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When Laurie and Steven Gordon care about issues, they invest in the people who are working to address them. At UCLA they have done that for years for an array of investigators in many areas, including Parkinson’s disease research. And now they have put $25 million into UCLA’s effort to cure this debilitating disease.
“I have seen Parkinson’s strike people I love and many more,” says Steven Gordon. “This is a cause I am passionate about and proud to champion.”
Backing Breakthroughs
The gift from the Steven Gordon Family Foundation empowers and inspires UCLA scientists by funding research; establishing five endowed faculty chairs in fields related to Parkinson’s; and supporting a new lab with positron emission tomography (PET) scan and MRI technology, where researchers can closely examine the mechanisms of the disease. The new funds complement the Gordons’ previous giving to Parkinson’s disease research at the university.
The Gordons’ service to UCLA goes beyond financial contributions. Steven is on the Centennial Campaign executive committee and on boards for Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Health System, and UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate. He and Laurie, chair of the board of advisors of Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, have been steadfast advocates for funding neuroscience training and research, including in depression.
Bringing Belief
“One of the most fulfilling aspects of our philanthropy is its ability to inspire hope in families who have been affected by diseases of the brain,” Laurie Gordon says.
Now UCLA is home to the Laurie and Steven Gordon Commitment to Cure Parkinson’s Disease at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the Laurie and Steven Gordon Neurosciences Research Building, and the new imaging laboratory named for the couple. And home to hope.
Published March 2019
Donors Steven and Laurie Gordon
