The Child Health Research Institute is poised to be a national leader in targeted areas of pediatric research, its executive director recently told a group of community leaders.
“Our vision is to improve the health of children everywhere, and we especially want to ensure that we’re discovering and providing new treatments and cures in Omaha for children in Nebraska and beyond,” said Anna Spagnoli, M.D., the executive director of CHRI.
Dr. Spagnoli provided her comments at a community reception hosted by UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center CEO Richard Azizkhan, M.D. The event provided an opportunity for about 70 community leaders and donors to meet Dr. Spagnoli, who assumed her roles earlier this year. Dr. Spagnoli also holds the Carol Remmer Angle, M.D., Presidential Chair of Pediatrics at UNMC and serves as pediatrician-in-chief and senior vice president of pediatric services at Children’s.
Dr. Spagnoli outlined goals for the CHRI to fulfill its mission — improving the health of children through innovative research, collaborative discovery, community engagement and advocacy. She said that CHRI — a collaborative effort from UNMC and Children’s – will:
- provide access to the most innovative care to every child in Nebraska and beyond;
- be at the front line in delivering the best and most innovative care and cure to every child;
- attract, retain and foster the best researchers;
- be an incubator for high impact pediatric research; and
- make Nebraska one of the best states in health care for children.
The CHRI, Dr. Gold said, strengthens the commitment of Children’s and UNMC in defining a research roadmap for the future, emphasizing the importance of providing the latest treatment breakthroughs to patients locally.
Drs. Spagnoli, Gold and Azizkhan thanked the donors for their support of the institute. Continued support will be essential to the institute’s success.
“Like so many other great endeavors in this community, this will be a partnership in its truest sense,” Dr. Gold said. “The return on this investment will be the improved health of children here and everywhere. There’s really not a better outcome than that.”
Best wishes in achieving all set goals. Awesome initiative.
Cures and new treatments are sorely needed. Let's all keep in mind that basic science performed in a lab by PhD's and their staff is the foundation from which new discoveries and improvements grow. MD's and PhD's are equally important.