This is a Really Good Use of My Money

Steve Rosenberg’s connection with Scripps Research began with a hunt for alternatives to opioid medications and their many adverse side effects. His wife, Toni, had recently passed away after receiving a lethal dose of a prescribed pain patch. There had to be better options, he reasoned.

Exploring online, he discovered Scripps Research and the institute’s studies in pain management. “There was no mention of opioids,” said Rosenberg. “And Charity Navigator gave the institute a 4-star rating, so I knew my money would go to research and not overhead. I mailed a check.”

“To my surprise,” he continues, “I received a handwritten thank-you note from a member of the Philanthropy team and an introduction to Ben Cravatt, a professor at Scripps Research. The more I learned about his research, the more I realized there could not be a better fit for what I wanted to support.”

Cravatt, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, and his team are investigating the fatty acid amide (FAA) signaling system, which influences pain pathways. The team discovered an enzyme that appears to regulate FAA signaling, making it an attractive drug target for the treatment of pain and inflammatory disorders.

As his relationship with Cravatt developed, Rosenberg established the Toni Rosenberg Fellowship to honor his late wife and support Cravatt’s work. “There’s so much to do,” he says. “I wish the process were faster, but I accept that scientific research takes time.”

The donor and the scientist continue to connect regularly, often discussing their mutual interest in football. And Rosenberg, a CPA, continues to fund research into pain management. “With recent changes to tax laws,” he explains, “and now that I’m over 70, there are some significant benefits to me of making charitable contributions to Scripps Research from my IRA. So, the institute will be seeing a good-sized check, and maybe more than one, later this year. This is a really good use of my money.”