Bettering people’s lives through groundbreaking research is central to the mission of Scripps Research. It’s also a goal shared by the institute’s incredible community of supporters.
Helen L. Dorris, a longtime advocate and donor of Scripps Research, took this mission to heart. Her support for the institute began in 1999, after she made a monumental gift to establish the Harold L. Dorris Neurological Research Center, and then later the Helen L. Dorris Institute for the Study of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders of Children and Adolescents. These centers became the basis of the now world-renowned Dorris Neuroscience Center (DNC), bringing together multidisciplinary scientists to investigate new approaches to treat illnesses of the nervous system.
Dorris passed away on May 17, 2024, at the age of 97, and her impact continues to be felt across the field of neuroscience. Her acts of leadership and altruism have left an enduring legacy on our community.
Her motivation to fund research into the human brain and various neurological disorders was a personal one, spawned by her twin brother, Harold, who endured a lifetime of limited neurological treatments without a cure.
Hollis Cline, PhD / Hahn Professor of Neuroscience
“Helen Dorris was a remarkably generous and caring person. When she visited the Dorris Neuroscience Center, she eagerly chatted with the graduate students and postdocs about their research. She took great pleasure fostering the next generation of neuroscientists at Scripps Research. Her enthusiasm for our research—and for those pioneering it—was unmatched.”
Her transformative donations to Scripps Research led to life-changing science driven by state-of-the-art imaging and genomic and genetic technologies, as well as top-tier faculty members to conduct investigations across sensory systems, neuronal circuitry and stem cell research. The DNC explores basic research to answer some of the most vital questions surrounding neuroscience, expanding our understanding of brain functions and novel strategies to address nervous system disorders.
The investment from Dorris has proven pivotal in Scripps Research’s ability to achieve critical biomedical discoveries. The center’s labs have paved the way for research into how certain autism risk genes can impact different brain cell types, how sensory experience affects the development of brain structure and function, and how the brain regulates our metabolisms. Dorris’ thoughtful giving fueled numerous breakthroughs in neuroscience and medicine to combat diseases and disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and more. The center also houses the lab of Nobel Prize laureate Ardem Patapoutian, PhD, who solved the fundamental question around how the brain perceives pressure and touch.
“Helen Dorris was a remarkably generous and caring person. When she visited the Dorris Neuroscience Center, she eagerly chatted with the graduate students and postdocs about their research. She took great pleasure fostering the next generation of neuroscientists at Scripps Research. Her enthusiasm for our research—and for those pioneering it—was unmatched,” says Hollis Cline, PhD, the chair of the Department of Neuroscience, director of the DNC, and Hahn Professor of Neuroscience. “It was wonderful to see her dedication to brain research and to know her.”
In 2010, the institute consolidated its two neuroscience centers into the DNC, thanks to an additional gift from Dorris through the Harold L. Dorris Neuroscience Foundation. Through her philanthropy, an endowment was created to ensure scientists could continue their work uninterrupted. Dorris was a San Diego State University professor emeritus and knew the potential that up-and-coming scientists held in shaping the trajectory of research. Today, the center sponsors more than a dozen Helen Dorris Scholars, hosts three endowed fellowships in Dorris’ name and offers additional scholarships and internship opportunities to students, supporting future generations of scientists—another mission central to Scripps Research.
Despite the incredible role that her support played in shaping the institute’s neuroscience research and graduate students, Dorris was always modest about her impact and happy to redirect focus to the scientists paving the way for a healthier future, saying at one time, “My hope is that the institute can utilize the resources I can offer to support ‘the best and brightest’ in the quest for solutions to the workings of the brain and neurological disorders.”
Through her generosity and vision, she has left a lasting influence on Scripps Research and the future of neuroscience research not only at our institute but across the globe.
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