Visionary Gift from The Grainger Foundation Supports Emergency Medicine Research at Lurie Children’s

Children have unique needs that are heightened during serious or life-threatening emergencies. Given the potential life-long consequences of poorly treated health conditions, access to the best possible emergency care is critical. A visionary gift of $2 million from The Grainger Foundation is making this care possible by creating an endowment to support research on optimal critical care through the Division of Emergency Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

“The Grainger Foundation is proud to support this area of essential pediatric research,” said John Chapman, Chairman Emeritus of The Grainger Foundation. “We can think of no better way to help children in the most critical moments of their lives.”

In recognition of this gift, the program will be named the Grainger Research Program in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Resources generated annually through the endowment will enable the division to build a long-term vision for the future by providing critical support for research for early career faculty and fellows; sustaining a robust research infrastructure; and faculty recruitment, retention, and professional development. The endowment gift is the most significant of several gifts to the division from The Grainger Foundation since 2009, now totaling $5.5 million.

“Funding from The Grainger Foundation has already helped us to build an outstanding team of leaders and support staff needed to conduct high quality research, invest in staff development through unique mentorship and training opportunities and create a successful seed grant program to bring new research projects to life,” said Thomas Shanley, MD, President & CEO of Lurie Children’s.

“No other area in pediatric medicine touches so many medical conditions and holds the potential to save and improve the lives of so many babies, children, adolescents and young adults,” said Todd Florin, MD, Head of the Division of Emergency Medicine. “This generous gift from The Grainger Foundation will help in building the scientific infrastructure of the department so we can develop and implement innovative interventions to address some of the most difficult challenges in pediatric medicine.”

The Grainger Foundation is an independent private foundation based in Lake Forest, Illinois. Established in 1967, the Foundation provides substantive support to a broad range of organizations including educational, medical, cultural, and human services institutions.

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Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. It is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Last year, the hospital served more than 223,000 children from 48 states and 49 countries. Over half of patients are insured by Medicaid.