El Camino Hospital to Open Clinical Research Center

has received one of the largest gifts in its history to establish a clinical research program at the Fogarty Institute of Innovation on the hospital campus.

The $4 million donation from Los Altos Hills residents, Pamela and Edward Taft, will establish the Taft Center for Clinical Research, a program that will provide the resources and infrastructure to support the investigators and study teams involved in the research.

“A strong clinical research program working in tandem with top physicians practicing at a state-of-the-art hospital has long been the vision of the Fogarty Institute of Innovation," said Dr. Thomas Fogarty, the institute’s founder. “The Taft Center for Clinical Research will be a vital and powerful tool in our ongoing quest to improve and prolong patients’ lives through advances in medicine.”

The hospital, with two main campuses in Los Gatos and Mountain View, serves communities throughout Santa Clara County, including Monte Sereno, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Saratoga, Campbell and West San Jose.

El Camino Hospital is known for its expertise in cardiovascular disease and cancer, so clinical research will stem from these key areas, as well as others, said Chris Ernst, senior director of corporate communication.  

The center will join the Fogarty Center on the third floor of the Melchor Pavillion at the hospital's Mountain View campus. In March, the hospital plans a reception at the new 2,000-square-foot space. It will enable physicians, patients and the community to have access to treatments for heart disease, cancer and other diseases based on the latest findings from clinical research and patient studies. 

"There is no question that the Tafts' passion and commitment to the funding and support of leading-edge research and clinical studies will make a significant difference to the future health of this community," said Ann Fyfe, CEO and president of the Fogarty Institute. 

The Fogarty Institute for Innovation describes itself as an educational nonprofit organization that "mentors, trains and inspires the next generation of medical innovators." At the institute, physicians and engineers learn to collaborate and understand the integration of their respective fields. Its mission is to create "an environment conducive to nurturing the creative process leading the way to the development of technology and breakthroughs to significantly benefit patient care."  The Tafts have been strong supporters of innovation both at the hospital and elsewhere. Pamela Taft serves on the hospital foundation's board of directors, and the couple was the lead donor in the campaign to acquire the first da Vinci S HD surgical robot, described as the most advanced tool in minimally invasive surgery.

"We feel that it is important to strengthen the ties between the Fogarty Institute of Innovation and El Camino Hospital," says Edward Taft. "Our support for clinical research at the Fogarty Institute will help the hospital attract and retain some of its outstanding and innovative physicians."

Five employees, including Executive Director Betty deBettencourt, will initially staff the center. James Joye, director of research and education at the hospital's Heart & Vascular Institute, will be the center's chief medical officer.