Six Children's Hospitals Unite to Improve Pediatric Health

Sanford Children's Genomic Medicine Consortium integrates genomic care, advances research, educational efforts.

Sioux Falls, SD (PRWEB) September 14, 2016

Six founding children's hospitals have signed an agreement to form the Sanford Children's Genomic Medicine Consortium, a cutting-edge collaboration of children's hospitals inspired by the vision of philanthropist Denny Sanford.

Founding members include Sanford Children's; Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego; Children's Hospital Colorado; Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota; and Banner Children's at Diamond Children's Medical Center, Tucson, Arizona.

"Bringing all of these great facilities and brilliant minds together is a major step in improving treatments and finding cures for what ails kids," said Denny Sanford. "There is clear value in bringing these teams together with unified goals and my hope is that it will speed up necessary advancements so children won't have to suffer."

The consortium is committed to the betterment of the health of all children through the integration of genomic medicine into pediatric care. Genomic medicine focuses on the use of genetic and genomic information to personalize care for each child, allowing for improved treatment outcomes in a host of common and rare childhood diseases.

"This groundbreaking collaboration among premier children's hospitals and leaders in genomic and pediatric care will help set the standard for sharing resources and collaborating in research and education in personalized medicine for children," said Gene Hoyme, M.D., chief of genetics and genomic medicine at Sanford Health and medical director for the Sanford Children's Genomic Medicine Consortium. "As a pediatric clinical geneticist, I'm excited about the improved clinical outcomes that the consortium's cutting-edge genomic medical innovations will bring to the millions of young patients served by our members."

In addition to setting a new standard for the clinical practice of personalized medicine in children, the consortium will also improve pediatric care through innovative joint research programs and genomic health care workforce development. The combined research capabilities of the member hospitals will expedite genetic and genomic discovery through economies of scale and access to a large and racially and ethnically diverse population. The consortium serves as a focal point for developing relationships with industry and governmental entities and provides for shared training opportunities for physicians, genetic counselors, nurses and other health professionals.

The consortium has also established an external scientific advisory board with representation from industry leaders such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the National Human Genome Research Institute to provide guidance on the scientific direction of the group's efforts. Sanford Health is providing administrative staffing for the consortium.

About Sanford Health
Sanford Health is an integrated health system headquartered in the Dakotas. It is one of the largest health systems in the nation with 45 hospitals and nearly 289 clinics in nine states and four countries. Sanford Health's 28,000 employees, including 1,400 physicians, make it the largest employer in the Dakotas. Nearly $1 billion in gifts from philanthropist Denny Sanford have allowed for several initiatives, including global children's clinics, genomic medicine and specialized centers researching cures for type 1 diabetes, breast cancer and other diseases. For more information, visit sanfordhealth.org.

About Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children's hospital in California and among the top 10 in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Children's Hospital is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children's Hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since 1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. For more information, visit CHLA.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, or visit our blog at http://researchlablog.org/.

About Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine
Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine was founded by Rady Children's Hospital–San Diego to bring together world-class scientists and clinicians into shared research infrastructure for accelerated translation of research discoveries into prevention, early diagnosis, precise treatments and cures for childhood diseases at Rady Children's Hospital. This integrated approach to precision medicine includes genomics, epigenomics, metabolomics, proteomics and informatics. This research provides a comprehensive view of a child's health status and risk factors for disease. More information at http://www.rchsd.org/research/genomics-institute/

About Children's Hospital of Colorado
Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado) has defined and delivered pediatric health care excellence for more than 100 years. Founded in 1908, Children's Colorado is a leading pediatric network entirely devoted to the health and well-being of children. Continually acknowledged as one of the nation's outstanding pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and ranked on its Best Children's Hospitals 2016-17 Honor Roll, Children's Colorado is known for both its nationally and internationally recognized medical, research, education and advocacy programs, as well as comprehensive everyday care for kids throughout Colorado and surrounding states. Children's Colorado is the winner of the 2015 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize, and is a 2013-2016 Most Wired hospital according to Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. Children's Colorado also is recognized for excellence in nursing from the American Nurses Credentialing Centers and has been designated a Magnet® hospital since 2005. The hospital's family-centered, collaborative approach combines the nation's top pediatric doctors, nurses and researchers to pioneer new approaches to pediatric medicine. With urgent, emergency and specialty care locations throughout Metro Denver and Southern Colorado, including its campus on the Anschutz Medical Campus, Children's Colorado provides a full spectrum of pediatric specialties. For more information, visit http://www.childrenscolorado.org and connect with Children's Colorado on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

About Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Children's Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children's Minnesota serves kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, 12 primary and specialty-care clinics and six rehabilitation sites. Children's Minnesota maintains its longstanding commitment to the community to improve children's health by providing high-quality, family-centered pediatric services and advancing those efforts through research and education. This work is made possible in large part by generous philanthropic and volunteer support from individuals and organizations throughout the state and region. An award-winning health system, Children's Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children's hospital and by The Leapfrog Group for quality and efficiency. Please visit childrensMN.org.

About Banner Children's at Diamond Children's Medical Center
Banner Children's at Diamond Children's Medical Center provides pediatric care for children, from newborns to teens. Services include emergency care, heart disorders, traumatic brain injury, autism and developmental disorders, cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, gastrointestinal and nutritional disorders, neurological problems, orthopedics, intensive care needs and more. It is the only pediatric medical facility in Arizona connected to an academic research facility — the University of Arizona Steele Children's Research Center — where physician-scientists conduct groundbreaking basic science and translational research to advance children's health. For more information, visit http://www.BannerChildrens.com/DiamondChildrens

About the University of Arizona Health Sciences
The University of Arizona Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. The UA Health Sciences includes the UA Colleges of Medicine (Phoenix and Tucson), Nursing, Pharmacy and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with main campus locations in Tucson and the growing Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, the UA Health Sciences reaches across the state of Arizona and the greater Southwest to provide cutting-edge health education, research, patient care and community outreach services. A major economic engine, the UA Health Sciences employs almost 5,000 people, has nearly 1,000 faculty members and garners more than $126 million in research grants and contracts annually. For more information: http://uahs.arizona.edu

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/09/prweb13684083.htm