Christian Messa

UTMB scientist pledges $100,000 to neuroscience research endowment

Commitment will support the work of talented graduate students

GALVESTON, Texas — More than five years ago, Dr. William D. Willis Jr. and his wife, Jean, established the Jean C. and William D. Willis Research Endowment at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to support the work of outstanding graduate students in the university’s neurosciences program. The couple recently pledged an additional $100,000 to the endowment, which has also received more than $20,000 in commitments from UTMB faculty, alumni and students since its inception.

Willis, former chairman of UTMB’s Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, which was recently reorganized to become part of the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, said he has been impressed by the surge of financial support for the endowment. “I sincerely appreciate all of these generous contributions,” said Willis, who directed the university’s Marine Biomedical Institute from 1978 to 2004. “I truly believe that encouraging the work of graduate students is essential to the development of current and future discoveries in the neurosciences.” Willis also holds the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience.

Neuroscientists study the nervous system, examining the workings of basic neuronal functions and processes affected by neural injury and disease. They also conduct research on behavioral disorders and neurobiological systems, such as mechanisms that regulate pain. Such research has led to new approaches for diagnosing and treating neuronal dysfunctions and injuries, as well as improving mental functions like learning and memory.

Dr. James E. Blankenship, director of UTMB’s neuroscience graduate program, said the Willis endowment will expand opportunities for graduate students to pursue research in the neurosciences. “Dr. and Mrs. Willis have taken leadership roles to help advance our graduate students’ education,” said Blankenship, a member of the Marine Biomedical Institute and professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology. “Their support will mold future generations of neuroscientists for many years to come.”

The Willises’ commitment additionally supports the university’s Timeless Values, Pioneering Solutions campaign, a five-year, $250 million fund-raising initiative to enhance areas of excellence in teaching the art and science of health care; infectious diseases, biodefense and vaccine development; improving health care access and telehealth; and longevity, chronic diseases and neurological recovery.

Willis is past president of the American Pain Society and the Society for Neuroscience. The author of more than 285 peer-reviewed publications, 119 reviews and chapters, three monographs, a textbook, and contributions to two other textbooks, as well as 389 presentations, he joined the Marine Biomedical Institute staff at UTMB in 1970 as chief of the Division of Comparative Neurobiology. He became director of the institute in 1978 and was appointed chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences in 1986, serving in these capacities until this year.

The Dallas native received his bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees in 1956 from Texas A&M University. In 1960, he earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. Willis received his Ph.D. degree in 1963 from the Australian National University under the supervision of Sir John C. Eccles, who was later awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine. Willis then worked in Italy as a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke postdoctoral research fellow in the Institute of Physiology at the University of Pisa. Later that year, Willis returned to UT Southwestern Medical School as an assistant professor of anatomy. He became professor and chairman of anatomy in 1964 and professor of physiology in 1969, the year before he came to UTMB.

Willis has garnered numerous awards and honors for his pain research, most recently the J.E. Purkyne Honorary Medal for Merit in the Biological Sciences from the Czech Republic’s Academy of Sciences. He received the Frederick W.L. Kerr Memorial Award from the American Pain Society in 1986 and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Pain Research in 1993. Willis was also the first recipient of the Purdue Pharma Prize for Pain Research in 2002. That year, he was recognized as one of the world’s most highly cited authors by the Institute of Scientific Information (within the top 0.5 percent of all publishing authors). Willis has also received five teaching awards from UTMB’s School of Medicine and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Longtime UTMB supporters, William and Jean Willis have contributed to such programs and initiatives as the School of Medicine Annual Fund and Moody Medical Library. They are also members of the President’s Cabinet, a volunteer organization that raises financial resources to help advance the university’s mission.

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