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$50 Million Gift to Fund Research Transformation at CHOP

Published on January 21, 2015 in Cornerstone Blog · Last updated 2 months 1 week ago
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The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) today announced a $50 million gift from Raymond G. Perelman. This gift, equal to the largest ever received by CHOP, will directly support a wide range of pediatric research, tackling the toughest and most challenging pediatric illnesses and establishing CHOP as a global center for innovative pediatric study.

In recognition of this extraordinary gift for research, CHOP will establish the Raymond G. Perelman Campus, an eight-acre area that will serve as a hub of pediatric research and clinical innovation at CHOP.

“The significant research funding associated with this gift underscores the commitment of Raymond Perelman to world-class pediatric research and medicine,” said Mortimer J. Buckley, chair, Board of Trustees at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Through his generosity, Mr. Perelman is first and foremost improving the lives of children for generations to come and we will always be grateful for his altruism,” he said.

Born in Philadelphia, Raymond G. Perelman was raised in the Feltonville and Olney sections of the city and attended the University of Pennsylvania. After serving in WWII, he began a 50-year career with American Paper Products Co., and is currently CEO of RGP Holdings. Mr. Perelman has served on many Boards of Directors, and has been active in numerous civic organizations, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Penn Medicine, and the Albert Einstein Health Center.

“We know first-hand the tremendous resource that CHOP represents to families in the Philadelphia region, across the country and around the world,” said Raymond G. Perelman. “This gift will help to ensure that critically important pediatric research, conducted on this campus, remains second to none; in addition to making a tangible difference in the lives of children around the globe for many years to come, it is my hope and expectation that advances in medical research funded by this gift will benefit us all,” he said.

The gift also establishes the “Raymond G. Perelman Research Fund,” that will provide direct support for:

  • Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular & Molecular Therapeutics, designed to re-engineer the body’s immune system to fight, and defeat, cancer, metabolic diseases and other catastrophic illnesses through the efforts of the world’s leading experts in immunotherapy and molecular therapy.
  • Perelman Scholars, two new tenure-track faculty positions at CHOP to be filled by candidates from among the world’s finest pediatric researchers.
  • Perelman Fund for Research Innovation, a permanent source of reliable funding for the CHOP Research Institute to strategically identify and support new pilot research initiatives.
  • Perelman Endowed Chair in Pediatric Ophthalmology to support a highly skilled researcher and physician-scientist seeking to break new ground and forge novel paths critical to understanding and treating ophthalmologic diseases in children.
  • Research Support for general research activities of the CHOP Research Institute.

The newly named Raymond G. Perelman Campus comprises an eight-acre portion of the CHOP site located on Civic Center Boulevard just south of the main hospital and encompasses its most state-of-the-art research and clinical centers, including the Ruth and Tristram Colket, Jr. Translational Research Building, which opened in 2009; the new Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care, under construction and slated to open this summer; and a 2.6-acre landscaped plaza.