The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation today announced a commitment of $100 million in grant funds over 11 years to launch the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis. The grant funds will launch a professional nursing school based in Sacramento in conjunction with the UC Davis School of Medicine, and will offer a full-time program for doctoral, masters and undergraduate degrees in nursing. The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing will offer an intensive and immersive multi-disciplinary curriculum focused on leadership and management training, scientific research, medicine and public health.
"Today’s announcement is about investing in future nurse leaders. UC Davis and the Foundation share a vision to face our nation’s healthcare problems by integrating the best of healthcare and scientific practices with multiple disciplines in higher education for nurses. However, additional funding and broader partnerships are needed to make this vision a reality,” said Ed Penhoet, PhD, president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. “We are confident that UC Davis will ensure that the most comprehensive training will be provided to students and significantly advance nursing research. We encourage leaders in the healthcare community and donors to join us in supporting UC Davis.”
According to the University of California, Davis, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation funding is the largest philanthropic grant to UC Davis, and one of the largest in the history of the University of California.
“We are most grateful to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for partnering with UC Davis to help us take the first step toward realizing our long-held vision to expand our education of health care leaders. For several years UC Davis has been studying the possibilities for expanding our nursing education program, and the Foundation’s generosity will help make those aspirations a reality," said UC Davis Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef. "We are honored that the school will bear Betty Irene Moore’s name. We share her personal interest in improving the outcomes of patient care for everyone. Her passion matches our own tradition of serving the public and our desire to make health care safer and more accessible."
The grant to establish a new school of nursing is in addition to the Foundation’s existing $123 million commitment to accelerate thought leadership in nursing, support the development of highly trained and skilled nursing leaders, and to improve nursing-related patient outcomes in the San Francisco Bay Area hospitals. To date, the Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative has made grants to more than 45 organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Combined with today’s announcement, the Foundation’s commitment to nursing and better patient outcomes amounts to nearly a quarter of a billion dollars.
“Nurses represent one of the largest healthcare workforce and are essential for safe and effective patient care. For example, results from a number of studies suggest that hospitalized patients experience higher mortality rates, length of stay and complications when nurse’s time for care and education are limited. We believe the investment in nursing resources, training, education, research and leadership is one of the most effective ways to tackle the problems in our vast healthcare system,” said, Helen Kim, chief program officer for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Once established, the school will bear the name of Betty Irene Moore, who established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in 2000 together with her husband, Gordon Moore, renowned scientist and co-founder of Intel Corporation. Betty Irene Moore is an advocate for patient safety, quality nursing care and education and is the impetus behind the Foundation’s Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative (For more information on the initiative go here here).
Pending approvals from the University of California Board of Regents, Academic Senates and other accreditation agencies including the Board of Registered Nursing, the plans for the school include rigorous admissions standards, a curriculum that would be integrated with both UC Davis’ School of Medicine and Graduate School of Management, and residency training for bachelor’s degree candidates. Nursing students would be educated “shoulder-to-shoulder” with medical, MBA and public health students. All degree programs would also incorporate UC Davis’ expertise in public health, telemedicine and health technology.
About the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established in 2000, seeks to advance environmental conservation and scientific research around the world and improve the quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, please visit www.moore.org.
About UC-Davis
UC Davis, which will celebrate its centennial in 2008, is one of the nation's top public research universities with a tradition of service to the region, the nation and the world. UC Davis is a pioneer in interdisciplinary problem-solving, and its four colleges, five professional schools, more than 100 academic majors and 86 graduate programs provide a comprehensive, rigorous and research-based learning environment for students, faculty and researchers. The 30,000-student university has its main campus in the Sacramento Valley, near the state capital and San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit www.ucdavis.edu. For a fact sheet and more information see www.moore.org or www.ucdavis.edu.