Four years after his death, Trinity College Dublin has paid tribute to the enormous impact on the university of the generosity of Dr Don Panoz, the deceased founder of the Elan Corporation
His legacy includes a new Chair and PhD scholarship programme at the Trinity School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Dr Panoz died in September 2018, aged 83, leaving part of his estate to Trinity College.
This followed his funding in 1994 of the Panoz Institute, a purpose-built home for the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences on campus.
A visionary and entrepreneur, Don Panoz was known around the world for his work in the pharmaceutical industry, founding and running companies in the USA and in Ireland, including Elan, which was synonymous with Athlone.
Speaking about the news, Kate Bond, director of Advancement at Trinity Development & Alumni, said: “Dr Panoz’s bequest supports several different initiatives within the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. In addition to his legacy having a direct impact on the next generations of students, it also empowers innovative research that will benefit people not only in Ireland but across the world.”
Professor Sakis Mantalaris has been appointed as the Panoz Chair of Pharmaceutical Biology. The professor is joining from his previous post as Professor in the WH Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, in the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Kate Bond said: “Having been able to make such a high calibre appointment to this post is all due to Dr Panoz’s extraordinary commitment to Trinity, and it is a privilege to be able to honour Dr Panoz’s memory in this way”.
Dr Panoz’s bequest is also supporting a PhD scholarship programme. The first three students who received awards under the Don Panoz Pharmaceutical Innovation PhD Scholarship Programme are midway through year one of their PhDs.
Their projects are a potential treatment for Renal Cell Carcinoma; the development of a nanomedicine for Parkinson’s disease and Skin Lipids in relation to Contact Allergy.
Four new Scholars have been selected for awards under the programme for this year.
Kate Bond said: “Scholarships mean so much for our students as they offer promising young scholars the best possible start to their pharmaceutical science careers.
"Deserving students can concentrate on their studies, without financial constraints, and it helps them achieve the most from their time at Trinity. The impact of Dr Panoz’s generosity on talented students is seen every day and this is especially important to his family.”
