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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As one of only a handful of institutions specifically dedicated to advancing pediatric research and the healthcare of children, we at Manne Research Institute recognize our critical role in the medical landscape. Our successes are due not only to our talented workforce but to essential partnerships with advocates and community leaders. As we close 2023—a year of remarkable scientific breakthroughs and key milestone achievements—join me in celebrating the impact of our Manne Research Institute Board of Directors, who operate behind the scenes to elevate our research community, support our strategic initiatives, and help us drive to develop cutting-edge solutions for pediatric health challenges and wellness. I want to introduce you to Elizabeth Betten, managing director and co-head of the healthcare team at Madison Dearborn Partners and the board’s chair, and Pran Jha, partner in the corporate practice group at Sidley Austin LLP and board member, as they share what drives their philanthropic work on our behalf and what excites them most about the future of our scientific research.
Elizabeth and Pran extol the importance of Lurie Children’s dedicated research focus on children, a unique population that doesn’t benefit from the same research support as the broader adult population. This is what inspired Elizabeth to become an advocate for our work. In her nearly 10 years of involvement, first as a member of the foundation board and then as a member of the research institute board, Elizabeth has guided the Manne Research Institute leadership team as they have built the foundation for a period of incredible growth, featuring significant investments in researchers and staff, technologies, and facilities; surpassing goals in funding; and publishing studies that are influencing policymakers, clinicians, and researchers around the world.
Pran and his family have a very intimate connection to Lurie Children’s and Manne Research Institute. Several years ago, his teenage son was diagnosed with a brain tumor and urgently required specialized services at Lurie Children’s. Two days after the initial diagnosis, surgeons removed a “lemon-sized” tumor from Pran’s son, who is now living a healthy and active life. A family friend who was a board member initially connected Pran with the brain tumor specialists at Lurie Children’s and, after the surgery, encouraged Pran to become more involved. In addition to his new personal connections to Lurie Children’s, Pran’s legal work with healthcare-related companies fostered a professional interest in the cutting-edge technologies being developed by pharma, biotech, and medical device companies. Participating on the research institute board lets him contribute his knowledge as the board and research institute collaborate on ways to achieve our strategic initiatives through opportunities that will make the biggest impact on children’s health.
An area of specific interest for our board is advanced therapeutics, a collection of innovative and novel therapies based on cell therapy, gene therapy, and tissue engineering, being discovered and translated in an initiative of the same name. What makes these therapies so important is their promise to treat diseases and conditions that otherwise have limited treatment options or no cure. Research on advanced therapeutics predominantly focuses on adult medicine, with limited work in pediatric medicine. As a leading specialized pediatric hospital and research enterprise, we know we can be highly impactful in this area from scientific and patient-family perspectives. Achieving this will take investments in staff, resources, technologies, and infrastructure, but our board members have challenged themselves to support and advocate for our ambitious trajectory. Together, we are committed to generating impactful contributions to advanced therapeutics and other areas that will differentiate us as the best place to conduct research and for children to receive healthcare.
Lastly, I want to share that our board is extremely grateful for our research community, from our principal investigators and their research teams to our administration and support staff. Elizabeth and Pran agree that their favorite part of the board meetings is hearing from our investigators about the work they are doing, why it is important, and what it means for the future of pediatric medicine. They’re inspired by all of you who have dedicated your careers to finding ways to improve the lives of children and want you to know that your work has not gone unnoticed.
With kindness and respect,
Pat
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