St. Baldrick’s awards $86,450 childhood cancer research grant to SSM Cardinal Glennon
ST. LOUIS (Dec. 11, 2013) – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven and donor-centered charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, is proud to award a one-year infrastructure grant of $86,450 to SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, affiliated with the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. This grant is one of 39 infrastructure grants awarded as part of the Foundation’s fall grant cycle, totaling more than $2.2 million in pediatric oncology research.
The grant will enable SSM Cardinal Glennon to compensate the two clinical research associates of the Bob Costas Cancer Center located at the medical center. These clinical research associates, both of whom are nurses by education and past experience, perform the ongoing, painstaking tasks associated with participation in clinical trials. They make it possible for children from Missouri, Illinois and around the world to have access to cutting-edge medical science, increasing their chances for a full recovery and being cancer free.
“I would like the donors and volunteers to understand how worthwhile their efforts are and to thank them for all they accomplish,” said Dr. William S. Ferguson, medical director of the Bob Costas Cancer Center at SSM Cardinal Glennon and division director of Hematology/Oncology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Worldwide a child is diagnosed with cancer every three minutes, and one in five children diagnosed in the U.S. will not survive. A recent study shows that of those that survive, 80 percent will suffer from severe or life-threatening conditions as a result of treatment.
“While fewer than 5 percent of adults with cancer participate in a clinical trial, more than 60 percent of childhood cancer patients receive their treatment as part of a clinical trial, designed to offer the best cutting-edge treatment or one that may be better than today’s standard,” said Kathleen Ruddy, chief executive officer for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. “The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is proud to fund this latest round of infrastructure grants, many of which will make more clinical trials available for children closer to their homes. This offers today’s patients more hope and tomorrow’s patients more progress through research.”
This series of grants, combined with the more than $22 million awarded in July, brings the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s funding total to more than $24.5 million awarded in 2013.
About SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center
SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, a 190-bed, not-for-profit pediatric medical center in mid-town St. Louis, treats children from across the U.S. and from countries around the world. It is a member of SSM Health Care – St. Louis, a Missouri Quality Award winner. The hospital is home to the Level I pediatric trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, both the highest available classifications. Other specialties include: cardiology, critical care, rehabilitation, pulmonology, minimally invasive surgery, fetal surgery, hematology/oncology, sleep disorders, weight management and others. SSM Cardinal Glennon provides poison control services, perinatal outreach programs and a distributed network of pediatric programs throughout Missouri and Illinois. SSM Cardinal Glennon is a teaching hospital affiliated with the Saint Louis University Schools of Medicine and Nursing and nine other educational institutions. For more information, visit cardinalglennon.com and glennon.org.
About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. St. Baldrick’s coordinates its signature head-shaving events worldwide where participants collect pledges to shave their heads in solidarity with kids with cancer, raising money to fund research. Since 2005, St. Baldrick’s has awarded more than $127 million to support lifesaving research, making the Foundation the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials, and the new International Scholar grants train researchers to work in developing countries. For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.