Building partnerships that create lasting change

Building partnerships that create lasting change

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Research into the smallest structures of our genetic code at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, is having a giant impact on the lives of children living with undiagnosed genetic diseases.

Dr. Beth Kozel, MD, PhD, the chief of the hospital's Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine and director of Constitutional Genomics Translational Research, and her clinical team are working with their partners in the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine to bring the life-saving power of genomics to children - from research, to advanced diagnostic testing, to therapeutics.

Through this work, geneticists and genetic counselors work closely with patients and families throughout their healthcare journeys. Dr. Kozel's vision for the future is one in which genomic information becomes part of the "everyday medical and healthcare experience."

By meeting children early in their hospital admission and using rapid genome sequencing, the team is translating faster diagnoses into real-time therapies. Rapid genome sequencing can provide answers for about one-third of children who previously had no diagnosis, helping care teams make more informed treatment decisions.

"We are pushing the boundaries of what is possible by taking a genetic test result and translating it into therapies through our growing understanding of how genes and biological pathways work," said Dr. Kozel. "While diagnosis remains the foundation, the most exciting advances are happening in therapeutics. As genomics increasingly guides clinical decisions across the hospital, our clinicians are developing more personalized treatment strategies, from established therapies and repurposed medications to clinical trials and gene therapies. For many families, these advances are creating new options and new hope where few existed before."

Her work at the hospital is made possible thanks to a partnership between the Nationwide Foundation, a private foundation whose primary donor is Columbus-based Nationwide.

"When organizations share a vision and commit to it over time, their impact reaches far beyond what any one organization can achieve alone," said Chad Jester, president of the Nationwide Foundation. "For nearly seven decades, Nationwide and Nationwide Children's have worked together to improve the lives of children and families. This investment extends that commitment by supporting groundbreaking research and innovation while helping create stronger, healthier communities."

Earlier this year, the Nationwide Foundation announced a $10 million investment through its Pediatric Innovation Fund, bringing its total commitment to Nationwide Children's to more than $180 million.

The investment supports advances in genomic medicine and data science while also helping fund affordable housing, injury prevention and children's mental health initiatives. Together, those efforts recognize that a child's well-being is shaped by much more than medical care alone.

The latest gift will also establish the 19th endowed chair funded by the Nationwide Foundation at Nationwide Children's, which has been awarded to Dr. Kozel.

The Nationwide Foundation's support for endowed chairs reflects a broader belief that investing in talented people, especially in the medical field, can have a lasting effect, creating discoveries and breakthroughs that benefit families long into the future.

Today, the Nationwide Foundation continues that legacy. Since 2000, it has contributed more than $745 million to nonprofit organizations serving the communities where Nationwide associates and their families live and work.