FRESNO – The University of California, San Francisco Fresno Medical Education Program received a $150,000 gift from B.C. “Bing” and Wanda Bingham of Fresno. The donation is a significant boost to plans to establish the Center for Clinical Research at the UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education and Research in downtown Fresno. The donation entitles the couple to name the patient waiting room at the planned center.
“This gift provides a substantial jump start to our plans to establish the Center for Clinical Research,” said Joan Voris, MD, associate dean at UCSF Fresno. “Mr. and Mrs. Bingham have a long tradition of public service and investment in our community and we are extremely grateful for their generosity.”
When completed, the 3,300 square foot facility will house the numerous research studies currently being conducted at various UCSF Fresno-affiliated sites. Most important, the center will make cutting-edge treatments more accessible to Valley residents by expanding the variety of research studies and clinical trials conducted at UCSF Fresno. The center will also bring together a centralized staff to oversee the various research programs. Development of the UCSF Fresno Clinical Research Center is essential to encouraging scientific discoveries that improve patient health and to creating an atmosphere that supports the continued recruitment of the finest faculty members and medical residents.
“My wife Wanda and I are proud residents of this community,” said B.C. Bingham. “We are privileged to be in a position to be able to give back and we hope that our gift to UCSF Fresno and investment in improving health care in our area will inspire others to also leave a legacy of caring.”
Bingham began his career in the automotive business more than 50 years ago. Upon leaving the Naval PostGraduate School in Monterey, he started a VW dealership in Redding in 1955. He and Wanda founded Bingham Toyota in Clovis in 1971. Bingham served as a naval aviator in both World War II and the Korean War.
The Bingham gift brings the total amount raised for the Clinical Research Center to $210,000.The cost of the center is projected to be $1.5 million. A total of $800,000 is needed to begin construction.
“UCSF Fresno already is engaged in research important to Valley residents,” said Michael Peterson, MD, chief of medicine at UCSF Fresno. “Establishing the Center for Clinical Research will enable us to grow our research programs, thereby making more treatments available locally. It also will increase our competitiveness in attracting top-notch faculty members and medical residents.”
