“I want to PLAY wheelchair basketball or amputee soccer. Those are my two FAVORITE SPORTS.” As part of Oregon’s only academic health center, OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital is our region’s leader in pediatric research. Every day, researchers at Doernbecher work together in pursuit of breakthroughs that will translate to new treatments and life-changing care, giving families new hope. In recent years, our researchers have attracted national and international attention for their work across many areas of pediatric medicine, including neonatology, oncology, neurology, mental health, gastroenterology, child global health and stem cell research.
While Doernbecher has one of the strongest pediatric research programs in our region, faculty often run into challenges securing funding for their work. National research grants are highly competitive and favor projects that are already established, making it difficult for researchers to get new ideas off the ground. Recognizing this as a challenge, the Friends of Doernbecher, an all-volunteer fundraising organization, established a grant program in 2003 that is funded through their community-based fundraising efforts and other generous donors. The Friends of Doernbecher (FoD) Grant Program is now one of the only pediatric grant opportunities in the region that occurs annually, providing early-stage funding for new and unproven ideas.
