Sylvie Raver is a director on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team at Milken Institute Philanthropy. Raver applies her expertise in neuroscience, neurodegenerative disease, mental health, and biomedical research to identify opportunities for philanthropic investments that can have a transformative impact on medical research and health.
Associate Director, SPARC, Milken Institute Philanthropy
Quinton Banks is an associate director on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team at Milken Institute Philanthropy. His extensive scientific background includes research into chronic pain, taste perception, and muscle physiology. Banks has training in both biological sciences and psychology, providing him with a unique perspective on the human impact of high net-worth giving.
Managing Director, SPARC, Milken Institute Philanthropy
Cara Altimus, PhD is a managing director on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team at the Milken Institute, leading the science and health innovation portfolio. A PhD neuroscientist, Altimus advises individual philanthropists and foundations on the state of research for various areas including neurodegenerative disease and mental health, identifying opportunities where their capital can make the biggest impact.
ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neurone disease (MND), is a cruel disease that has challenged patients, their families, and the medical community for generations. Although ALS is considered rare, its impact on individuals, families, and communities is devastating. The disabilities it causes make ALS the most expensive of neuromuscular disorders, with total costs estimated at more than $1 billion a year in the United States alone.
The ALS community desperately needs better ways to diagnose, measure, treat, and manage ALS. Still, progress has been constrained at all points by a lack of understanding of the disease’s basic biology and pathological mechanisms across the full diversity of people living with ALS. Strategic philanthropy can help overcome the barriers hindering progress in the ALS field, offering leadership and resources needed to understand and treat ALS for everyone.
This report by the Center for Strategic Philanthropy has identified a number of areas where an infusion of philanthropic capital could transform how we understand, manage, and treat ALS in all people living with the disease. There is an untapped opportunity for philanthropists to pull the levers that will drastically improve the quality of life and health outlook for all people living with ALS.
Tambourine has launched the ALS Breakthrough Research Fund in partnership with the Center for Strategic Philanthropy. In May 2023, the ALS Breakthrough Research Fund released its inaugural Request for Proposals (RFP).
The 26th annual Milken Institute Global Conference convened the best minds in the world to tackle its most urgent challenges and realize its most exciting opportunities. Throughout the four-day event, our health teams curated nearly three...
Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States was confronted with a number of significant policy concerns. Today, working together to solve those challenges is more imperative than ever. The Milken Institute is committed...
Countries undergoing population aging today are facing a much different experience than their historical counterparts. One only needs to look at the countries in Asia to see how these trends are unfolding. Demographic aging is happening...
In this collection of essays from the Center for the Future of Aging, experts identify challenges and opportunities in realizing the potential of healthy, productive and purposeful aging.
Technical Update Dementia presents a pernicious gender-based health disparity in the United States, inflicting a disproportionate burden on women as both patients and caregivers. Given the rapid increase in the population of older Americans...
Nationwide protests in the summer of 2020 sparked many of the largest US corporations to pledge more than $200 billion to advance racial equity and confront the nation’s history of systemic racism. Nonprofits, government agencies, and...
This year’s report, Building a Resilient America: The New Consensus for Action, is part of The Milken Institute-Harris Poll Listening Project, now in its fifth year, which surveys socioeconomic, institutional, and political barriers to...
Employers seek to support their employees while normalizing a whole-person approach to substance use disorders (SUD). The response to addiction and the opioid crisis requires a whole-of-society approach, including employers of all sizes...
While some sounds can be annoying for most people, for a few, certain sounds like chewing, sniffling, or pen clicking can trigger an intense physical and emotional response. Those with this condition can experience increased heart rate...