$25 million donation from Hamon Charitable Foundation will help UT Southwestern, Children’s Health develop joint pediatric campus

Newswise — DALLAS – Sept. 05, 2024 – UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health^SM announced a $25 million gift from the Hamon Charitable Foundation in support of the $5 billion transformative pediatric campus to be built in Dallas’ Southwestern Medical District across from UTSW’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.

The donation builds upon a long and generous legacy of philanthropy by Nancy and Jake Hamon and their foundation, with their giving totaling more than $135 million to fund biomedical research, education, facilities, and patient care at UT Southwestern and Children’s Health.

“For more than 40 years, the Hamons and the Hamon Foundation have helped to fuel the growth of our research and clinical programs, making an enduring impact on the health of our community,” said Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., President of UT Southwestern. “Their generosity and foresight have propelled the translation of discoveries into novel therapeutics and treatments for patients worldwide while also helping to ensure our ability to provide care needed by those in our own community.”

“The vision and investment of the Hamon Charitable Foundation across the past half-century have enabled us to provide comprehensive, compassionate, state-of-the-art care to the children and their families whom we are privileged to serve each day,” said Christopher Durovich, President and Chief Executive Officer at Children’s Health. “Their gift for the new campus will not only provide resources for the advanced diagnosis and treatment of childhood illness and injury, but also will include industry-leading technology for our team members in the years ahead.” 

The Hamon Charitable Foundation was established in 1998 by the late Nancy B. Hamon, who became a leading philanthropist in Dallas following the death of her husband, oil wildcatter Jake Hamon. Over the years, gifts from Nancy and Jake Hamon and the Hamon Charitable Foundation have helped to shape UT Southwestern including support for construction of Clements University Hospital, UT Southwestern Medical Center at RedBird in southwest Dallas County, the Advanced Imaging Research Center, the Bryan Williams, M.D. Student Center, and the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Biomedical Research Building. In addition, the Foundation was instrumental in the establishment and creation of Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) and a pediatric mental health initiative at Children’s Health.

In addition, their funding of innovative facilities and trailblazing research programs, numerous faculty Chairs, and academics has catalyzed the UT Southwestern mission to educate, discover, and heal. The Hamons’ donations to UTSW, which now top $100 million, include the Nancy Hamon Breast Cancer Center Fund, the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center for Basic Cancer Research, the Laura and Jack Roach Center for Translational Research in Alzheimer’s Disease, and the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine.

At Children’s Health, the Hamon Charitable Foundation’s generous contributions helped launch and provide a challenge grant for the Behavioral Health Integration and Guidance (BHIG) initiative, which advances early intervention strategies by pediatric providers for children experiencing low to moderate levels of anxiety and depression. The Hamon Charitable Foundation has supported the Fogelson Craniofacial Surgery Center, while also making a lasting and significant impact by funding game-changing discoveries through CRI.

“We are proud to support UT Southwestern and Children’s Health and their vision to advance pediatric health care and research for children in North Texas,” said Kelly E. Roach, President of the Hamon Charitable Foundation. “The Hamons’ generosity will live on in the hearts and minds of the thousands of children and families who will be helped by this tremendous pediatric hospital project.”

About UT Southwestern Medical Center   

UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 22 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,200 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 120,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5 million outpatient visits a year. 

About Children’s Medical Center Foundation

As the fundraising arm for Children’s Health℠, one of the largest and most prestigious nonprofit pediatric health systems in North Texas, the Children’s Medical Center Foundation provides philanthropic support through partnerships with individual donors, organizations, and corporations.

These funds support Children’s Health with the enhancement of care, discovery of cures, and building a healthier community across all Children’s Health campuses to fulfill the mission to make life better for children. All contributions to Children’s Medical Center Foundation directly impact patients and their families, ensuring the best experience, best care, and ultimately a fighting chance to get back to being a kid again.

About Children’s Health 

Children’s Health℠ is the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas and has long been recognized as a leader in pediatric health. Children’s Health campuses include Children’s Medical Center Dallas, Children’s Medical Center Plano, and multiple Children’s Health Specialty Centers. With its academic partner, UT Southwestern, Children’s Medical Center Dallas is consistently ranked the #1 children’s hospital in North Texas and among the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Its commitment to excellence and providing outstanding care across all aspects of pediatrics has resulted in 10 out of 10 specialty programs being ranked among the best for six consecutive years, including Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Neonatology, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology, and Urology.

In addition, Children’s Health nurses have received the Magnet® designation for the past 14 years, the highest honor for nursing excellence, and it has been named a 2023 top places to work by Dallas Morning News and Energage, a best place to work by the Dallas Business Journal, and one of the 150 Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Becker’s Hospital Review for 12 consecutive years. In addition, the health care system was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024 for its pioneering model to train physicians to treat children’s mental health.