Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

$17 Million Boost for Med Center Programs

The Medical Center, already the top recipient of grants at Georgetown, received another one last week when the Center for Child and Human Development received a $17 million federal gift, one of the highest in the Medical Center’s history, to provide mental health care and services for children and adolescents.

The five-year grant, awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the Department of Justice, was announced on Oct. 29. The money will go to the National Technical Assistance for Children’s Mental Health, or TA Center.

The program works with families and other programs dedicated to mental health to help children who may have or are at risk for mental illnesses. It also works with children who suffer from developmental disabilities and substance abuse.

Phyllis Magrab, a pediatrics professor and director of the GUCCHD and principal investigator of the TA Center, said that she was pleased by the grant and hopes to use the money to extend the center’s capabilities.

“This grant is a cornerstone of the [GUCCHD]. It has changed the face of how children and youth with mental health needs are served in this country. . With the advent of health care reform, our work will be even more important,” Magrab said.

The TA Center, which was originally created by a federal grant in 1984, hopes to use the money to extend its capabilities.

This is not the only federal grant the Medical Center has received this year. In January, the center received $17 million for faculty research. The National Institutes of Health also gave $38 million jointly to Howard University and Georgetown, for the next five years, in July of 2010.

The federal government also recently awarded a number of other grants to the university on the whole. The National Institute of Standards and Technology gave $6.9 million for construction of the new Science Center. The university was also granted $10 million from the NIH to set up a community stroke education program in the Medical Center in 2007.

In a press release on Oct. 29, Howard J. Federoff, executive vice president for health sciences, praised Magrab’s commitment as a key factor in the Medical Center receiving the grant.

“Magrab is recognized as an international champion for children with disabilities. Through the initiatives of the [TA] Center, thousands of children and families have benefited. Magrab’s tireless dedication has led to a state-of-the-art approach to childhood mental health adopted by communities across the nation.”

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