A Special Gift and a Valued Relationship

In September of 2009, Children's National Hospital received a $150 million gift from the government of Abu Dhabi to create a new research institute aimed at making surgery more precise, less invasive, and pain free – the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation.

The gift was the largest ever for pediatric surgery, as well as one of the largest to a children’s hospital. It covered the Institute’s staff, facilities, and technology, and provided a $25 million endowment to fund its work into the future.

The Research

Focused on improving surgical outcomes for children everywhere, the institute was founded with four major clinical themes:

• Pediatric pain and anesthesia
• Immunology
• Bioengineering
• Systems biology

Advances in pediatric medicine made at the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation have impacted children in the U.S., in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and around the globe.

The Relationship

Children’s National has a longstanding relationship with the UAE and treats many of its youngest citizens every year.

The government of Abu Dhabi made the gift in honor of His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates and the country’s president from 1971 until his death in 2004. Gifts have been made in Sheikh Zayed’s name to several other institutions, including Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic.