Peter Farrell to be Honored
The tenth “Heart of San Diego” Gala supporting the Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center of the University of California, San Diego will be held February 24 at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine. The annual black-tie fundraiser, which begins at 6 p.m., will feature dinner, dancing, a silent auction and dancing to the music of Kicks.
A special cause for celebration this year is the scheduled fall groundbreaking of the Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center. The Center will consolidate leading edge clinical care and research in one state-of-the-art facility dedicated to caring for patients with heart disease, to be located adjacent to UCSD’s Thornton Hospital on the university’s East Campus in La Jolla.
The Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center unites leaders in the fields of cardiovascular research, cardiology, and cardiothoracic surgery in a comprehensive approach to battle heart disease and stroke. Such interdisciplinary cooperation enables more patients to participate in clinical trials and to benefit sooner from new methods of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment as they become available.
Peter Farrell, Ph.D., founding chairman of ResMed, Inc., is this year’s recipient of the Heart of San Diego Award. He is being honored for “his entrepreneurship and passion for advancing healthcare with regard to sleep-disordered breathing and its relation to cardiovascular disease.”
The award also recognizes Farrell’s many contributions to the San Diego community. He is a longtime member of the UC San Diego Cardiovascular Center Board; and an ardent supporter of research to fight heart disease. He is also on the UC San Diego Foundation’s Board of Trustees and the Health Sciences Advisory Board.
“Peter Farrell is an impact player,” said Anthony DeMaria, M.D., Director of the Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center. “He exerts a major influence over virtually everything he becomes interested in.”
Long-time co-chairpersons of the gala are Zandra Rhodes, founder of the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, and Salah Hassanein, chairman of Variety Children’s Lifeline. As in years past, about 500 patrons are expected to attend. Tickets are $450 to $600 per person or $4,500 to $25,000 per table. Reservations can be made by calling the Cardiovascular Center before February 9 at 619-543-3499.
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Media Contact: Leslie Franz, 619-543-6163, lfranz@ucsd.edu