Cincinnati Children’s Celebrates Opening of Winslow Research Pavilion

Tuesday, May 05, 2026

Key Takeaways:

• Cincinnati Children's has opened the Winslow Research Pavilion, expanding laboratory and clinical research capacity for one of the nation's largest pediatric research organizations.
• The building is home to the Vaccine Research Center, the Discover Together Biobank and the new Freezer Archive.
• The facility also hosts programs for local students and residents, reinforcing Cincinnati Children's longstanding commitment to innovation, education and neighborhood partnership.

Cincinnati Children's today celebrated the opening of the Winslow Research Pavilion, which serves as the new home of the health system's Vaccine Research Center, the Discover Together Biobank and a Freezer Archive for long-term storage of research samples.

The Winslow Research Pavilion adds to laboratory space available to investigators at Cincinnati Children's, which is one of the largest pediatric research organizations in the world, said Tina Cheng, MD, who is director of the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and chief medical officer of the health system.

"The advanced capabilities of the Winslow Research Pavilion strengthen collaboration between our scientists and clinicians, accelerating how discoveries are turned into treatments and cures for patients," Cheng said. "Our commitment to research is the key reason Cincinnati Children's is widely regarded as one of the most innovative organizations in America."

The Winslow Research Pavilion also provides a central location for Cincinnati Children's to hold programs for the Avondale community. That includes engaging in science and research with students from local schools, such as the health system's annual Discovery Day that will take place May 16.

"Students will enjoy opportunities to learn from scientists and clinicians based at the Winslow Research Pavilion, and our hope is this will provide a foundation for making career choices in the biomedical sciences," said Monica Mitchell, PhD, a pediatric psychologist who is assistant vice president of Community Relations for Cincinnati Children's. For example, the building will be used by students participating in our Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, which enables young people to explore clinical, translational and basic science research. We also will host community meetings for adults in designated conference spaces.

The building at 2850 Winslow Ave., near the Interstate 71 interchange with Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, encompasses nearly 45,000 square feet and houses dozens of Cincinnati Children's employees - including physicians, research investigators, research nurses, clinical trial coordinators, data managers, laboratory scientists and investigational pharmacists.

The Vaccine Research Center occupies the top two levels of the three-story building. Outpatient studies and offices are on Level 2, and 16 beds for adult overnight studies are on Level 3. Outpatient studies had been conducted at the Schubert Research Clinic at the Burnet Campus, while overnight vaccine studies involving adults were previously conducted in the Academy Building on Reading Road.

Since 1996, the Vaccine Research Center has enrolled more than 20,000 volunteers in over 250 clinical trials, helping lead the way in the evaluation of many lifesaving vaccines for both children and adults. Fifteen active studies involving about 1,000 volunteers are now underway at the center.

"Infectious diseases are a leading cause of death, and vaccines play a critical role in preventing these illnesses," said Robert Frenck, MD, director of the Cincinnati Children's Vaccine Research Center. "The innovative design of the new Winslow Research Pavilion enables us to enhance how we evaluate future vaccines that benefit kids. We also conduct clinical trials of vaccines designed to prevent illnesses in adults. Our work focuses on saving lives for people of all ages - here at home and around the world."

The Discover Together Biobank, which had occupied space at both the Cincinnati Children's Burnet Campus and the University of Cincinnati's Reading Campus, now operates expanded sample processing/distribution labs on Level 1 of the Winslow Research Pavilion. The Biobank shares the floor with the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation's Freezer Archive, a new frozen storage location for research samples.

The Biobank, which is actively enrolling, offers researchers access to a wealth of biospecimens and clinical data to accelerate discovery. It also provides access to services for standardized and centralized acquisition, processing, storage and distribution of biospecimens for pediatric research.

"The Winslow Research Pavilion brings the entirety of Discover Together Biobank's operations together while expanding biobanking capacity and support for the broader Cincinnati Children's research community," said Mike Pauciulo, director of the Biobank. "Consolidating our work in one large, state-of-the-art facility improves operational efficiency and increases biospecimen volume, helping drive research discovery and better patient outcomes. This investment reflects Cincinnati Children's continued commitment to leadership in large-scale pediatric biobanking."

Cincinnati Children's purchased the Winslow Avenue property more than 23 years ago. Construction of the research building began in 2024. Cincinnati Children's invested $42 million to open the Winslow Research Pavilion, which included design, construction and equipment.

Messer Construction was the design builder overseeing the project. The design team was led by BHDP Architects and included Heapy Engineering, Kleingers, and Schaefer.