THE GIORGIO FOUNDATION AND THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ANNOUNCE $2 MILLION ENDOWED CHAIR TO ADVANCE NF1 RESEARCH

PITTSBURGH, April 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Giorgio Foundation and the University of Pittsburgh announce the establishment of The Giorgio Foundation Endowed Chair in the School of Medicine's Department of Neurosurgery with a total commitment of $2 million. This gift will support groundbreaking research in neurological conditions, with a specific focus on neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) in both pediatric and adult patients.

The Giorgio Foundation has pledged $1 million to endow a fund at the University of Pittsburgh with all proceeds from the fund directly supporting the chair's mission.

The School of Medicine will add an additional $500,000 to the fund and has committed to securing another $500,000 to be held in the endowed account, bringing the total endowment to $2 million.

"The chair's primary focus will remain on advancing research and treatment for this condition until we cure neurofibromatosis type 1," said Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine at Pitt. "The Giorgio Foundation has long been a champion of this area of medicine. By creating a chair, the foundation ensures that Pitt remains at the forefront of innovation and discovery, helping to bring us closer to new treatments for patients."

Supporting Cutting-Edge Neurological Research

The Giorgio Foundation Endowed Chair will support:

• Recruitment and salary of a distinguished faculty member in the Department of Neurological Surgery
• Professional development, research, and scholarly activities related to NF1 and other neurological conditions
• Critical academic initiatives within the department to drive innovation in neurosurgical treatments and therapies

"The Giorgio Foundation's generosity will create a lasting impact on neurological research, especially for NF1," said Dr. Sameer Agnihotri, director of the Brain Tumor Biology and Therapy Lab. "This partnership exemplifies how philanthropy can drive scientific progress and bring us closer to life-changing breakthroughs."

Recognizing Philanthropic Leadership

In recognition of this extraordinary gift, the endowed position will be named The Giorgio Foundation Endowed Chair.

"Since the beginning of this journey, a significant part of our mission has been to create a legacy of truly groundbreaking NF1 research. We believe that Dr. Sameer Agnihotri and his lab at the University of Pittsburgh are on an incredible path toward that goal, and we are excited to create an endowment that will help to continue NF1 research for decades to come," said Erin Borzellino, Co-Founder of The Giorgio Foundation.

For more information on The Giorgio Foundation's mission and philanthropy, please contact Erin Borzellino, co-founder of The Giorgio Foundation.

About The Giorgio Foundation
The Giorgio Foundation believes every child deserves childhood. A childhood free from the fear of unstoppable tumor growth and disfigurement. Through focused clinical research, The Giorgio Foundation seeks to advance the light of knowledge into a condition defined by darkness, fear, and the unknown. Learn more at endnf1.org.

About the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
As one of the nation's leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition. Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates, Pitt has ranked among the top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1998. In rankings released by the National Science Foundation, Pitt is in the upper echelon of all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support. In 2024, Pitt ranked in the top 2% in externally funded R&D expenditures ($1.4B); and $1.2B in life sciences. That same year, U.S. News & World Report ranked Pitt School of Medicine among Tier 1 Best Medical Schools for Research.

Likewise, the School of Medicine is equally committed to advancing the quality and strength of its medical and graduate education programs, for which it is recognized as an innovative leader, and to training highly skilled, compassionate clinicians and creative scientists well-equipped to engage in world-class research. The School of Medicine is the academic partner of UPMC, which has collaborated with the University to raise the standard of medical excellence in Pittsburgh and to position health care as a driving force behind the region's economy. For more information about the School of Medicine, see www.medschool.pitt.edu.

Media Contacts:

The Giorgio Foundation
Erin Borzellino
Co-Founder
(917) 267-0755
[email protected]

University of Pittsburgh
Jared Stonesifer
Senior Director, External Communications
(412) 577-9834

SOURCE The Giorgio Foundation