Children’s View: Right now, which initiatives are you most excited about?
Madeline Bell: I am tremendously excited about our new hospital in King of Prussia, which is on track to open in fall 2021. We asked families what was important to them, and their feedback helped shape the design for the hospital. All patient rooms will be private. The hospital will have lots of natural light, plenty of playrooms and quiet spaces, and several pet therapy dogs.
I also look forward to seeing how our recent investments in cell and gene therapy — including our new Cell and Gene Therapy Collaborative and our Clinical Vector Core — will help transform the lives of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. We’ve already had great success in this field, so it will be exciting to see where we go next.
CV: Recruiting top talent is a priority. What do prospective team members find most compelling about CHOP?
MB: We are long on purpose at CHOP, and this helps us attract top doctors, nurses, scientists and administrators who are committed to making a difference for children around the world for generations to come. When I interview someone and they say, “I want to come to CHOP to be part of your mission,” I know that they belong on our team.
CV: How has fundraising given you confidence in these challenging times?
MB: I have been so inspired by the generosity and loyalty of our donors, and the creativity of our fundraising team over the past year. With large gatherings on hold, the CHOP Foundation developed new virtual versions of popular events like the Runway, Buddy Walk and Parkway Run & Walk that were very successful. Virtual meetings have allowed us to connect individually with donors — and we’ve received some extraordinary gifts from donors we’ve never met in person! We also had to change some of our fundraising priorities to support our COVID-19 efforts, and our donors embraced this shift, too: They have given more than $1.5 million to our COVID-19 Relief Fund as of Jan. 12.
I’m proud to say that our fundraising success is one reason we were recently given high ratings by the bond rating agencies Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s. I’m very confident about CHOP’s future — and these ratings show that others are, too.
Children’s View: Right now, which initiatives are you most excited about?
Madeline Bell: I am tremendously excited about our new hospital in King of Prussia, which is on track to open in fall 2021. We asked families what was important to them, and their feedback helped shape the design for the hospital. All patient rooms will be private. The hospital will have lots of natural light, plenty of playrooms and quiet spaces, and several pet therapy dogs.
I also look forward to seeing how our recent investments in cell and gene therapy — including our new Cell and Gene Therapy Collaborative and our Clinical Vector Core — will help transform the lives of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. We’ve already had great success in this field, so it will be exciting to see where we go next.
CV: Recruiting top talent is a priority. What do prospective team members find most compelling about CHOP?
MB: We are long on purpose at CHOP, and this helps us attract top doctors, nurses, scientists and administrators who are committed to making a difference for children around the world for generations to come. When I interview someone and they say, “I want to come to CHOP to be part of your mission,” I know that they belong on our team.
CV: How has fundraising given you confidence in these challenging times?
MB: I have been so inspired by the generosity and loyalty of our donors, and the creativity of our fundraising team over the past year. With large gatherings on hold, the CHOP Foundation developed new virtual versions of popular events like the Runway, Buddy Walk and Parkway Run & Walk that were very successful. Virtual meetings have allowed us to connect individually with donors — and we’ve received some extraordinary gifts from donors we’ve never met in person! We also had to change some of our fundraising priorities to support our COVID-19 efforts, and our donors embraced this shift, too: They have given more than $1.5 million to our COVID-19 Relief Fund as of Jan. 12.
I’m proud to say that our fundraising success is one reason we were recently given high ratings by the bond rating agencies Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s. I’m very confident about CHOP’s future — and these ratings show that others are, too.