Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has received a $30 million grant from the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, a charity focused on supporting organizations and programs that benefit children and youth in metro Atlanta. The grant consists of $25 million to help fund a new pediatric research building located on the Emory campus, and the remaining $5 million will support the Marcus Autism Center and its strategic vision of delivering excellence in clinical care, expanding research efforts and advocating for improved outcomes for children with autism and related disorders.
“The relationship between Children’s and Emory has never been better, and this incredibly generous grant will allow us to expand our research partnership. This will ultimately lead to medical advancements, which will significantly impact the health of our children in Georgia,” said Doug Hertz, Chair, Children’s Board of Trustees. “The pediatric research facility enabled by this grant will enhance our ability to attract top scientists and to drive discovery of new knowledge. Additionally, this grant boosts our efforts at the Marcus Autism Center as we continue to build on the foundation Bernie and Billi Marcus put in place to help children with autism and related disorders.”
Some of the pediatric research expected to be conducted in the new building will include cardiac, cancer, vaccines and new drug discoveries as well as serving as an attractive recruiting tool as Children’s and Emory attempt to attract top investigators from around the world.
“We are so pleased about this grant. It will help us build upon the strong partnership between Emory and Children’s as we work together to become a major pediatric research hub in the Southeast and the nation. It also helps our institution in its quest to be a 21st Century model for an academic health sciences and service center. Most importantly, this initiative will serve the children of Atlanta, Georgia and beyond, as they’ll get the best of both institutions,” said Fred Sanfilippo, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president for health affairs at Emory University.
“We are profoundly grateful for this grant, which will further the collaboration between Children’s and Emory University and our efforts to find cures for some of the most common and devastating childhood diseases,” said Donna W. Hyland, president and CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “This grant, which is the largest single gift ever to Children’s, also will have an enormous impact on our two organizations and our goal to grow our pediatric research enterprise in Atlanta.”
Research in the new facility will be dedicated to pediatrics and will provide the necessary infrastructure for investigators conducting pediatric research to improve the quality of care and develop better treatments for Georgia’s pediatric population. The grant has implications for the city of Atlanta as a growing research community, building on collaborations with Emory, Georgia Institute of Technology, Morehouse School of Medicine and others.
“This is a significant endorsement of the great assets we have in Atlanta and illustrates the possibilities that can happen for children as we nurture and grow unique collaborations and partnerships,” said Doug Ivester, Chairman of the Board of Emory’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center. “The Woodruff Foundations have long supported some of the greatest efforts to take place in Atlanta, and this grant from the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation will help grow these initiatives, both of which will impact Atlanta as a city, the people of our state and children throughout the world for generations to come.”
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a not-for-profit organization, is committed to enhancing the lives of children through excellence in patient care, research and education. Managing more than half a million patient visits annually at three hospitals and 16 neighborhood locations, Children’s is one of the largest clinical care providers for children in the country. Children’s offers access to more than 30 pediatric specialties and is ranked among the top children’s hospitals by Parents magazine and U.S.News & World Report. With generous philanthropic and volunteer support, Children’s has made an impact in the lives of children in Georgia, the United States and throughout the world. Visit www.choa.org for more information.
Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University
The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focused on missions of teaching, research, health care and public service. Its components include the Emory University School of Medicine, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, and Rollins School of Public Health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; Emory Winship Cancer Institute; and Emory Healthcare, the largest, most comprehensive health system in Georgia. Emory Healthcare includes: The Emory Clinic, Emory-Children's Center, Emory University Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Wesley Woods Center, and Emory University Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center has $2.3 billion in operating expenses, 18,000 employees, 2,500 full-time and 1,500 affiliated faculty, 4,500 students and trainees, and a $5.7 billion economic impact on metro Atlanta.
Learn more about Emory’s health sciences: http://emoryhealthblog.com - @emoryhealthsci (Twitter) - http://emoryhealthsciences.org
Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation
The Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation is a charity dedicated to supporting organizations that provide a full range of basic human services to citizens of metropolitan Atlanta. The Foundation has a particular interest in organizations and programs that benefit children and youth. Joseph B. Whitehead was one of the original bottlers of Coca-Cola. He moved from Chattanooga to Atlanta with his family in 1903. Mr. Whitehead died at the age of 42 in 1906. His son, Joseph B. Whitehead, Jr., established the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation in 1937 as a memorial to his father. He specified that the Foundation's giving should benefit citizens of Atlanta, with a special interest in children. The Whitehead Foundation enjoys a common administrative arrangement with the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. Visit www.jbwhitehead.org for more information.
