University of New England

UNECOM faculty member donates $1 million for biomedical research building

BIDDEFORD - The University of New England was recently awarded a $1 million gift from Peter Morgane, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of pharmacology in UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine. The gift was given in memory of his late wife, Cécile and will be used to help fund a biomedical research building on the University Campus in Biddeford.

Peter Morgane

Cécile and Peter Morgane during a visit to India

Morgane said he decided to support the biomedical research facility because "I had a good feeling about it and its prospects for development and advancement. This facility will enable us to recruit new researchers, support our current researchers and educate more students in research methods - the gift is a catalyst for all these efforts."

UNE President Danielle Ripich, Ph.D. said, "This gift means so much more coming from one of our own. Peter Morgane is a world-class scientist with over 220 publications. He understands the importance of research at the University of New England." She added, "Dr. Morgane's generous gift honoring his late wife Cécile, will benefit generations of students at UNE. His legacy is his commitment to science and to the UNE community."

Biomedical
Research
Facility
UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine's new state-of-the-art biomedical research facility will enhance the College's longstanding commitment to excellence in medical education. Upon completion the building will house ten or more teams conducting important biomedical research. It will allow UNECOM's top-flight faculty to dedicate themselves to educating physicians and advancing the practice of medicine, while giving students greater opportunities to experience research as part of their medical studies.

The building will be named the Pickus Center for Biomedical Research in recognition of Owen Pickus, D.O. and Trustee of the University of New England, and his wife Geraldine Ollila-Pickus, D.O. '93, whose $1 million challenge grant got the campaign started and made the prospect of this important facility a reality. Morgane's extraordinary gift brings the University now more than 80 percent of the way towards its fundraising goal to begin the first phase of construction.

Morgane hopes his gift will inspire others to join him and make it possible to break ground this year. In appreciation of Morgane's generous gift, the section of the building dedicated to research laboratories will be named The Peter and Cécile Morgane Laboratory Wing. Dean of the University's College of Osteopathic Medicine Boyd Buser, D.O., said, "Dr. Morgane's generosity is an inspiration to all who care for the University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine. It is a testament to the past, present and most importantly, the future of our school."

Peter Morgane, Ph.D.
Morgane has been a faculty member and researcher in UNECOM's Department of Pharmacology since 1985. He came to UNE following a long career in research, primarily at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, and has published 227 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Over his career, he has garnered more than $4.5 million in NIH and NSF grants for research that took him to Mexico, Florida and Massachusetts.

Currently, Morgane is working on a collaborative project investigating the basic principles of the serotonin and dopamine systems in the brain and studying the organization and function of the extended limbic brain involved in motivation and emotion.

For more information on the biomedical research building campaign, please view /giving/com.asp or contact Erin A. Peck, associate director of development, at (207) 221-4598.

(Press release posted March 7, 2007)