The David Geffen School of Medicine received $15.2 million to further its research, according to a university press release.
Garry Shandling, a comedian, actor and previous patient at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, died March 2016 and left $15.2 million from his estate to expand research in the division of endocrinology, diabetes and hypertension; the division of infectious diseases; and the UCLA Agi Hirshberg Center for Pancreatic Diseases.
The funds will be used to establish the Garry Shandling Endocrine Surgery Research Fund, the Garry Shandling Infectious Diseases Innovation Fund, the Garry Shandling Pancreatic Diseases Fund and the Garry Shandling Medical Research Fund.
The Garry Shandling Medical Research Fund will be dedicated to general medical research and will be managed by the School of Medicine’s dean.
Shandling had a four-decadelong career in show business as a sitcom writer and stand-up comedian. He created the sitcoms “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” and “The Larry Sanders Show.”
He was also previously a patient at the UCLA medical center, where he underwent surgery for hyperparathyroidism, a rare condition that can result in heart attacks.
The grant is a part of the UCLA Centennial Campaign, which recently surpassed its goal of raising $4.2 billion by December 2019.
