Baylor Health Care System receives $20 million to benefit transplantation initiatives

Baylor Health Care System Foundation announces that Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons have pledged $20 million to benefit transplantation initiatives within Baylor Health Care System. In recognition of this transformational gift, Baylor will rename the institute the Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons Transplant Institute.

"Because of our personal experience with transplantation, we knew we wanted to give others the same opportunity to have a future," said Mr. Simmons. "We believe this gift will enable Baylor to make our vision a reality, by advancing transplant science and creating one of the finest transplant institutes in the nation."

"This generous gift will help us continue to provide life-changing treatments for transplant patients and conduct leading-edge clinical research that will further advance knowledge in the field of transplantation," said Joel Allison, president and chief executive officer of Baylor Health Care System. "Baylor Health Care System is most grateful for the generosity of the Simmons family that will provide us the opportunity to impact our patients' quality of life."

Goran Klintmalm, M.D., Ph.D., has led the Simmons Transplant Institute as its chairman since it began in 1984. Since then, Dr. Klintmalm and his colleagues have performed more than 8,000 solid organ transplants. This includes more than 3,400 liver and more than 2,900 kidney transplants, making Baylor one of the largest multi-specialty transplant centers in the world.

Members of Baylor's transplant staff have published nearly 1,000 articles in peer-reviewed journals and authored the premier textbook on liver transplantation. Research conducted at the Simmons Transplant Institute has helped produce medication used as standard therapy internationally. And, 35 transplant fellows have been trained there; some of whom now lead major transplant programs around the world.

"This tremendous gift is an investment in the future of this institute and will help us continue to reach new heights in research, medical education and academic contributions on behalf of our patients," said Dr. Klintmalm. "This gift will allow us to increase our research infrastructure, support scholarly and academic initiatives, expand our transplant fellowship programs, and anchor our transplant leadership for the future."

Annette C. and Harold C. Simmons are among the nation's foremost philanthropists, and their support of Baylor will help transform the transplant institute.

"We are grateful beyond words for the incredible support we have been given by the Simmons family," said Rowland K. Robinson, president of the Foundation. "This gift is truly extraordinary, and we are excited about the plans Baylor has for the institute's future."

Harold C. Simmons is the son of rural schoolteachers from Golden, Texas, and a self-made billionaire. After he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from The University of Texas at Austin in 1952, he worked first for the federal government and then for a Dallas-based bank. When he was in his late 20s, he borrowed money to buy a small drugstore, using his savings for a down payment. Within 10 years, he had built a statewide drugstore chain worth more than $50 million, which he sold in 1973.

It was at that point that he began his career as an investor. He has thrived as a brilliant and creative financier and controls numerous companies, including five corporations listed on the New York Stock Exchange.