Eleven local leaders dedicated to the betterment of their community have joined The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology Ambassador Council, helping to further the institute’s lifesaving mission and goals, and amplify its impact through philanthropy.
“These impressive individuals bring deep expertise and invaluable perspectives from government, finance, business, law, real estate, health care, philanthropy and patient advocacy, enabling us to learn from their lived experiences and share our discoveries with wider audiences,” said Patrick Griffin, Ph.D., the institute’s scientific director. “Their leadership and passion are helping us raise the funds needed to accelerate needed biomedical research, create unique STEM educational opportunities and, ultimately, make a difference for patients awaiting cures.”
Former Florida Senator and CFO Jeff Atwater said he is proud to chair the institute’s newly formed Ambassador Council.
“It was exciting to participate in the institute’s launch as a state senator two decades ago,” Atwater said. “It’s even more inspiring now to return and see firsthand the incredible research advances that have emerged. The Ambassador Council is an important tool to help raise funds and elevate the awareness of this special place and all that’s happening to benefit Floridians and people everywhere.”
Scientists at the institute research a wide variety of diseases and conditions. With unique drug discovery assets rarely found in an academic setting, they invent new technologies and methods, ask hard questions and collaborate across disciplines to address some of the toughest challenges in medicine. The institute’s scientists are finding new ways to tackle advanced cancers, degenerative brain diseases, inherited genetic diseases, infectious diseases, inflammatory and autoimmune conditions and more.
Founded in 2004 with leadership and grants from the state of Florida and Palm Beach County, the Jupiter-based institute joined the University of Florida, the state’s flagship research university, in 2022. Thanks to a landmark gift from philanthropist and inventor Dr. Herbert Wertheim, the institute was renamed The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology.
Since then, new potential medicines for glioblastoma, metastatic cancers, depression, muscular dystrophy, ALS, addiction, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, COVID, HIV, autism and inflammatory lung, liver and vascular diseases have moved toward the clinic, in collaboration with UF Health, the university’s academic health system, which includes a robust clinical research arm.
The institute’s basic discoveries in learning, memory, brain development, innate immunity, natural products chemistry and biochemistry have also been profound, opening new insights into longstanding biomedical mysteries, Griffin said.
The institute’s mission is to advance human health through basic biomedical research, translational drug discovery and patient-focused clinical studies, he added, noting the work could not happen without public and community support. The institute also provides outstanding educational opportunities to inspire and train the next generation of scientists, he said. The institute’s scientists have long ranked among the most productive in the nation, and their research has ranked among the highest impact in the U.S., Griffin said.
The members of The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology Ambassador Council are:
- Jeff Atwater, Ambassador Council chair and chair, Financial Services Group, Ballard Partners
- Marti LaTour, Ambassador Council vice chair and director of marketing, A.I.D. Group
- Carole Blumberg, retired
- Peter Brock, owner, Brock Development Corp.
- Rebecca Brock, in-house counsel, The Breakers Palm Beach; president, University of Florida Alumni Association; chair, University of Florida Law School Board of Trustees
- Andrew Comiter, partner, Comiter Singer
- Warren Hudson, chair, BallenIsles Men’s Golf Association Prostate Cancer Golf Tournament
- Chelsea Reed, managing director, Republic Capital Group; city council member, former mayor, city of Palm Beach Gardens
- David Rendina, chief strategy officer, Rendina Real Estate Development; president, Rendina Family Foundation
- Marcella Scherer, CEO, Marcella Scherer Inc.; University of Florida Foundation Board Member
- Anna Villarreal, founder and CEO of LifeStory Health Inc.
Addressing a world of unmet medical needs:
The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology is a nonprofit academic research institute dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing health challenges. The institute unites world-class expertise in chemistry, biology, neuroscience, immunology and technology with leading-edge drug discovery expertise, a premier graduate program, and best-in-class infrastructure, to transform today’s innovative ideas into tomorrow’s lifesaving treatments. To learn more about how you can support transformative research, contact The Wertheim UF Scripps Office of Advancement at (561) 228-2055, or please click here.