Pfizer has posted a list of US medical, scientific and patient organization grants and charitable contributions made in the first quarter of this year, part of an ongoing drive throughout the company to increase transparency.
Pfizer partners with the world's leading experts and medical, scientific and patient organizations to support their programmes and activities aimed at improving public health. This support includes grants and charitable contributions for efforts that strengthen communities where Pfizer colleagues live and work.
The support highlighted includes medical education grants, fellowship and scholarship support for institutions, grants to patient organizations, medical and scientific associations and academic or other medical centres, and charitable contributions.
Of a total $9.97 million in grants and charitable contributions reported for the first quarter of 2008, the largest grant -- $3,420,318 -- was made to the California Academy of Family Physicians in March for a three-year national health care professional education campaign to reduce the number of US smokers. This grant was distributed among nine partner organizations across the country. Other grants include $500,000 to Family Health International for malaria patient education and treatment, and $237,500 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for its clinical investigator training programme with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Information will be updated each quarter.
"We want to bring greater transparency to the way we partner with leading medical, scientific and patient organizations," said Jeffrey B. Kindler, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer. "Detailing these grants and charitable contributions is an important part of our ongoing transparency drive".
"Easter Seals appreciates the support that Pfizer provides as it directly enhances our capacity to serve and advocate for people with disabilities and their families," said James E. Williams, Jr., president and CEO, Easter Seals, Inc, which received a grant from Pfizer in 2007. "Our collaborations relate directly to the mission-driven priorities of our organization. These activities are grounded in a shared commitment to address unmet needs, eliminate barriers, and otherwise foster improvements in health and quality of life for persons with disabilities, their families and communities."
"IAVI is proud to receive the support of Pfizer," said John McGoldrick, senior vice president for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. "Because of Pfizer's grant from its Global Health Fellows programme, we have deployed 9 Fellows since 2005 to work directly with IAVI teams at AIDS vaccine clinical trial sites across East and Southern Africa. IAVI has benefited tremendously through this strategic partnership, and we look forward to continuing our work with Pfizer".