Renown Children's Hospital Secures Crucial Funding in Support of Childhood Cancer Clinical Trials
November 27, 2024
Renown Children’s Hospital, the only dedicated children’s hospital in northern Nevada, has successfully secured a grant to fund its Research Coordinator position, a role that is critical in helping pediatric oncology patients navigate cancer clinical trials. The grant comes from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, who announced the recipients sharing $1.2 million in infrastructure grants on Nov. 19, 2024.
As a team member in the Renown Research Office, the grant-funded Research Coordinator is a key part of the research and clinical trials process, supporting study start-up, patient recruitment and enrollment, data collection, regulatory submissions and quality and compliance assurance. This role is closely aligned with the Children's Oncology Group (COG), the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood cancer. Renown joined the COG as a member institution in 2021, allowing its youngest patients to have access to the latest medical advancements by participating in clinical trials. These studies assess state-of-the-art approaches for childhood cancer treatment, supportive care and survivorship.
"Receiving this grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a step forward in our work to provide world class care for children battling cancer," said Brian Erling, MD, MBA, President and CEO, Renown Health. “We are deeply grateful to St. Baldrick’s for their unwavering commitment to childhood cancer research and their belief in the importance of improving outcomes for our youngest patients."
“We are honored to support the vital infrastructure of pediatric cancer research across the U.S.,” said Kathleen Ruddy, CEO of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation in a press release. “This funding not only strengthens clinical trials essential to finding cures but also reinforces our commitment to ensuring that, even in times of hardship, children have access to the care and hope they deserve.”
“As a COG member hospital, Renown Children’s Hospital joins over 200 institutions, including Stanford, University of California, San Francisco and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in this prestigious distinction,” says Kristina Deeter, MD, MBA, FAAP, Chair of Pediatrics (UNR Med) and Physician-in-Chief, Renown Children’s Hospital. “The COG is made up of more than 9,000 experts worldwide and has nearly 100 active clinical-translational trials at any given time. Through the clinical trials process, pediatric oncology patients at Renown Children’s Hospital can receive newly developed therapies; and their families can rest assured knowing they can receive outstanding cancer care right here in Reno.”
"This funding ensures that our dedicated Research Coordinator can guide patients and families through the complexities of clinical trials, giving them access to the most advanced treatments without traveling far from home,” said Seema Rao, MD, Pediatric Oncologist at Renown Children’s and Principal Investigator for the COG program at Renown Health. “COG membership allows our young patients to access promising treatments in development without having to travel outside of the region. Our membership in this prestigious national organizations shows that Renown Children’s is providing care that meets or exceeds COG’s high standards.”
Research from the COG has drastically transformed children’s cancer outcomes. Just 50 years ago, pediatric cancer was thought to be untreatable; today, it has a combined five-year survival rate of 80 percent.
About Renown Health
Renown Health is Nevada’s largest, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,500 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination, and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown is currently enrolling participants in a community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project®. For more information, visit renown.org.
About Renown Clinical Research
At Renown Health, our goal is to make it easy for patients to access clinical research as a care opportunity where patients can access a variety of standard care treatment options for their health condition or choose to participate in a clinical trial. To support pediatric cancer research in northern Nevada, indicate Renown Clinical Research on the donation form with Renown Health Foundation at renown.org/give. For more information about clinical trial opportunities available to you or to ask any questions, contact the Renown Clinical Research Office at Renown-CRD@renown.org or 775-982-3646.