Central OC Times

Dr. Robert A. Mah and Dr. Adeline Yen Mah, through their Falling Leaves Foundation, have pledged an additional $20 million to the University of California, Irvine (UCI). This contribution will support the construction of the Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building and its research centers.

This new donation follows a previous $30 million gift from the Mahs and their foundation in 2021, bringing their total support for the building and its programs to $53 million. The Falling Leaves Foundation was established by the couple in 2007.

The Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building will be approximately 200,000 square feet and is set to open in summer 2025. Chancellor Howard Gillman expressed his gratitude: “We are honored to serve as the stewards of Robert and Adeline Mah’s vision of innovative and transformational medical innovation.”

Steve Goldstein, vice chancellor for health affairs, also acknowledged their generosity: “We are profoundly grateful to Robert and Adeline Mah for their extraordinary second gift... Their vision and unwavering commitment to pioneering interdisciplinary research is a catalyst for groundbreaking innovations that will fundamentally transform the future of medicine, health, and wellness.”

The new funds will help construct the building and establish endowed research funds for two centers of excellence: the Molecular Innovation Center and the Vaccine Center. The Molecular Innovation Center, directed by Andrej Luptak, will focus on drug design and therapeutics for various diseases. The Vaccine Center, led by Philip Felgner, aims to advance vaccine science and develop new vaccines.

In recognition of their contributions, these centers will be named the Robert A. Mah Molecular Innovation Center and the Adeline Yen Mah Vaccine Center. Adeline Yen Mah remarked on their vision: “We envisage our building to be a nexus connecting basic science, biotechnology, and medicine.”

The Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building is located in UCI’s health sciences district along Michael Drake Drive. It aims to foster collaboration among diverse disciplines to drive innovations in healthcare.

While both Robert Mah taught environmental microbiology at UCLA and Adeline Mah practiced internal medicine during their careers, they always dreamed of conducting medical research together. They found UCI an ideal partner for realizing this dream.

UCI is known for its academic achievements, premier research facilities, including several institutes within its health sciences district such as neurosciences and stem cell biology centers.

About UCI: Founded in 1965, UCI is one of America's top public universities with over 36,000 students enrolled across various degree programs. More information can be found at www.uci.edu.

About Falling Leaves Foundation: Established in 2007 by Professor Robert A. Mah and Dr. Adeline Yen Mah to promote advances in medical science research.

For more details on UC Irvine Health Affairs or media access arrangements with UC Irvine faculty experts via radio studios or other resources available for journalists visit https://news.uci.edu/media-resources.

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