House Research Institute Launches 65 Faces Campaign To Celebrate 65th Anniversary

LOS ANGELES, August 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- House Research Institute announced today the 65 Faces Campaign to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the institute. The fundraising goal of the campaign is $65 million.

"When my father founded the institute 65 years ago, his goal was to help patients hear and to share his knowledge with other physicians," said John House, M.D., president of House Research Institute and associate physician at the House Clinic. "My father's legacy lives on every day in the thousands of patients who have benefitted from the research and the thousands of physicians from around the world who have come to the institute to learn."

The 65 Faces Campaign reflects the 65 years that House Research Institute has engaged in helping people enjoy a better quality of life through improved hearing. Whether correcting hearing problems, augmenting hearing when problems can't be fixed, or educating people on how to avoid these problems, the institute has been at the forefront of discovery and innovation.

"In the 65 year history of the institute there have been amazing surgical and scientific breakthroughs including the research and development of the cochlear implant and auditory brainstem implant," said James Boswell, chief executive officer of House Research Institute. "With research already in progress, the institute is positioned for many more breakthroughs in the next 65 years."

The 65 Faces Campaign is the House Research Institute's answer to the challenges related to our world that is growing noisier through entertainment, as well as, new drugs and diseases related to hearing loss.

One of the first steps of the campaign and anniversary celebration was the name change to House Research Institute announced in April. Since the institute was founded in 1946 by Dr. Howard House, this is the fourth name change. Previous names included the Los Angeles Foundation for Otology, Ear Research Institute and House Ear Institute.

"Changing the name to House Research Institute has given the 65 Faces Campaign momentum right from the start," said Daniel Graham, executive vice president of development at House Research Institute. "The campaign promises to provide critical support for our enterprise - support that will secure our mission through infrastructure and endowment, expand our potential with innovative technologies, and empower our future with the capacity to recruit world-class scientific investigators."

The institute has already received several lead gifts. David Koch has donated $5 million to fund the Koch Center for Hearing Restoration. James and Anne Rothenberg gave $3 million with half as unrestricted funds to support the 65 Faces Campaign and the other half to Howard P. House, MD Endowment in honor of John W. House, MD. Lynn Booth and the Booth Foundation have donated $1 million to the 65 Faces Campaign.

The Chandler family and their foundation, The Scottsdale Foundation, have donated $1 million to establish the Chandler Chair for Tinnitus Research. The recruitment for a scientist to fill the endowed chair will begin immediately.

"We are pleased to support the House Research Institute with the creation of the Chandler Chair for Tinnitus Research," said Stephen Chandler, Scottsdale Foundation President, House Research Institute Trustee and House Clinic patient. "About one in five people between 55 and 65 years old report symptoms of tinnitus, and it is one of the most common disabilities for military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. We hope that our gift will provide a foundation for more general tinnitus studies, hearing loss research and clinical trials."

65 Faces also represents the vast number of stories of patients, physicians, scientists and donors who have played a major role in our extraordinary effort to improve hearing during these years. To see some of the 65 Faces of the campaign, please go to the Web site http://www.hei.org/stories/.

To make a donation, please contact the House Research Development office at 213-483-4431 or make a donation online at: http://www.hei.org/support/donatenow.html.

About the House Research Institute

The House Research Institute, formerly the House Ear Institute, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with hearing loss and related disorders through scientific research, patient care, and the sharing of knowledge. Institute scientists research the auditory system, at the level of function, as well as at the cellular, molecular and genetic levels. We also explore the neurological interactions between the auditory system and brain, and study ways to improve auditory implants, diagnostics, clinical treatments and intervention methods. We share our knowledge with the scientific and medical communities as well as the general public through our education and outreach programs. For more information about the House Research Institute, please call (800) 388-8612 or (213) 483-4431, E-mail [email protected] or visit www.houseresearch.org.

SOURCE House Research Institute