Major gift accelerates transformation of old mall into UCLA research hub

Dr. Gary Michelson and his wife, Alya, have agreed to donate $120 million to help fund the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, which will be part of a UCLA facility on the site of the former Westside Pavilion shopping center. A courtyard view of the UCLA research center now under construction in the former Westside Pavilion shopping center. An interior view of the UCLA research center now under construction in the former Westside Pavilion shopping center. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the project “has the potential to fundamentally change health outcomes around the world and create good jobs in Los Angeles.” The purchase of the former Westside Pavilion marked the third major acquisition for the public university system in Los Angeles in less than two years.