As founding Director of the Charles and Jane Pak Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research, Charles Pak, M.D., helped distinguish UT Southwestern as a national leader in preventing, diagnosing, and treating bone and mineral disorders. His discoveries paved the way for pioneering therapies that continue to be used to treat patients with kidney stones and osteoporosis.

Equally impressive is his long-standing support of the institution.

“My goal in giving has always been to build a top-notch international center in mineral metabolism in both research and patient care,” said Dr. Pak, Professor of Internal Medicine. “I believe the Center can be stellar by seeking out as many clinical research opportunities as possible wherever it is engaged in patient care.”

Recently, Dr. Pak made a $1 million gift to UT Southwestern for the Pak Family Support Fund for Clinic-Based Research and Patient Care. His latest act of generosity continues his family’s decadeslong support of mineral metabolism care and research.

In 1995, gifts from Dr. Pak helped establish the Center, which is named for him and his late wife, Jane Riechers Pak. He also plans to support the Center through estate gifts via the Charles Y.C. Pak Foundation.

Dr. Pak credits his wife for having the philanthropic vision to invest in the institution. A lifelong educator and civic volunteer, Mrs. Pak, who died last year from breast cancer, remained a constant partner in the couple’s support of UT Southwestern. “Without my wife, Jane, none of this would have been possible,” Dr. Pak said.

He holds patents for therapeutic drugs and diagnostic tests developed from his research, including Citracal, a calcium supplement that helps ward off osteoporosis. He also developed Urocit-K and THIOLA, which are prescribed to help prevent kidney stones, and the StoneRisk Profile, a diagnostic kit used to determine the causes of kidney stones by analyzing a 24-hour urine sample.

Dr. Pak’s sustained giving has supported several of the Center’s key initiatives, including a collaborative research fund that provides annual support to jump-start forward-looking collaborative research in mineral metabolism. Recipients are selected through a competitive process from the 12 faculty members who hold endowed professorships established by Dr. Pak’s personal foundation. According to Dr. Pak, the program has resulted in more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles. Another breast cancer/bone initiative supported by Dr. Pak’s generosity provides competitive grants to two faculty members, selected each year from across the institution, to pursue research of breast cancer that has spread to a patient’s bones.

“I intend to continue this program in memory of my wife, who suffered from this dreadful disease,” he said.

In 2003, Dr. Pak transitioned the Center’s leadership to Orson Moe, M.D., Professor of Internal Medicine and Physiology, who continues the Center’s momentum today.

“What is exceptional about Dr. Pak is that he takes excellent research and – within a short time frame – turns it into drugs that make people’s lives better,” said Dr. Moe. “The independent funds made available by Dr. Pak’s generosity help the Center pursue early, innovative research that may not be ready to compete for outside funding.”

For Dr. Pak, his giving is part of a career devoted to UT Southwestern.

“It is a culmination of a lifelong effort and dream,” Dr. Pak said. “As I am reaching closure of my career and with this latest gift, I feel satisfied that the future of the Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research is assured. I’m pleased to have been able to return some of the rewards reaped from opportunities that UT Southwestern has given me.”