Canyon Ranch

The University of Arizona Foundation has announced that Canyon Ranch Inc. will donate $10 million over 10 years to support the UA College of Medicine's new Arizona Prevention Center. The gift is the largest in the UA's 112-year history.

This major gift makes possible a "public health partnership" between Canyon Ranch, one of the world's leading advocates of prevention and lifestyle education, and the Arizona Prevention Center, the UA College of Medicine's newest Center of Excellence, which is addressing disease prevention and health promotion challenges throughout Arizona.

Since its beginning, Canyon Ranch has collaborated closely with The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center (AHSC). Canyon Ranch founder Mel Zuckerman serves on the advisory boards of (and has been a major financial contributor to) the Arizona Prevention Center and the Arizona Arthritis Center. He also serves on the UA Foundation Board of Directors and has been a major contributor to University Heart Center, among other programs.

"Canyon Ranch is dedicated to teaching people about a healthy lifestyle and personal responsibility for maintaining good health and vitality, even into older years," says Zuckerman, who, with his wife Enid, founded the world-renowned health resort in Tucson in 1979 and Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires in Lenox, Mass., in 1989. "This is our life's mission, and for the past 18 years the community and the University contributed greatly to the success of Canyon Ranch," Zuckerman says. "It is a great joy for Canyon Ranch to be able to give something back in a significant manner."

College of Medicine Dean James E. Dalen, M.D., M.P.H., says, "Disease prevention and health promotion are the keys to controlling health care costs. Our state has many serious public health challenges, and this extraordinary gift will allow the Arizona Prevention Center to play a major role in addressing those concerns."

Zuckerman explains, "If we can keep more people healthy, so they won't require expensive medical treatments, we can truly make an impact on health care costs and quality of life. Our nation's medical schools have never provided sufficient emphasis on nutrition, the benefits of exercise and other personal lifestyle factors. Ultimately, we would like to change that and convince the public that it is in their benefit to focus on prevention. For example, heart disease, our nation's major killer, could be reduced by 60 to 70 percent if people exercised regularly and maintained low-fat diets."

UA Foundation President Richard F. Imwalle says, "The Foundation is honored to help facilitate ongoing efforts by Canyon Ranch to make notable advancements in public health. This remarkable gift reflects their genuine concern for the health and well being of all Arizonans."

Established by the Arizona Board of Regents as a center of excellence in April 1997, the Arizona Prevention Center will forge partnerships with communities throughout the state to promote health and develop effective prevention strategies.

APC will provide educational support to health professionals, allowing them to be more effective providers of preventive health, and will help define cost-effective prevention strategies through collaborative research programs.

Directed by Carlos "Kent" Campbell, M.D., M.P.H., the new center will focus on development of innovative lifestyle and behavioral health programs. Smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise are major factors for death and disability in our state, often leading to cancer, heart disease and stroke. Further, Arizona has one of the highest per-capita teen pregnancy rates in the nation, and communities are reporting record numbers of homicides, among many other public health concerns. APC will work to enhance community health programs through a partnership with the UA College of Agriculture (and its Cooperative Extension Service) and the Arizona Department of Health Services.

APC's major educational program is the Arizona Graduate Program in Public Health, a collaboration with Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University designed to meet the particular needs of the Southwestern United States. The program recently received full accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health, and official recognition as one of only 18 graduate programs nationwide in community health/preventive medicine.

Zuckerman says long-term plans for the Canyon Ranch gift include creation of a school of public health within the College of Medicine to house the Arizona Prevention Center.

Dr. Dalen adds, "Establishing a school of public health would be a major benefit to our state and certainly would be an integral part of the Arizona Health Sciences Center."