Grads Give $2.25 Million to UVic to Research Process of Aging
A $2.25 million gift from two University of Victoria graduates ensures UVic is at the forefront of national research on the process of aging. The donation from Dr. Erich Mohr (PhD ’82) and Dr. Shelley Mohr (BA’84) will establish a research program in UVic’s Department of Psychology and the Centre on Aging with a focus on adult development and aging, just as the country’s baby boomers are poised to begin their retirement years.
The gift will fund a research chair to be held by a world-class scholar who will lead the university’s participation in national and international research initiatives, including the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)—the first national study on the process of aging. The chair will be named for Erich Mohr’s parents, Harald and Wilhelma Mohr, who were both medical doctors.
“Education was so important to them,” says Shelley Mohr. “All of their children excelled academically and their careers were just amazing. We really wanted to honour that.”
Over the past decade, Erich Mohr, a specialist in the treatment of central nervous system disorders, co-founded several biotech companies based in Ottawa. Last year he founded MedGenesis, which is developing treatments for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“UVic really launched my career,” he says. “It allowed me to be successful as a biotechnology entrepreneur and to really initiate a number of areas of research. In planning this gift, we felt strongly about giving back to the community. We are both very committed to excellence in education and research and UVic presented us with a research program in the Centre on Aging that was very appealing to us.”
“With the Mohr chair providing leadership in the study of adult development and aging, our researchers will be able to contribute further to the knowledge in this important field and build on the university’s substantial expertise in the health and social issues associated with an aging society,” says UVic President David Turpin. “The university is truly honoured and grateful that Erich and Shelley share our vision and are willing to support us so generously.”
Erich and Shelley Mohr met while they were students at UVic in the 1980s. Erich Mohr is a past recipient of the UVic alumni association’s Distinguished Alumni Award, and has been at the centre of Victoria’s vibrant biotechnology sector.
Click here for the backgrounder.The gift will fund a research chair to be held by a world-class scholar who will lead the university’s participation in national and international research initiatives, including the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)—the first national study on the process of aging. The chair will be named for Erich Mohr’s parents, Harald and Wilhelma Mohr, who were both medical doctors.
“Education was so important to them,” says Shelley Mohr. “All of their children excelled academically and their careers were just amazing. We really wanted to honour that.”
Over the past decade, Erich Mohr, a specialist in the treatment of central nervous system disorders, co-founded several biotech companies based in Ottawa. Last year he founded MedGenesis, which is developing treatments for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“UVic really launched my career,” he says. “It allowed me to be successful as a biotechnology entrepreneur and to really initiate a number of areas of research. In planning this gift, we felt strongly about giving back to the community. We are both very committed to excellence in education and research and UVic presented us with a research program in the Centre on Aging that was very appealing to us.”
“With the Mohr chair providing leadership in the study of adult development and aging, our researchers will be able to contribute further to the knowledge in this important field and build on the university’s substantial expertise in the health and social issues associated with an aging society,” says UVic President David Turpin. “The university is truly honoured and grateful that Erich and Shelley share our vision and are willing to support us so generously.”
Erich and Shelley Mohr met while they were students at UVic in the 1980s. Erich Mohr is a past recipient of the UVic alumni association’s Distinguished Alumni Award, and has been at the centre of Victoria’s vibrant biotechnology sector.
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