Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Researchers from our hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center were recently awarded a $7.37 million RC2 grant from the National Institutes of Health to lead a five-year multisite project across the U.S. focused on kidney stone disease research. Led by urologist Dr. Gregory Tasian and Vanderbilt University Medical Center urologist Dr. Ryan Hsi, the goal of this initiative is to establish a new research tool called the Urinary Stone Disease Hub (USDHub), which will aggregate data from across healthcare systems and research networks into one comprehensive platform drawing data from a cohort of more than 230,000 patients suffering from kidney stone disease.

Join CHOP on October 24 from 6 to 6:45 p.m. for a virtual opportunity to learn about open positions in our #Radiology department. ?? You will get the opportunity to hear from department leaders, meet the recruitment team, and learn more about the benefits of working for CHOP. Visit the link to register: https://ms.spr.ly/6041mfqS1

Join us tomorrow from 7-8:30 pm to learn more about fetal imaging, whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing from our fetal medicine experts. This interactive lecture series is designed to update care providers on the latest advances in fetal diagnostic criteria and optimal management. Register now: https://ms.spr.ly/6045mfU8c.

Meet Dominic, our first patient at CHOP outside a clinical trial to receive Hemgenix, an FDA approved one-time gene therapy for severe hemophilia B, an inherited bleeding disorder. He was first diagnosed in our Voorhees, NJ hematology clinic, and received weekly prophylaxis therapy at our hospital and eventually at home to help his blood clot and prevent bleeding episodes. Despite being on the best treatment, Dominic experienced bleeding in his joints, a common problem for people with severe hemophilia, and the weekly intravenous infusions were becoming burdensome. That's when he started having informed conversations with our Novel Therapeutics for Bleeding Disorders (NoT Bleeding) team about gene therapy. Dominic had a great response, and today, we're happy to report that he has been bleed free for the last four months.

Congratulations to Dr. Tami Benton, our Psychiatrist-in-Chief, on receiving the 2024 Women of Influence Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal! Dr. Benton was recognized for the impact she is making on our region as she continues to lead our efforts to address the pediatric mental health crisis. Learn more about Dr. Benton: https://ms.spr.ly/6043m4Uh9.

Last week, the Philadelphia Eagles and the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention (WHOGVP) hosted A Safer America. The event brought together local violence prevention organizations, including Dr. Joel Fein, co-director of our Center for Violence Prevention, as well as survivors, community leaders, law enforcement and government officials at Lincoln Financial Field to discuss gun violence prevention. As part of the event, the Eagles announced our Center for Violence Prevention as one of nine grant recipients from their 2024 Social Justice Fund. Read more here.

Marcia Wallace, our Supplier Diversity Program Manager, recently received the Advocate of the Year Award from the Women's Business Enterprise Center East (WBEC East). This honor is awarded to an employee, corporate or government strategic partner who has done the most to promote business opportunities for women-owned businesses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Marcia was also included on DiversityPlus Magazine's 2024 list of Top 25 Diversity Change Leaders, which recognizes leaders who have made significant contributions to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within their organizations and communities. Congratulations Marcia!

We're excited to share that our Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer, Shakeeb Akhter, has been appointed to CHIME's (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives) Board of Trustees. Effective January 2025, Shakeeb, along with other leaders comprised of prominent digital health and business experts, will play a pivotal role in guiding CHIME through continued innovation and transformation in the healthcare industry. Learn more about CHIME and Shakeeb's appointment: https://ms.spr.ly/6048mLlVk.

Members of our Division of Hematology, including Dr. Alexis Thompson, Chief of the Division, and Dr. Janet Kwiatkowski, Director of our Thalassemia Center, delivered presentations at this year's Annual Scientific Conference on Sickle Cell and Thalassemia (ASCAT) held in Europe. The year's presentations centered around our expertise in gene therapy for sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Additionally, Dr. Kwiatkowski, who was a member on the ASCAT's Scientific Program Committee, discussed our Sickle Cell and Red Cell Disorders Curative Therapy Center (CuRED). CHOP's Drs. Abraham Haimed and Sarah Dain also shared research findings at ASCAT.

Earlier this week, researchers from our Center for Data Driven Discovery in Biomedicine received a grant for up to $10 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (APRA-H) to validate and implement a new model for sharing and integrating data on complex diseases at a national level. This new model is designed to empower research on cancer and other rare diseases in real time.