The Whitaker Foundation was based in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

and was an organization that primarily supported

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

, but also supported other forms of

medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

research. It was founded and funded by U. A. Whitaker in 1975 upon his death with additional support coming from his wife Helen Whitaker upon her death in 1982. The foundation contributed more than $700 million to various universities and medical schools. The foundation decided to spend its financial resources over a finite period, rather than creating an organization that would be around forever, in order to have the maximum impact. The Whitaker Foundation closed on June 30, 2006. The foundation helped create 30 biomedical engineering programs at various universities in the United States and helped finance the construction of 13 buildings, many of them subsequently bearing the name "Whitaker" in some form.

Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program

The Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program funded more than 400 pre-doctoral research fellows and post-doctoral scholars between 2011 and 2018 to perform biomedical research outside of the United States. The program was managed by the Institute for International Education, who also manages the

Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

. In addition to traditional laboratory research, the Whitaker International Program also funded internships in scientific policy and classroom-based educational programs. The last grants were awarded in 2018, however, the program continues to pursue Concluding Initiatives that develop and promote leadership in biomedical engineering, with an international focus.

References

External links

The Whitaker FoundationWhitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program
Biomedical engineering Medical and health foundations in the United States {{medical-assoc-stub