Penn Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) announced in June a joint initiative called the Lurie Autism Institute, thanks to a $50 million gift from the Lurie family—the largest single donation to a US medical center focused on autism research across the lifespan.
Per the press release, the first-of-its kind institute will “strategically leverage CHOP and Penn Medicine’s strengths in autism research and translation to seek answers to the most challenging and important questions” around autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which more than 75 million people worldwide are living with, including one in 31 children and one in 45 adults in the US.
The Lurie family has previously founded other centers and foundations to support individuals with ASD. Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie (pictured left), whose brother has autism, said in a statement that he hopes the institute can “unlock answers that have eluded the field for far too long.”
The Lurie Autism Institute aims to be a global hub for autism research that connects scientists, clinicians, families, students, and donors. Madeline Bell G’09, CEO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said it will “build on the success of established programs like the Center for Autism Research at CHOP and the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence at Penn by bringing the top experts in the field together to make breakthroughs in autism research and care.”
