COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nationwide
Children's Hospital has recruited world-renowned researchers
Richard K. Wilson, Ph.D. and
Elaine R. Mardis, Ph.D. marking a
transformational milestone for its genomics research program. At
the same time, the Nationwide Foundation has announced a new
$10 million gift to the Nationwide
Foundation Pediatric Innovation Fund, which is helping to make the
ground-breaking research and this recruitment possible. Dr. Wilson
and Dr. Mardis will bring their cutting-edge research team from
Washington University to Nationwide
Children's Hospital this fall.
"Attracting the team of Dr. Wilson and Dr. Mardis to lead our
genomics program is one of the most significant scientific
recruitments in this organization's history," said Steve Allen, M.D., Nationwide Children's CEO.
"Their leadership, combined with our existing expertise, will
establish Nationwide Children's Hospital as the nation's
pre-eminent genomic medicine program. The Nationwide Foundation's
visionary support has uniquely positioned Nationwide Children's to
assume a leadership role in this new era of genomic-based
medicine."
The Nationwide Foundation has contributed $80 million to Nationwide Children's since 2006,
including $30 million to the
Nationwide Foundation Pediatric Innovation Fund since 2014. The
Nationwide Foundation Pediatric Innovation Fund is designed to
accelerate the most promising pediatric research and clinical
discoveries at Nationwide Children's Hospital. A significant
portion of the funding was set aside to attract a pre-eminent
genomics team to Nationwide Children's to accelerate the momentum
of the organization's already robust program.
"Nationwide and the Nationwide Foundation have a long-held
commitment to children's well-being, and we're proud of our six
decades of philanthropic support for Nationwide Children's
Hospital," said Nationwide Chief Executive Officer Steve Rasmussen. "The work being done through
the Nationwide Foundation Pediatric Innovation Fund supports our
shared vision of providing the best possible outcomes for children
everywhere. We support this effort because we know that what is
happening at Nationwide Children's Hospital will change the future
of medicine, not only for families in central Ohio, but for people all over the world."
Drs. Wilson and Mardis have led the McDonnell Genome Institute
at Washington University since its
inception as one of only four genomics centers funded by the
National Human Genome Research Institute. In 2008, their team
became the first to use new DNA sequencing technology to compare
the tumor DNA of a cancer patient with that same patient's normal
tissue DNA, demonstrating that genetic differences between tumor
and normal gene sequences could identify mutations driving cancer
growth. This foundational work has resulted in an
international effort to decode cancer genomes and unlock their
secrets to improve treatments and outcomes. Their team also was
involved with the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, which seeks to
sequence the genomes of more than 750 children with some of
the most devastating cancers. Their work has already led to a
number of key findings including changing the course of therapy for
a deadly form of leukemia, uncovering a drug target in a form of
eye cancer, and performing the first clinical trial of personalized
vaccines for melanoma patients.
Collectively, they have played key roles in many of the most
notable federally funded genomics research initiatives, including
the Human Genome Project, The Cancer Genome Atlas, the Human
Microbiome Project and the 1,000 Genomes Project.
Dr. Wilson was named the world's most cited researcher in 2013
by Thomson Reuters' ScienceWatch with 15 significantly cited
papers. Among numerous honors, awards and notable positions, he is
a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS), a member of the International Cancer Genomics Consortium
and recently co-chaired the executive committee for The Cancer
Genome Atlas of the National Cancer Institute, where he remains a
member of the Steering Committee.
Dr. Mardis is an internationally recognized expert in cancer
genomics who will receive the 2016 Morton K. Schwartz award from
the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. She also was
included on the 2013 Thomson Reuters' list of most cited
researchers, one of only two women listed. Among her several
prominent roles, Dr. Mardis is a member of the Board of Directors
for the American Association for Cancer Research and a member of
the Supervisory Board of Qiagen N.V. She is editor-in-chief of
Molecular Case Studies and an associate editor of
Molecular Cancer Research, Disease Models and
Mechanisms and Annals of Oncology. In 2013 she was
featured in Discover magazine's "The Year in Science."
Along with this latest recruitment, the Nationwide Foundation
Pediatric Innovation Fund has significantly impacted Nationwide
Children's genomics program including the purchase of
next-generation equipment that allows for expanded sequencing and
analyzing of the human genome. The equipment makes the process
faster and more accurate, leading to better capabilities for use in
the diagnosis and treatment of child health disorders.
The timing of today's announcement coincides with the tenth
anniversary of the Nationwide Foundation's $50 million commitment to Nationwide Children's.
At the time, it was the largest gift ever made in Central Ohio, supporting multiple clinical and
research priorities including cardiology, neonatology and injury
prevention. The 10-year commitment helped support the hospital in
recruiting world-renowned talent, expanding its main campus and
dedicating a third building to research.
About The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's
Hospital
Ranked 9th of only 12 children's hospitals on U.S. News &
World Report's 2015-16 "America's Best Children's Hospitals
Honor Roll," Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of the nation's
largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric healthcare networks
providing care for infants, children and adolescents as well as
adult patients with congenital disease. As home to the Department
of Pediatrics of The Ohio State
University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children's
faculty train the next generation of pediatricians, scientists and
pediatric specialists. The Research Institute at Nationwide
Children's Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of
Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities in the
U.S., supporting basic, clinical, translational and health services
research at Nationwide Children's. The Research Institute
encompasses three research facilities totaling 525,000 square feet
dedicated to research. More information is available at
NationwideChildrens.org/Research.
The Nationwide Foundation
The Nationwide Foundation is a nonprofit, private foundation to
which Nationwide companies are the donors. Founded in 1959, the
Nationwide Foundation has committed more than $355 million since 2000 to help nonprofit
organizations in communities where Nationwide associates and their
families live and work. Just as Nationwide supports its customers
in their moment of need, both Nationwide and the Nationwide
Foundation's involvement in its home communities is focused on
supporting organizations that help people facing critical or
immediate need.
About Nationwide
Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and
strongest diversified insurance and financial services
organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and
Standard & Poor's. The company provides a full range of
insurance and financial services, including auto, commercial,
homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector
retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; banking and
mortgages; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet,
motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit
www.nationwide.com.
Nationwide, Nationwide is on your side, and the Nationwide N and
Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.
Contact:
NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Media Relations
(614) 355-0495
MediaRelations@NationwideChildrens.org
NATIONWIDE FOUNDATION
Joe Case
(614) 249-6353
joe.case@nationwide.com
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160519/370080LOGO
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160519/370079LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nationwide-foundation-pediatric-innovation-fund-bolsters-recruitment-of-international-genomics-leaders-to-nationwide-childrens-hospital-300272276.html
SOURCE Nationwide