Darlene Shiley Gives a Gift from the Heart, for the Heart
$1.25 Million donation creates Donald P. Shiley Center for Cardiovascular Research
The gift will fund the Donald P. Shiley Center for Cardiovascular Research, which will be housed on the third floor of the SDSU BioScience Center, and will honor Donald’s contributions to the field.
"As a product of the California State University system myself, I'm very aware of the fact that San Diego State needs private support in order to produce the caliber of graduates capable of doing the kind of amazing work my husband did during his career," Darlene said. "I'm incredibly proud of him."
Donald, an entrepreneurial and innovative engineer, patented four of his creations, including the Bjork-Shiley heart valve, which revolutionized heart surgery in the 1970s. He also designed numerous other medical devices, including an endotracheal tube used to maintain the airway in unconscious patients, as well as developed an aircraft fuel booster pump used by the U.S. military.
"Donald’s development of the tilting-disc artificial heart valve was an innovative response to a very real need in the cardiovascular field," said Dr. Roberta Gottlieb, director of the SDSU BioScience Center and Frederick G. Henry Chair in the Life Sciences. "The BioScience Center intends to develop creative responses just like his to address today’s pressing health concerns."
Darlene and Donald Shiley, who have been married for nearly 30 years, are longtime benefactors to the San Diego region, funding causes close to their hearts, including the sciences and the arts. Darlene, originally a biology major at San Jose State University, met Donald when she starred in a theatrical production of "The Lion in Winter."
The SDSU BioScience Center is an innovative research facility whose scientists study the links between infectious and heart diseases. With more than 33,000 square feet of usable space, the center will feature three floors of research laboratories, offices and the 100-seat Alan and Debbie Gold Auditorium for the Life Sciences. The BioScience Center opened in March 2006. In all, more than a dozen researchers are affiliated with the SDSU BioScience Center.
