The inner workings of medical research is often a black box to donors and the general public alike.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, Children’s Health will begin the process of lifting the veil, when it announces the launch of its Innovators program, which allows donors to:

• Listen to presentations from pediatric medical researchers about their work;
• Choose the specialty area that they, and the other investors, agree will yield the most ground-breaking advances;
• Go behind the scenes with doctors and researchers to learn about scientific processes through a hands-on, externship-style experience; and
• Celebrate the impact of their collective investment that helps to transform patient outcomes through research discoveries.

Through Children’s Innovators program, for a gift of $5,000 (or $1,000 for students), donors will have the opportunity to interact with researchers and get a firsthand look at the lifesaving work they do daily.

The folks at Children’s Health are hoping this increased access will generate $100,000 in first-year donations to further fuel their research in the program’s inaugural year.

“Children’s Health, in partnership with UT Southwestern faculty, is committed to making groundbreaking discoveries and transforming health care through research and innovation,” said a written statement from Children’s. “But these efforts require philanthropic support to fund their work and launch new ideas. These advances often provide hope to a family who has no other option and can lead to new treatments and cures that can benefit countless children. Innovators allows Children’s Health to spotlight these exceptional research efforts, educate and engage donors, while illustrating the value of investing in pioneering pediatric health care.”

“Innovators will hear pitches from multiple leading researchers and have the opportunity to vote on the one they believe will have the most significant impact,” Children’s wrote. “The program will then follow that research project and its progress throughout the year.”

The announcement about the Innovators program is set for noon Thursday, and will include a discussion of six experts in innovation, health care start-ups, and venture capital. The virtual event will be moderated by Julie Hall-Barrow, senior vice president of network development and innovation at Children’s Health. Panelists slated for the virtual meeting include Health Wildcatters CEO Hubert Zajicek, Perot Jain Principal Cindy Revol, LH Capital/Lyda Hill Philanthropies CEO Nicole Small and Paul Puopolo, EVP of innovation at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

Thursday’s event is free and open to the public; to learn more or to register to attend the streaming meeting, click here.

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