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The Whitaker Foundation was created and funded by U.A. Whitaker upon his death in 1975. His wife, Helen, who shared in his philanthropy during his lifetime, joined him in bequeathing a significant portion of her estate to the Foundation when she died in 1982. Throughout its history, the Foundation primarily supported interdisciplinary medical research, with a focus on biomedical engineering. It contributed more than $700 million to universities and medical schools to support faculty research, graduate students, program development, and construction of facilities. Most of its efforts were directed toward the establishment and enhancement of formal educational programs and the support of especially talented students and faculty.
After 30 years of support for the development of biomedical engineering in the United States, in 2006, when The Whitaker Foundation felt that it had achieved its primary objective of helping the American biomedical engineering field grow into a legitimate widespread discipline, the Foundation ceased operations. As part of the closing, the Foundation committed funds to create international collaborative links between young leaders in BME worldwide. Under the guidance of the Institute of International Education, the Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program is designed to bring international experience and insight to the field of biomedical engineering.
For a more detailed history on The Whitaker Foundation, and for more information on the Foundation's work, please visit this page, administered by the Biomedical Engineering Society (which maintains the Whitaker Foundation's archives).
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