COLUMBUS, Ohio – Nationwide Children’s Hospital was named a Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies on April 26, 2019.
Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PIDs) are a group of inheritable, potentially life-threatening disorders in which the immune system does not function normally. The Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF) is devoted to Primary Immunodeficiency awareness, early and precise diagnosis, and meaningful treatments. JMF was formed in honor of Vicki and Fred Modell’s son, Jeffrey, who lived with Primary Immunodeficiency for 15 years.
“PIDs aren’t as rare as they were thought to be,” says Peter Mustillo, MD, director of the Clinical PID Program in the Section of Allergy and Immunology at Nationwide Children’s. “There are now over 400 distinct PIDs described, and can be diagnosed at any age, from infancy to adulthood. They often present with recurrent, severe, unusual or refractory infections, but they are also at risk for other complications including autoimmunity and malignancy.”
Designation as a Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center is an honor and testament to the one team, comprehensive approach that Nationwide Children’s provides in diagnosing and caring for patients with primary immunodeficiency disorders. The multidisciplinary care team includes experts in Allergy and Immunology, Host Defense and Immunocompromised Infectious Diseases, Cell Therapy, Blood and Marrow Transplant, Rheumatology, Critical Care, Genetics, Solid Organ Transplant, and Pathology and Laboratory Services.
“The distinction of being named a JMF Diagnostic and Research Center is a wonderful honor,” says Roshini Abraham, PhD, director of the Jeffrey Modell Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies at Nationwide Children’s. “It highlights our ability to provide high-standard of care and acknowledges our place as leaders in the field of immunodeficiency research.”
The Primary Immunodeficiencies Clinical Program began in 2002, and the Diagnostic Immunology Laboratory was established in 2018.
About Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2018-19 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric health care systems providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 13,000 providing state-of-the-art pediatric care during more than 1.4 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 Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.
About Jeffrey Modell Foundation
Vicki and Fred Modell established the Jeffrey Modell Foundation in 1987, in memory of their son Jeffrey, who died at the age of fifteen from complications of Primary Immunodeficiency -- a genetic condition that is chronic, serious, and often fatal.
JMF is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to early diagnosis, meaningful treatments and, ultimately, cures through research, physician education, public awareness, advocacy, patient support, and newborn screening. The Jeffrey Modell Centers Network (JMCN) includes 821 physicians at 376 academic institutions, in 294 cities, 86 countries, spanning 6 continents and growing.
For more information about Primary Immunodeficiency, visit the Jeffrey Modell Foundation at www.info4pi.org or email info4pi@jmfworld.org. You can also follow the Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.