Nemours Children’s Health announced Thursday a $78 million donation from the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation of Wilmington, Delaware to fund new and innovative research programs and to dramatically expand Nemours Children’s capacity to provide clinical care for children with cancer, sickle cell disease, and other blood disorders. The announcement was made in the unfinished, fifth-floor shell space at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware that will now become a new inpatient unit to be known as the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Health.
“I would like to express profound gratitude from all of Nemours to the Moseley Foundation for this generous gift to Delaware’s children. The new Moseley Foundation Institute will positively influence pediatric cancer and blood disorder care worldwide,” said Nemours Children’s Health President and CEO R. Lawrence Moss, MD. “Philanthropy of this magnitude allows us to transform our ability to improve the lives of children with cancer and blood disorders such as sickle cell disease. This gift will help us to provide better care and patient experience today, to conduct research that will improve tomorrow’s care, and to take concrete actions to ensure every child receives optimal care regardless of race or economic circumstances.”
“We are proud to partner with Nemours Children’s Health to champion innovative research and clinical care for kids with cancer and blood disorders,” said William J. Martin, Esq., President of the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation. “Every child deserves the brightest future possible, and we are honored that Lisa’s legacy will allow Nemours to continue to make a profound impact on the children in Delaware and throughout the region, and in particular to help patients with diseases that have been long overlooked and underfunded, such as those afflicted with sickle cell disease.”
The $78 million gift will allow Nemours to further its existing world-class capabilities and services to support and improve the health of Delaware’s children, which is aligned with Alfred I. duPont’s philanthropic vision and the funding of the Alfred I. duPont Charitable Trust.
Every dollar of the $78 million donation will be used to make immediate and long-term impacts on pediatric cancer and blood disorder treatment and research. The new initiatives include:
Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Health: The state-of-the-art, family-oriented Moseley Foundation Institute will accommodate the growing number of children seeking Nemours’ care, together with their siblings and parents. Along with the addition of 48 inpatient beds, the new space will feature isolation areas to protect immunocompromised patients, a dedicated medication room, expanded comprehensive clinic and infusion room capacity, and supportive care services. The center will overlook the beautiful gardens of Nemours Estate, with extraordinary views and design that promotes healing and recovery.
Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Presidential Endowed Chair for Institute Director: A Presidential Endowed Chair will be named to support the inaugural Moseley Foundation Institute director’s work in pediatric patient care, research and other high priority areas.
Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Endowed Chair for Sickle Cell Disease: In 2021, Nemours received a $10.5 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to support the Delaware Comprehensive Sickle Cell Research Program. The five-year award from the NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) supports clinical, translational, and psychosocial research in sickle cell disease. The Moseley Foundation Endowed Chair for Sickle Cell Disease will further this work by conducting and overseeing sickle cell disease research and clinical care. The chair will also focus on reducing disparities in access to care since this disease disproportionately impacts minority communities.
Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute Endowed Laureate Program: The Moseley Foundation Institute will create an annual research goal Request for Proposals (RFP) focused on cancer and blood disorders research. A Scientific Review Board convened by the Moseley Foundation Institute will review these proposals, with a focus on engaging and funding leading global research teams from a variety of disciplines both inside and outside of traditional laboratory research.
Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation International Symposium: The symposium, to be held every other year, will showcase the Moseley Foundation Institute’s researchers’ accomplishments, and allow top international researchers and scholars to learn from and collaborate with one another to improve care.
“Progress in the care and outcomes for children with cancer and blood disorders has been dependent on innovative research,” said Edward Anders Kolb, MD, Director of the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Health. “Nemours is committed to developing new treatment options to promote better outcomes for pediatric patients and their families. This momentous gift will allow Nemours to further improve our facility and bring together the best and brightest minds dedicated to this cause.”
Nemours Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (NCCBD) is a leader in cancer and blood disorder care and has achieved many accolades since its inception 30 years ago, including, but not limited to:
Developing two fully accredited transplant and cellular therapy programs supporting children with cancer, sickle cell disease, and other blood disorders;
Securing the designation as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program, ranked second nationwide in enrolling children in NCI-funded trials;
Achieving a three-fold increase in the number of patients identified to have cancer predisposition syndrome by Nemours’ Cancer Genetics Program. This program provides fully integrated and advanced molecular diagnostics for children with a personal or family history of cancer.
Conducting active Nemours investigator-initiated research projects in sickle cell disease that focus on novel diagnostic tools, research approaches, and intervention strategies to mitigate the effects of racism and stigma on disease management.
Source: Nemours Children’s Health