Cockrell MR. ERNEST COCKRELL JR. CHAIRMAN AND DIRECTOR OF THE COCKRELL FOUNDATION
THE METHODIST HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Mr. Ernest H. Cockrell, longtime Methodist supporter and a life member of the hospital’s board of directors, was instrumental in bringing the Research Institute to life. The Cockrell family, through the Cockrell Foundation, created the distinguished endowed chair for the president and CEO, first held by Dr. Michael Lieberman and now by Ferrari, and was a key player in the Research Institute’s inception. When asked about its miraculous development over the past eight years, Cockrell shares that he is not at all surprised that a world-class academic research institute was conceived at Methodist. “When you think about it, I don’t know where else this could have 44
The Methodist Hospital Foundation
happened. What other institution had the financial wherewithal to do it, or the ability to attract the country’s top medical researchers? What other institution had a history of outstanding governance, both on the hospital level and on the board level? What other institution has a presence and the potential for collaboration offered by the Texas Medical Center? You simply can’t find one.” ADVANCING PATIENT CARE
The Research Institute was founded in 2004 for the sole purpose of supporting, managing and conducting clinical and translational research for the advancement of patient care. As such, it is carrying on the tremendous legacy of Dr. Michael DeBakey, the world-renowned
cardiovascular surgeon and medical educator who, during his long tenure at Methodist, developed a great many innovations that are still regarded as the gold standard in heart and vascular medicine. In 2010, the Research Institute opened the newly constructed, stateof-the-art, 440,000 square foot building adjacent to The Methodist Hospital. This expanded the dedicated research space at Methodist to 560,000 square feet for the 1,500 researchers working on translational platform technologies, including nanomedicine, systems medicine, bioengineering and imaging with applications in cancer, neurosciences, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease and infectious diseases, among others. The Cockrell Center