April 21, 2015 — CEO Steven M. Altschuler announced that The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia received a $50 million gift from Raymond G. Perelman. This donation equals the largest gift ever received by CHOP and will fund clinical and research transformation. In recognition of the gift, CHOP will establish the Raymond G. Perelman Campus, which will comprise an 8-acre portion of the CHOP site south of the Main Hospital on Civic Center Boulevard. This campus will include the Ruth and Tristram Colket, Jr Translational Research Building, the Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care, and the 2.6-acre landscaped plaza in between.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has recognized CHOP as a 2014 LGBT Healthcare Equality Leader. Madeline Bell, COO, says that CHOP was the only children’s hospital in Pennsylvania to receive this tremendous honor and that it reflects CHOP’s dedication to family-centered care. In January, the Hospital launched the Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic to serve the needs of gender-variant, gender-nonconforming and transgender children and youth up to 21 years of age and their families.

Congratulations to Joe St. Geme and the Department of Pediatrics! For the third consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report’s survey of U.S. medical schools has awarded its top ranking in pediatric medical education to the Department of Pediatrics of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP. This marks the 12th consecutive year that our pediatric program has been ranked first or second in the nation.

Elaine Zackai is the 2015 Richard D. Wood Alumni Award recipient. The award will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Medical Staff in June.

Alex Levin, former pediatric resident, presented a lecture entitled “Retinal Hemorrhages and Abusive Heat Trauma: Lessons Learned, Future Challenges” at the alumni-sponsored medical grand rounds on March 25.

David Rosenberg, former chief resident, forwarded an article to the editor regarding C. Everett Koop, former surgeon-in-chief at CHOP and a well-remembered surgeon general of the United States. The article reminds us of his battle against the use of tobacco, his advice as to the use of condoms and needle exchanges to prevent the spread of AIDS, and his stance that abortion had no ill effect on fertility, ability to carry a pregnancy to term, the risk of cancer, or any threat to women’s mental health.

The Alumni Organization is sponsoring a reception at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in San Diego at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, at the Hilton Bayfront San Diego. Additional information will be forthcoming.

We are very interested in any news that you have about yourself and/or fellow alumni. Please contact Molly Force at forcem@email.chop.edu. Find more information about fellow alumni on our alumni website at www.chopalumni.org.

Honors and Awards

Richard Rutstein, MD, Division of General Pediatrics, and Tammy Inyoung Kang, MD, Division of Oncology, were selected as new members of the Academy of Master Clinicians at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Rutstein heads the Family Care Center at Children’s Hospital, a clinic that treats babies and children with HIV/AIDS. Kang is director of the Pediatric Advanced Care Team, helping patients and families when children have severe life-limiting conditions.

The Philadelphia Academy of Surgery presented the Samuel D. Gross Prize for original research in surgery to N. Scott Adzick, MD, MMM, CHOP’s Surgeon-in-Chief and director of the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment. Adzick was honored for his pioneering work in fetal surgery. Since 1995, the Center has performed more than 1,225 fetal surgeries, more than any other program.

Contributed by: Patrick S. Pasquariello, MD