MEDIA ADVISORY: Dedication of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Heralding a new Era in Pediatric Discovery and Innovation

May 20, 2019

WHAT:
The dedication of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and announcement of the Allen Distinguished Scholar in Pediatric Research

WHEN:
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
10:30 a.m. – Media Tour of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute
11:30 a.m. – Dedication Event and Media Opportunity

WHERE:
Nationwide Children’s Hospital – Research Building III – 575 Children’s Crossroads
Media representatives are asked to park in the Livingston Ambulatory Garage located at 420 Butterfly Gardens Drive. Live truck parking is available. Please contact Mary Ellen Fiorino at 614-937-7316 to arrange.

WHO:
Governor Mike DeWine (lunch speaker)
Steve Allen, M.D. – Chief Executive Officer, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Abigail Wexner – Board Member, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Alex Fischer - Board Chair, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
John A. Barnard, M.D. – President, Abigail Wexner Research Institute
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Researchers
Patients & Patient Families

WHY:
Nationwide Children’s Hospital will dedicate the hospital’s Research Institute as the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This renaming recognizes Ms. Wexner, whose ongoing, passionate advocacy has ushered in a period of unprecedented transformation at the hospital.  During her more than 25 years on the board of directors, Nationwide Children’s has become one of the leading pediatric health care systems in the United States, and the Abigail Wexner Research Institute has become one of the most preeminent centers of its kind.

The Abigail Wexner Research Institute is a hallmark of the exceptional momentum of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The Institute occupies 525,000 square feet across three buildings on the hospital’s main campus dedicated to basic, clinical, translational and health services research that allows rare investigational opportunities in genomics, tissue engineering and gene therapy.

Ms. Wexner began serving on Nationwide Children’s board in 1993 and acted as board chair for seven years from 2005 to 2012. During her tenure as chair, Ms. Wexner led the hospital through the largest expansion in its 127-year history, including completion of a 12-story hospital building and a third research building with more than $1.2 billion in regional economic impact.

Nationwide Children’s will also honor retiring CEO Dr. Steve Allen by establishing the Allen Distinguished Scholar in Pediatric Research. Each year, the Allen Scholar award will be presented to a Nationwide Children’s researcher who exemplifies the innovative spirit that has been the hallmark of Dr. Allen’s tenure and which is at the heart of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute’s mission.

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CONTACT:
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Mary Ellen Fiorino
(614) 937-7316
MaryEllen.Fiorino@nationwidechildrens.org

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 14,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.7 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.