Nemours Children's Health Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony for Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders

Ceremony includes dedication of the Alfred I. duPont Campus in recognition of the Nemours Children's Health founder

WILMINGTON, Del., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nemours Children's Health today celebrated the construction of the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders with a special groundbreaking ceremony.

The Moseley Foundation Institute at Nemours Children's was established in March 2023 with a $78 million gift from the Moseley Foundation. As one of the most significant donations ever made to a U.S. children's hospital, the donation helps propel Nemours Children's ongoing efforts to improve both the outcome and the experience of care for children with cancer, sickle cell disease and other blood disorders. Phase one of the project is the state-of-the-art, 24-bed inpatient facility at Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware, slated to open in Spring 2025. Phase two will be the construction of a 20,000-square-foot day hospital and infusion center.

"This groundbreaking is a critical moment reflecting a broader expansive plan to amplify our ability to care for children with cancer and blood disorders throughout the region and beyond through advanced capabilities and leading-edge research," said Mark. R. Marcantano, JD, President, Nemours Children's Health, Delaware Valley. "The generous gift from the Moseley Foundation propels Nemours Children's to further its existing world-class capabilities and services to improve the health of children, which is directly aligned with Alfred I. duPont's philanthropic vision."

To honor our founder and benefactor, Alfred I. duPont, the ceremony also featured a dedication of the Alfred I. duPont Campus as a symbol of Mr. duPont's and Nemours commitment to the children of Delaware. The Campus serves as the home of multiple entities situated on duPont's estate: Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware, Nemours Estate, the Carillon Tower and more. 

"As a representative of the duPont Charitable Trust, it gives me great pleasure to dedicate the Alfred I. duPont Campus on such an important day, while we break ground on a significant part of our future," said Geoff Rogers, Trustee, Alfred I. duPont Charitable Trust. "I offer my most sincere thanks to Bill and the other members of the Moseley Foundation Board for your thoughtful investment in our community and the nation's cancer and blood disease landscape."

The Moseley Foundation donation will be used to make immediate and long-term impacts on pediatric cancer and blood disorder treatment and research.

"Every child deserves the brightest future possible, and we are honored that Lisa's legacy will allow Nemours to continue to make a profound impact on children, in particular those with diseases that have been long overlooked and underfunded, such as sickle cell disease," said William J. Martin, Esq., President of the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation.

The new initiatives include:

• The family-oriented Moseley Institute that will accommodate the growing number of children seeking Nemours care, together with their siblings and parents. The new space will feature isolation areas to protect immunocompromised patients, a dedicated medication room, expanded comprehensive clinic and infusion room capacity, and supportive care services. The center will overlook the beautiful gardens of Nemours Estate, with extraordinary views and design that promote healing and recovery.
   
• A Presidential Endowed Chair to support the inaugural Moseley Institute Director's work in pediatric patient care, research and other high priority areas.
   
•  An Endowed Chair for Sickle Cell Disease who will further Nemours work in support of the Delaware Comprehensive Sickle Cell Research Program by conducting and overseeing sickle cell disease research and clinical care. The work began in 2021 with a five-year, $10.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) to support clinical, translational and psychosocial research in sickle cell disease. The chair will also focus on reducing disparities in access to care because the disease disproportionately impacts minority communities.
   
• An Endowed Laureate Program that will create an annual research goal for a Request for Proposals (RFP) focused on cancer and blood disorders research. The Moseley Institute will convene a Scientific Review Board to review proposals to engage and fund leading global research teams from a variety of disciplines both inside and outside of traditional laboratory research.
   
• An International Symposium to be held every other year to highlight the Moseley Institute's researchers' accomplishments and facilitate the exchange of information and collaboration amongst top international researchers and scholars to ultimately improve care.

"Many children's hospitals provide specialized care for patients who have cancer, but not all have the same dedication to the specialized care of children with sickle cell disease. This extraordinary gift, with a specific focus on cancer, sickle cell disease and other blood disorders, allows us to advance care in all these areas," said David C. Brousseau, MD, MS, Pediatrician-in-Chief, Chair of Pediatrics at Nemours Children's Health, Delaware Valley. "Nemours is committed to developing new treatment options to promote better outcomes for pediatric patients and their families. With the help of the Moseley Foundation, we can further improve our facilities and bring together the best and brightest minds dedicated to this cause."

The Moseley Institute will be a critical component of the industry-leading Nemours Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (NCCBD), which has achieved many accolades since its inception 30 years ago, including:

• Developing two fully accredited transplant and cellular therapy programs supporting children with cancer, sickle cell disease and other blood disorders.
• Securing the designation as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program, ranked second nationwide in enrolling children in NCI-funded trials.
• Achieving a three-fold increase in the number of patients identified to have cancer predisposition syndrome by the Cancer Genetics Program at Nemours. This program provides fully integrated and advanced molecular diagnostics for children with a personal or family history of cancer.
• Conducting active Nemours investigator-initiated research projects in sickle cell disease that focus on novel diagnostic tools, research approaches and intervention strategies to mitigate the effects of racism and stigma on disease management.

To learn more about how this gift will impact the future of care for kids with cancer and blood disorders, please visit: nemours.org/moseleyinstitute.

About Nemours Children's Health

Nemours Children's Health is one of the nation's largest multistate pediatric health systems, which includes two free-standing children's hospitals and a network of more than 70 primary and specialty care practices. Nemours Children's seeks to transform the health of children by adopting a holistic health model that utilizes innovative, safe, and high-quality care, while also caring for the health of the whole child beyond medicine. Nemours Children's also powers the world's most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, Nemours KidsHealth.org.

The Nemours Foundation, established through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to the children, families and communities it serves. For more information, visit Nemours.org.

About the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation

Based in Wilmington, Delaware, the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports basic medical and scientific research. The Foundation generally accomplishes these goals by collaborating with and funding research and clinical programs undertaken by highly qualified organizations such as Nemours Children's Health, the American Cancer Society, the Helen Graham Cancer Center, and the Cleveland Clinic (among many other research institutions supported by previous grants made by the Foundation).

The Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation strives to support groundbreaking research and clinical programs with the goal of improving outcomes and saving patient lives. 

SOURCE Nemours Children’s Health