International award for Lodge at Torrey Pines The October 2011 issue of Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report named the Lodge at Torrey Pines as one of its top 20 golf resorts in its annual survey of readers’ favorite resorts worldwide. Harper’s primary focus is on smaller properties, those that offer both distinctive charm and a high level of personal service. Categories in the survey included Top 20 U.S. and International Hideaways (properties with 75 or fewer rooms), readers’ favorite beach resorts, city hotels, family escapes, food and wine properties, golf resorts and spas. Several other San Diego properities won accolades in the survey. The Grand Del Mar was also voted as one of the top 20 golf resorts, while Escondido’s Golden Door and Vista’s Cal-a-Vie were voted as top 20 spa resorts and Rancho Valencia was voted No. 11 U.S. hideaway. To view the full list and slideshows of 2011 Andrew Harper Reader Survey winners, visit www.andrewhar- per.com/articles/reader-survey. Hideaway Report is a private monthly publication free of advertisting for travelers. Andrew Harper and his editors travel incognito to write candid and unbiased travel reviews for a membership service, which provides personalized travel-planning assistance, tours and travel privileges to its members. Collaboration of top La Jolla scientific institutions set to be launched The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has become the fifth organization in the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, joining colleagues from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, The Scripps Research Institute, University of California, San Diego and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in the first-of-its-kind multi-institutional stem cell research collaboration. Slated to open its new collaborative research facility in November, the Sanford Consortium will marshal the intellectual resources of its five collaborating organizations — all world-leaders in life sciences — to improve human health through stem cell research. “We are pleased that the La Jolla Institute has accepted our invitation to join the Sanford Consortium,” said Edward W. Holmes, the consortium’s president and chief executive officer. Holmes said he believes the La Jolla Institute’s strong immunology expertise will complement and expand that of the collaborating organizations. “The foundation of the Sanford Consortium is to establish a ‘collaboratory’ that brings together investigators with different expertise to exploit stem cells to improve human health,” he said. “The addition of a body of investigators with expertise in immunology will expand the consortium’s breadth of science in a number of important ways.” A biomedical research nonprofit, the La Jolla Institute focuses on fighting disease through the study of the immune system and was recently ranked among the top five organizations worldwide for research impact in immunology. Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D., La Jolla Institute president and chief scientific officer, said the consortium offers strong potential for transformative research. “The Collaboratory will foster the kind of cross-disciplinary, cross-institutional research that accelerates discovery and leads to breakthroughs,” he said. “We’re all very excited about the possibilities.” Riford Center receives Kiwanis endowment The Riford Center announced its acceptance of a $10,000 endowment check from the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla on Oct. 21. Ruth Yansick, chief executive officer of the Riford Center, said the endowment highlights the shared values of the center and the Kiwanis Club. “The Kiwanis Club and the Riford Center have much in common as their mission is to reach out and give back to the community,” she said. The money will be used to build the endowment fund, which in turn will support the Riford’s mission to provide a variety of programs and services to adults in La Jolla. Yansick and Nancy Walters, director of the Riford Center, invited the Kiwanis Club to the next installment of the Distinguished Speakers Series, which will feature County Supervisor Pam Slater Price. The event will take place on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m. and is free to the public. The Riford Center is located at 6811 La Jolla Blvd. For more information, visit www.rifordcenter.org or call (858) 459-0831.