Dr. DIANA SYLVESTRE, who is joining us virtually today, is a physician-researcher and faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco. Her career research has focused on improving the health outcomes of people affected by addiction, specifically in the treatment of hepatitis C. She has made important contributions to addiction medicine and is the founder and Executive Director of the OASIS Clinic in Oakland, California. Dr. Homcy and Dr. Sylvestreboth share a common desire to support neuroscience research at Hopkins, recognizing the need to deepen our understanding of the complexities of the brain and its diseases in order to advance breakthroughs and improve health outcomes.
Dr. CHARLES HOMCY, an alumnus of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (AB’70, Human Biology) and the School of Medicine (MD ’73), joined the JHU Board of Trustees in 2013. After completing his academic degrees, Dr. Homcy embarked on a successful career in academia and medical practice. He assumed the role of Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and became a respected contributor to the renowned Cardiac Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. Expanding his professional horizons, he later transitioned into the realm of biotechnology, co-founding a pharmaceutical startup known as Portola Pharmaceuticals in 2003.
He served as the President and CEO of Portola until 2010. His experiences at Portola, as well as with Millennium Pharmaceuticals and COR Therapeutics, led him to believe that a deeper understanding of the mind was the next frontier for pharma interventions While substantial progress has been made in understanding the basic science of the body, including the heart, liver, and other organs, we didn’t know enough about the brain to do the same for neurological diseases. Thus, he wanted to invest in professors creating new knowledge in that area.
In 2015, Dr. Homcy established his first endowed chair in neuroscience to honor his mentor, Dr. Simeon Margolis. This position is held by Dr. Alex Kolodkin in the Department of Neuroscience. He also established Joseph A. Homcy fellowship, currently supporting the work Dr. Tzu-Huai (Leo) Lin. Now, seven years later, we are so grateful that he has helped generously endow this second professorship with the Department of Neuroscience held by Dr. Bergles. We are honored that Dr. Homcy has chosen to give back to his alma mater in such a meaningful way.
