About the Philips Institute
Touring the renovated laboratory space of the
Philips Institute in September, 2000:
Dr.
Ronald J. Hunt, Harry Lyons Professor and Dean of Dentistry
Dr. John F. Philips,Jr. VCU Dentistry Alumnus and
Benefactor
Dr. Francis L. Macrina, Edward Myers Professor and
Director
The Philips Institute
The Philips Institute for Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology traces its origins back to the VCU dental school’s strategic plan put forward in the early 1990s.
The plan called for the development of a research institute within the dental school building complex. Historically, research lab space within the school was fragmented and modest. The plan for this Institute would manifest itself in a significant amount of contiguous, modern laboratories that would serve as a platform for dental faculty research activities. Space on the fourth floor of the Wood Building (one of two buildings that comprise our school) was designated for renovation. A capital campaign was launched, and gifts and pledges exceeded $5 million. The capstone gift of $1.25 million was made by Dr. John F. Philips a 1969 alumnus, honoring the memory of his father who died of throat cancer in 1968.
The planning of the Institute space began in 1998 and renovation of 8,000 square feet of space was needed to create the new laboratories. The project was completed in late 2000, and we have been populating it with scientists, students and dental residents ever since.
The statement of our purpose is direct: The mission of the Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology is to serve the University and the Commonwealth as a center of educational and research excellence focused on infectious, neoplastic , and genetic diseases of the oral cavity, head, and neck. The power of our research derives from new faculty recruits as well as the alignment of existing VCU faculty with the Institute. Dr. Todd Kitten, a molecular biologist who does infectious disease research, was recruited following a national search. Philips Institute appointments to extant VCU faculty have been made to Drs. Joe Califano and Jeff Rogers from Periodontics and Dr. Rita Shiang from Human Genetics. A head and neck cancer researcher will be joining the institute in 2002 and a national search for a craniofacial geneticist is underway. Collaborative relationships with the VCU Massey Cancer Center, the Virginia Center for Behavioral and Psychiatric Genetics, VCU Life Sciences, and several university departments are being cultivated to promote interdisciplinary research with an emphasis on the craniofacial complex.
Date last modified: 02/20/02