Searle Family Commits $10M to Recruit Biomedical Researchers

CHICAGO --- Northwestern University has received a $5 million grant from The Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust to support recruitment of outstanding biomedical faculty at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The Searle family anticipates that this award will be followed by successive grants to provide a total of $10 million for this important effort.

The grant, announced by Northwestern President Henry S. Bienen, emphasizes cutting-edge biomedical, clinical and translational research, and will be used to attract outstanding researchers in genetics and molecular medicine, the neurosciences and functional imaging, as well as bioengineering and advanced medicine.

“In addition to amplifying our strategic research themes at the Feinberg School of Medicine, this gift builds on the Searles’ commitment to assemble a nationally recognized biomedical consortium in Chicago. By focusing our energies and research talent on the frontiers of medical science, Northwestern University and the Chicago Biomedical Consortium will create the setting for meaningful medical advances,” Bienen said.

The goals of the Searle Biomedical Awards program at the Feinberg School are to: stimulate research in the basic biology underlying human disease; provide inspiring role models to educate and train medical and graduate students and residents; provide targeted resources to build leadership in translational research, which focuses on applying basic research to clinical care; and support the Feinberg School’s continued efforts to provide quality compassionate patient care.

“The Searle family is enthusiastic about supporting the recruitment of outstanding biomedical faculty to Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. This program will dovetail nicely with the family’s efforts to support the Chicago Biomedical Consortium, a collaboration between Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago, designed to stimulate biomedical research and education that bridge institutional boundaries,” said Nancy S. Searle, wife of trustee Gideon Searle and the consultant to the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust.

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