St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis has officially opened the Kay Research and Care Center. The new $198 million center houses the Eric Trump Foundation Surgery and ICU Center, and the Marlo Thomas Center for Global Education and Collaboration. The St. Jude Red Frog Events Proton Therapy Center, also within the Center, will open this fall.
“This is a momentous occasion for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as we open the new Kay Research and Care Center and celebrate the integration of treatment, research, technology, collaboration, and education on the St. Jude campus,” said Richard Shadyac, Jr, President and CEO of ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (ALSAC refers to the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, the fund-raising arm of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.)
The center is named for Kay Jewelers, a longtime supporter of St. Jude, which recently made a commitment to raise $50 million over 10 years in support of the hospital’s lifesaving work. Kay Jewelers has supported St. Jude since 1999, raising more than $40 million to support the children and families of St. Jude.
“Our partnership with St. Jude is a source of great pride, and we are honored to support this incredible institution with the amazing work it does,” said Ed Hrabak, Kay Jewelers President.
The building’s state-of-the-art Eric Trump Foundation Surgery and ICU Center was made possible by a generous $20 million commitment from The Eric Trump Foundation. The center doubles the hospital’s surgery space, accommodating the latest technologies with the flexibility to adapt to future advances. The operating suites are equipped with recording devices and observation rooms, to help doctors around the world learn from techniques perfected at St. Jude.
“I’m immensely proud of our incredible pledge to the children of St. Jude. We look forward to supporting St. Jude for many years to come,” said Eric Trump, Eric Trump Foundation Founder.
The Marlo Thomas Center for Global Education and Collaboration occupies the entire main floor of the Kay Research and Care Center. The center is designed to be a hub of learning and discovery, using technology to connect doctors and scientists around the world.
An entire floor of the Kay Research and Care Center is devoted to the computational biology department, which will play a key role in the hospital’s research over the coming decades. The growth of the department is crucial for the hospital’s work to analyze the immense amount of data provided by the St. Jude-Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, as well as other St. Jude research efforts to help unlock the secrets of childhood cancer.
The St. Jude Red Frog Events Proton Therapy Center, which was created thanks to a $25 million commitment from Red Frog Events, is the world’s first proton therapy center dedicated solely to the treatment of children.
“St. Jude is a remarkable place of discovery and interaction, and a place of compassion and healing,” said James R. Downing, MD, St. Jude President and Chief Executive Officer. “The Kay Research and Care Center captures all of these elements under one roof, and will be integral to our future as a global innovator in the fight against childhood cancer and other deadly diseases.” ■
