$2M Jivrajka Gift Establishes Heart Prevention Chair At UCLA

Photo: Jayashree Jivrajka (L) and Vinod Jivrajka (R), with their grandchildren. (Photo: UCLA/Vince Bucci)

India-West News Desk

LOS ANGELES, CA- UCLA Health has received a $2 million gift from the Jivrajka Family Foundation to establish an endowed chair focused on cardiovascular disease prevention, with an emphasis on South Asian and other high-risk populations.

The funding will support translational research, clinical education, and community outreach aimed at improving prevention strategies for populations that face elevated cardiovascular risk.

Individuals of South Asian descent are more likely to develop conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol earlier in life and often experience heart disease up to a decade sooner than other groups. South Asians account for more than half of cardiovascular-related deaths worldwide.

Dr. Ravi H. Dave, director of interventional cardiology and the UCLA Health South Asian Heart Program, has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Jivrajka Family Foundation Chair. He also leads the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program within the UCLA Division of Cardiology.

The endowed chair will support research into genetic and environmental factors contributing to cardiovascular disease in high-risk populations, while also strengthening efforts to expand access to care and develop culturally informed treatment approaches.

“This chair supports the division’s efforts to develop individualized approaches to high-risk populations with coronary artery disease and other cardiovascular conditions; build a research team to better understand the genetic and environmental factors contributing to cardiovascular disease in at-risk populations; and develop targeted cardiovascular therapies including holistic approaches,” said Dr. Priscilla Hsue, chief of the UCLA Division of Cardiology, in a statement.

The gift also supports long-term academic and clinical initiatives at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine are grateful for the generosity and vision of the Jivrajka Family Foundation and its president, Dr. Vinod Jivrajka,” said Dr. Steven Dubinett, dean of the medical school. “Their support will improve cardiovascular health, care and quality of life for at-risk populations.”