Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., has received a $150 million gift from the government of Abu Dhabi for the creation of a new pediatric surgery institute.
The gift is the largest ever for pediatric surgery, and one of the largest gifts to a children's hospital. Most of the gift - $125 million - will cover staff, facilities, and technology, including $25 million for an endowment to support the institute, which will be named the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation.
The remaining $25 million will be devoted to instiutional priorities as designated by the Board of Directors at Children's National.
The government of Abu Dhabi made the gift in honor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates and the country's president from 1971 until his death in 2004. Gifts have been made in Sheikh Zayed's name to several other institutions, including Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic.
In addition to naming the Institute for Sheikh Zayed, the main campus of Children's National Medical Center will be named the Sheikh Zayed Campus for Advanced Pediatric Medicine.
The Institute will focus on four initiatives that Children's National Medical Center claims will "open a new era" for pediatric surgery:
- Pain medicine
- Immunology
- Bioengineering
- Personalized medicine
Photo by Daquella manera acquired via Creative Commons license.