Gala Celebrates Grand Opening of UC San Diego's Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center Mar. 5

Online, February 28, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The University of California, San Diego will celebrate the grand opening of the UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center Saturday, Mar. 5 with a formal gala at the newly completed center located on the UC San Diego Health System La Jolla campus. In honor of the donors and supporters who gave of their time and resources to make the new state-of-the-art facility a reality, the fete will include a memorable evening of dinner, dancing and a special performance by Tony Award-winning actress and singer Patti LuPone. Proceeds from the event will support research, clinical care and education within the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center.

The Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center-which will open to the public in April-is the region's first and only dedicated cardiovascular facility, providing outstanding patient care, leading-edge technology and groundbreaking clinical trials-all under one roof.

"The opening celebration marks a tremendous achievement for UC San Diego Health Sciences and the supporters who have helped make this state-of-the-art center possible with their generosity," said Kirk Peterson, MD, FACP, FACC, director of the Suplizio Cardiovascular Center. "We are thrilled to debut our world-class facility, which represents UC San Diego's commitment to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease for all patients."

More than $30 million in philanthropic funds made the new facility possible, including a $10 million leadership gift from Richard and Maria (Gaby) Sulpizio.

"We are thrilled to see the results of what years of planning, hard work, perseverance and commitment of so many people has brought us," said Richard and Gaby Sulpizio. "Having this new leading-edge cardiovascular center to serve the community where our family and friends live is our dream come true."

The Sulpizios added: "With the technological advances in infrastructure and equipment of the center, UC San Diego expands their global leadership in the research and treatment of heart-related issues."

Honorary committee co-chairs are Zandra Rhodes, founder of the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, and Salah Hassanein, chairman of Variety Children's Lifeline. Honorary committee members include Rita and Richard Atkinson, J. Robert and Betty Beyster, Anne Coors, Olivia and Peter Farrell, Pauline Foster, Audrey Geisel, Irwin Jacobs, Sheri Jamieson, Miriam and Jerome Katzin, Diane Martin, John Moores, Darlene Shiley, Hannah and Gene Step, Gaby and Rich Sulpizio, John M. and Sally B. Thornton, Judy and Jack White, and Randall E. Woods and Wendy Walker. Event chairs are Tom and Carol Dillon.

At the gala, the Broadway star Patti LuPone, world-renowned for her roles in "Evita" and "Gypsy," will perform her acclaimed one-woman show, "The Gypsy in My Soul."

Tickets for the Grand Opening Celebration Gala are $750 for sapphire seating, $1,000 for diamond seating. Sponsorships opportunities and naming opportunities are available. The evening will begin with cocktails and private tours at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner, dancing and live entertainment at 7:30 p.m. For reservations, please call (858) 534-6223. More information on the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center can be found at www.heartcenter.ucsd.edu.

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About the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center
The Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at UC San Diego unites leaders in the fields of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, cardiology and cardiovascular research, in a comprehensive approach to battle heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Such interdisciplinary cooperation enables more patients to participate in clinical trials and to benefit sooner from new methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Giving to UC San Diego
Fifty years ago, the founders of the University of California, San Diego had one criterion for the campus: It must be distinctive. Since then, UC San Diego-recognized as one of the top ten public universities by U.S. News & World Report and named by the Washington Monthly as number one in the nation in rankings measuring "what colleges are doing for the country"-has achieved the extraordinary in education, research and innovation. But with higher education's share of state revenue declining each year, we must increasingly rely on financial support from private sources to continue to provide the local impact, national influence and global reach as one of the world's leading research universities. As we celebrate our milestone anniversary, we also look forward to a long future of UC San Diego visionaries, innovators and overachievers, thanks to our generous donors. Visit www.giving.ucsd.edu or www.50th.ucsd.edu for more information.