Children's Foundation Research Center at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center

In 1995, the University of Tennessee, through its Health Science Center (UTHSC), partnered with Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center (LBCMC) and the Children’s Foundation of Memphis to create the Children’s Foundation Research Center.

Since opening, the CFRC has grown with a major emphasis on supporting young investigators with a New Investigator Award Program, bridging funds (Cannon Award) for established investigators between extramural grants, and supplemental funding to restore funding cuts in extramural research awards. Currently, there are 28 full-time investigators in the CFRC involved in basic, translational and clinical research. All CFRC investigators have academic appointments in the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Department of Pediatrics. Major collaborative ties have been forged with other clinical and basic science departments within the Health Science Center and the new University of Tennessee Centers of Excellence in Genomics and Bioinformatics, Connective Tissue Diseases and Vascular Biology, as well as other institutions such as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the University of Memphis. CFRC investigators currently employ over 75 post-doctoral fellows, research technicians, research nurses and study coordinators. The CFRC administration currently employs eleven support staff (clerical, accounting, safety and laboratory/equipment maintenance).

A Brief History of the Children’s Foundation Research Center

Plans for a state-of-the-art pediatric research facility were first undertaken in 1987 in concert with development of plans by Le Bonheur Children's Hospital for a new west tower. Le Bonheur made a commitment to provide two floors in the new tower for such a research facility.

Under the leadership of Dr. Hank Herrod, now Dean of the UT College of Medicine, Dr. Russell Chesney, Chair of the UT Department of Pediatrics, Gene Cashman, President of the Urban Child Institute, Dr. Bland Cannon, as well as the leadership of the Children’s Foundation, plans were developed for the research center to provide the infrastructure for a state-of-the-art children's research facility. Subsequently, the Le Bonheur West Tower was fin-ished in 1994.

On the third and fourth floors, it contained approximately 30,000 sq. ft. of well-designed laboratory space. This new construction of the Research Center represented an approximately $15 million commit-ment from Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center. However, before being used, more work was needed. The laboratories had to be finished to meet safety and OSHA requirements. As well, laboratory equipment needed to be purchased to supply common equipment areas, in addition to basic equipment in each research laboratory. Therefore, the original partnership of the University of Tennessee and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital (which was the first such alliance formed with the University of Tennessee) joined forces with the Crippled Children's Foundation (now the Children's Foundation of Memphis) to obtain additional funds to allow the Research Center to be completed and to provide research support for faculty members in the Department of Pediatrics.

Of the initial $5 million dollars committed by the Children's Foundation, approximately $2.5 million went into final construction of the laboratories and purchasing major equipment. Also, effort went into ensuring that the space met all safety requirements and passed all inspections. The other $2.5 million of the initial $5 million gift went toward funding research grants for the first five years of the Center's operation. An additional $5 million was committed to recruit and fund a Scientific Director and provide additional research funding. Dr. Dennis D. Black, a pediatric gastroenterologist and hepatologist and an established researcher in the area of neonatal lipid absorption and metabolism, was recruited in December, 1997, as Scientific Director of the CFRC. Dr. Black is currently Professor of Pediatrics and Physiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Since his arrival, Dr. Black has worked to oversee the day-to-day operation of the CFRC, facilitate the research activities of all CFRC investigators, and supervise the allocation of CFRC resources.