. Jose Oberholzer, Associate Professor of Surgery and Bioengineering; Director, Cell and Pancreas Transplantation; Director, Cell Isolation Laboratory, at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
After careful study, and in consultation with colleagues whose expertise he knew was needed for such a project, he came to the Washington Square Health Foundation Board and made a presentation that convinced all of us that this project was a real “GO”.
It should be acknowledged that Washington Square Health Foundation’s role has been and is that of a catalyst – and as a catalyst, Washington Square Health Foundation will not fundraise for or directly administer the Chicago Project’s research support.
Angelo P. Creticos, M.D.
President, Washington Square Health Foundation
