PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc., the Fogarty Institute and California Healthcare Institute Launch The Lefteroff Fund in Honor of Tracy T. Lefteroff

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc. along with the Fogarty Institute for Innovation (FII) and the California Healthcare Institute (CHI) announced today the formation of The Lefteroff Fund.  The Lefteroff Fund was created to honor the work of Tracy T. Lefteroff, a partner at PwC who passed away last June, for his legacy of commitment and dedication to entrepreneurship in the life sciences industry. The fund will provide educational scholarships, grants and instructive opportunities to promising entrepreneurs and medical projects in the life sciences industry. The Lefteroff Fund will be housed and administered by FII, a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit dedicated to mentoring, training and inspiring the next generation of medical innovators.

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"Tracy was an extraordinary individual with remarkable leadership skills and deep roots in the life sciences and venture community," said Peter Claude, PwC's Bay Area Life Sciences leader. "Throughout his life and career, he generously invested his time, energy and resources in the people and ideas that exemplified the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit needed to accelerate advancements in the life sciences. The PwC Charitable Foundation, CHI and FII created the fund to honor Tracy's legacy and to give those who knew him and share in his passion for life sciences an opportunity to carry on his dedication for medical innovation, entrepreneurship and education."

The Lefteroff Fund will focus on three primary components of scholarships, awards and education:

• The Lefteroff Educational Scholarship is seeded by a $150,000 contribution from the PwC Charitable Foundation through a specific program created to honor the legacy of PwC partners.  The Scholarship will provide awards to high school, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as fellows and interns to advance their educational level, knowledge, and real-world experience in the medical innovation process.
• The Lefteroff Innovator Awards will directly fund projects for promising new innovators working on pre-screened medical ideas.
• The Lefteroff Lecture Series will feature esteemed speakers who will help foster ideas and advance the broader community's understandings of medical innovation and entrepreneurship in the life sciences.

"This fund is a fitting way to honor Tracy's passion and commitment to nurturing innovation in life sciences and global health," said Ann Fyfe, president and CEO of the Fogarty Institute for Innovation. "As a valued board member for the Institute, Tracy worked closely with innovators and student interns and was passionate about supporting young people as well as keeping the spirit of innovation alive, offering new hope to thousands of patients who have benefitted from new ideas in health care. We miss his leadership and are thrilled to be creating this legacy fund in his honor."

"Tracy was a friend, a devoted, outstanding board member of CHI and a tireless proponent of medical innovation. We are pleased to join the Fogarty Institute for Innovation and PwC in this effort to honor his memory," added David Gollaher, Ph.D., president and CEO of the California Healthcare Institute.

For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation to The Lefteroff Fund, please contact Ann Fyfe, President and CEO of the Fogarty Institute for Innovation at (650) 988-7590 or email [email protected].

About The PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc.
The PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc., a section 501(c)(3) organization, makes contributions to the people of PwC in times of financial hardship, and to nonprofit organizations that support and promote education and humanitarianism.

About PwC US
PwC US helps organizations and individuals create the value they're looking for. We're a member of the PwC network of firms in 157 countries with more than 184,000 people. We're committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting us at www.pwc.com/US. Gain customized access to our insights by downloading our thought leadership app: PwC's 365™ Advancing business thinking every day.

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© 2013 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership. All rights reserved. PwC US refers to the US member firm, and PwC may refer to either the PwC network of firms or the US member firm. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

About The Fogarty Institute for Innovation
Located on the campus of El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif., the Fogarty Institute for Innovation is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit that serves to energize the process of medical technology innovation. Its educational activities involve teaching the skills and methodology necessary for medical innovators to translate their ideas into new patient therapies. Companies affiliated with the Institute have access to the clinical experience and clinical trial management services available through the collaboration between the Institute, El Camino Hospital and the Taft Center for Clinical Research. Currently, 12 companies are in residence at the Institute. To learn more, go to www.fogartyinstitute.org.

About California Healthcare Institute
CHI represents more than 275 leading biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics, and pharmaceutical companies, and public and private academic biomedical research organizations. CHI's mission is to advance responsible public policies that foster medical innovation and promote scientific discovery. CHI's website is www.chi.org. Follow us on Twitter @calhealthcare, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

SOURCE PwC US