Marquette’s College of Health Sciences receives $5 million gift

MILWAUKEE – Marquette University’s College of Health Sciences today announced it has received a $5 million gift from Dr. Michael and Mrs. Billie Kubly. The gift will be used to establish the Charles E. Kubly Mental Health Research Center in the college

The Kublys are the founders of the Charles E. Kubly Foundation, “a public charity devoted to improving the lives of those affected by depression.” The charitable foundation is named in honor of their son, Charles, who took his own life after a long battle against the disease of depression. Rather than a foundation donation, however, the Kublys’ gift is a personal one.

“When it comes to funding this mental health research center, it’s important that it’s a personal donation,” Billie Kubly said. “We have an opportunity to draw attention to the need for research and to help remove the stigma that can be a barrier to charitable gifts.”

“We’re extremely grateful to the Kubly family for their enormously generous, transformative gift,” said Dr. William E. Cullinan, dean of the College of Health Sciences and director of the Integrative Neuroscience Research Center at Marquette. “We have built a team of research neuroscientists here at Marquette whose work is focused on finding underlying causes of mental illness and discovering new, faster acting and more effective ways to treat these debilitating conditions. The Kublys’ gift is an investment that will allow us to expand our research capabilities and accelerate the pace of discovery toward that goal.”

In addition to establishing the new center, the $5 million gift will provide for an endowed senior professorship, funding for additional faculty and funding for cutting-edge cellular and molecular research methodologies. Ultimately, the goal is to raise a total of $10 million to support the new center.

“People don’t often fund research into diseases like depression,” Billie Kubly said. “I hope our gift will inspire others to give as well. It’s an important area of study, and it’s one that needs more attention.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.