AUSTIN, Texas — The Dell Pediatric Research Institute works toward a singular mission of meeting the needs of children and families of Central Texas with evidence-based, cutting-edge care. Managed by Dell Medical School, DPRI plays an important role in facilitating collaboration among interdisciplinary teams of clinicians and scientists from Dell Med and across The University of Texas at Austin — all with a focus on improving children’s health and pediatric care.
“Our ‘North Star’ is taking care of children in Austin, making sure they have access to all the care they need right here at home,” said Leah Harris, director of DPRI and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Dell Med. “The way that you make clinical care cutting edge is by infusing it with an academic infrastructure. That’s where Dell Med and UT Austin come in — we bring together the experts who provide the evidence that informs care.”
Harris, who is also interim president and physician-in-chief at Dell Children’s Medical Center, describes the institute as a “one-stop shop,” uniting dozens of investigators across disciplines who are focused on major causes of death and morbidity in children: poor nutrition, cancer, birth defects and rare diseases, as well as studying how care is delivered to children who show up at emergency departments. Future investment and focus will also include developing a genomics institute that will allow for expanded precision medicine research that uses genetics and genomics to customize care for individuals, she said.
Launched in 2010 and located across the street from Dell Children’s Medical Center, DPRI was created with a $38 million challenge grant from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, aimed at growing and developing a full pediatric ecosystem in Central Texas.
Source: UT Austin Researchers and Physicians Team Up to Fight Childhood Diseases
Most Commented