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Rady Children’s One of Six Children’s Hospitals Uniting to Improve Pediatric Health

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

San Diego – Sept. 14, 2016 – Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego is one of six founding children’s hospitals that has 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, Rady Children’s, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, 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 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.

“By harnessing the talents and resources of some of the top minds in the field of pediatric genomics at leading children’s hospitals across the country, we now have the opportunity to accelerate discoveries in pediatric genomics – to be at the forefront of a new era of children’s medicine,” said Stephen Kingsmore, M.D., President and CEO of Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine. “The Sanford Children’s Genomic Medicine Consortium represents a major step forward in supporting our collective goal of improved outcomes for children.”

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.

Media Contact:
Ben Metcalf
bmetcalf@rchsd.org
(858) 966-8579

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 43 hospitals and nearly 250 clinics in nine states and four countries. Sanford Health’s 27,000 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 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. www.rchsd.org/research/genomics-institute/

About Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego:

Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego is a 551-bed pediatric care facility providing the largest source of comprehensive pediatric medical services in San Diego, Southern Riverside and Imperial counties. Rady Children’s is the only hospital in the San Diego area dedicated exclusively to pediatric healthcare and is the region’s only designated pediatric trauma center. In June 2016, U.S. News & World Report ranked Rady Children’s among the best children’s hospitals in the nation in nine pediatric specialties. Rady Children’s is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations to support its mission. For more information, visit www.rchsd.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo.