TRANSFORMATIVE INVESTMENTS
‘Where Others See Risk…’ Through its partnership with the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and other university programs, the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust is among the few philanthropic organizations focused on supporting innovative student research with the potential for high impact.
FOR UCLA FIELDING SCHOOL PhD student
Beard has worked with her adviser, Dr. Anne
Cynthia Beard, a once-in-a-century pan-
Rimoin, FSPH professor of epidemiology and
demic served as a call to action. “As a doc-
director of the school’s Center for Global and
toral student in epidemiology who is most
Immigrant Health, to launch a survey-based
interested in infectious diseases, I was itch-
study of education workers in a variety of
ing to use the skill set I had been building for
roles — from administration and special edu-
years to contribute to answering some of the
cation to maintenance and facilities manage-
most pressing questions about COVID-19,”
ment. The study aims to learn more about
Beard says.
how COVID-19 has affected essential-worker
With support from the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust (KTCT), Beard is gener-
populations, and the role of racial disparities in those differential effects.
ating findings with the potential to guide
Alvin and Heidi Toffler influenced political,
public health officials and policymakers in
military, and business leaders around the world
better protecting the health of workers at the
with their insights over decades as leading
Yoon, whose study seeks to better under-
highest risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. As
writers and futurists, and the KTCT continues
stand the impact of early-life environmental
the recipient of a 2021 Toffler Fellowship,
their legacy through its support of early-stage
exposures on breast composition in adoles-
THE KAREN TOFFLER CHARITABLE TRUST SUPPORTS
FSPH PHD STUDENT CYNTHIA BEARD
research with the potential for high impact. In
cence, and MS student Catherine Psaras,
2018, KTCT established the Toffler Scholar
who is evaluating the impact of the 2011/2012
Program and chose the UCLA Fielding School
maternal pertussis vaccination recommenda-
as its first partner. The program supports uni-
tions on infant mortality from pertussis in the
versity students who demonstrate innovative
U.S. “The Toffler Scholar Program is powering
thinking, research excellence, and a passion
our early-stage public health researchers to
for helping to solve some of the world’s most
innovate and problem-solve,” says Dr. Ron
intractable problems.
Brookmeyer, FSPH dean and distinguished
“Most traditional funding organizations
professor of biostatistics. “We are grateful for
see early-stage projects as too risky, and as a
the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust’s renewed
result, some of the most promising ideas stall,”
commitment to investing in the bright and
says Dr. Peter Katona, a KTCT trustee who is
promising minds at the UCLA Fielding School
a clinical professor of medicine at the David
of Public Health.”
Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, an FSPH
Beard hopes to one day contribute to
adjunct professor, and chair of UCLA’s Infec-
global health security policies that will better
tion Control Working Group for COVID-19. “But
prepare the U.S. and other nations to detect
where others see risk, KTCT sees the potential
and respond to pandemics and other public
for profound impact and is committed to sup-
health disasters. “In a year that hasn’t pro-
porting the research of young scientists at this
vided much stability, the Toffler Fellowship
pivotal point in their careers.”
has taken a great deal of financial pressure off
Beard was one of three FSPH 2021 Toffler
of me and allowed me to devote more of my
Scholars chosen through a competitive sub-
time and energy to my studies,” she says. “It
HEALTH. IN 2018, THE PROGRAM CHOSE THE UCLA
mission process led by FSPH’s epidemiology
also gave me a sense of support and belief in
FIELDING SCHOOL AS ITS FIRST PARTNER.
department. The others are PhD student Lara
the value of the research I’m doing.”
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS CONDUCTING FUTUREFOCUSED, EARLY-STAGE RESEARCH WITH THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON HUMAN
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U C L A F I E L D I N G S C H O O L O F P U B L I C H E A LT H M AG A Z I N E
