Fueling Innovation Close to Home

This is the third in a series of articles exploring how Phoenix Children’s is shaping the future of pediatric medicine through research and innovation—and why philanthropy is crucial to the effort.?????

Innovation is essential to accelerating advancements in pediatric medicine. And at Phoenix Children’s, there’s no shortage of innovative ideas for improved treatments, therapies and technologies that could benefit children everywhere. But it can be challenging for innovators to find early-stage funding to get their ideas off the ground.??

That’s where Innovation Circle, a Phoenix Children’s Foundation giving group, comes in. Innovation Circle is a select group of donors who share a commitment to improving children’s health through innovation. Members of Innovation Circle jointly invest in high-impact projects that have the potential to shape the future of pediatric medicine, allowing Phoenix Children's best and brightest minds to turn their visionary ideas into reality. By pooling their resources, members increase their impact exponentially.??

Here’s how it works:?

1. Physicians, researchers and clinical leaders at Phoenix Children’s identify challenges that require innovative approaches and develop proposed solutions.?
2. Project leads pitch their proposals to members of Innovation Circle.?
3. Innovation Circle members vote on which projects to fund.??

The power of collective philanthropy?

Since 2004, Innovation Circle has awarded more than $6 million in grant funding to almost 100 projects that have reached nearly every patient and family at Phoenix Children's. Innovation Circle members have collectively propelled the work of Phoenix Children’s top innovators, allowing them to push the boundaries of what’s possible. In 2024, six projects received funding from Innovation Circle.?

Nanoparticle Therapy in Severe Lung Disease of Newborns? Principal investigator: Vladimir Kalinichenko, MD, PhD;? Amount received: $100,000??

Data-Driven Deep Brain Stimulation? Principal investigator: Michael Kruer, MD;? Amount received: $150,000?

Clubfoot Prototype and Research Program? Principal investigator: Matthew Halanski, MD;? ? Amount received: $240,000???????????

Osteogenesis Imperfecta Vibration Plates? Principal investigator: Maegen Wallace, MD, MBA;? Amount received: $10,000?

Indocyanine Green Use in Pediatric Surgery? Principal investigator: Daniel Ostlie, MD;? Amount received: $182,000???????

Wayfinding at Phoenix Children’s? Principal investigator: Andrea Akenova?; Amount received: $20,000?

Find out more about this year’s funded projects and how you can become a member of Innovation Circle.?

To learn how your support can advance lifesaving research and innovation at Phoenix Children’s, please contact Aaron Peace, associate vice president of individual giving at Phoenix Children’s Foundation, at apeace@phoenixchildrens.org.??

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