Sanford Health and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital will soon be working together to sequence the genes of nearly 1,000 Latino and Hispanic people in an effort to better understand the health needs of those populations. To launch the project, philanthropist Denny Sanford and Sanford Health have jointly given $7 million to the Nicklaus Children’s Personalized Medicine Initiative in Miami.

Founded in 1950, the hospital was re-branded with the Nicklaus name in 2015 in honor of golf icon Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara. The Foundation was created by the Nicklaus family in 2004 to support world-class children’s healthcare in South Florida and nationwide.

“Denny Sanford has been a good friend to Barbara and me for years, but he has been a good friend and passionate supporter of health care and innovative research for even longer,” Jack Nicklaus said.

“When we approached Denny with a plea to assist our important work at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and through our Foundation, he was quick to open his heart and lend a hand. This gift from Denny and Sanford Health will enable groundbreaking research that will hopefully help forever shape pediatric care in South Florida and beyond. On behalf of Barbara and me, and the countless children and families that will be impacted, we can’t thank Denny enough for this incredibly generous gift.”

Genomic medicine focuses on the use of genetic and genomic information to personalize care, in this case, for children. For example, doctors can help determine which therapies or medications work better for individuals once they have some genetic information. It allows physicians to improve treatment outcomes by better understanding the individual characteristics of each patient.

“Bringing these two organizations together will help Sanford diversify its work and research with genomic medicine,” said Kelby Krabbenhoft, president and CEO of Sanford Health. “This is just another example of two health care leaders coming together to pool their knowledge and resources and help drive solutions.”

As the country’s preeminent health care philanthropist, Denny Sanford has given close to $1 billion to Sanford Health in less than two decades. His generosity has spanned across almost every area of care including children’s health, research, breast health and genetics.

Source: Sanford Health


See Also:

More From KKRC-FM / 97.3 KKRC