Caregiver Stories

“More than 1,800 babies are admitted to the NICU at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC yearly. For 77 years, The 25 Club has provided resources for research and equipment to advance the care of these babies born at Magee and throughout the world. With their support, Magee is helping even the smallest of babies survive. The Club has also provided an endowed Chair so that Magee and Children’s Hospital of UPMC can continue its research in Newborn Medicine. We are so grateful to The 25 Club”

“We are so grateful for the support of the 25 club that has allowed us to propel our prematurity research and care for our tiniest babies at Magee Woman’s Hospital. Their longstanding dedication to our families allows us to continue to advance the care of our neonates.”

“The 25 Club has supported a broad range on clinically relevant neonatal research endeavors for decades. We thank them for their generosity and continued keen interest in optimizing the health, well-being, and neurodevelopment outcomes of some of our most vulnerable citizens – the neonates cared for at the Magee-Womens NICU.”

“The generous contribution of the 25 Club to the fetal therapy program at Magee has had, and will continue to have, an international impact, changing the practice of medicine on a global scale, to effect better pregnancy outcomes.   In 2009 the 25 Club donated $330,000 to the fetal therapy program to begin its treatment initiative for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Besides having a positive impact on the local population, my experience in the treatment of the disease inspired me to conduct a multinational, multicenter, multidisciplinary study on the management of early stage disease, an area of great controversy within the field. This study was conducted through the North American Fetal Therapy Network (NAFTNet) and was recently published in a major medical journal. It clearly demonstrated that early treatment produced better pregnancy outcomes than expectant management. The work was presented at the 36th International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society (IFMSS) meeting in August of 2016 to a global audience of fetal therapy physicians, who will use the results of my study to change their practice locally upon their return. The 25 Club’s generosity, therefore, has had a direct impact on the care of pregnant women on a global scale. For this, I am forever grateful."

In 2014 the 25 Club donated $200,000 to the fetal therapy program, allowing me to spearhead an international evidence-based reassessment of prenatal shunting of fetal severe hydrocephalus. Prenatal shunting was attempted in the 1980s but was abandoned due to perceived lack of effect. Given the dramatic changes in medicine in the intervening three decades, I recommended a study through NAFTNet to reinvestigate it. Thanks to the 25 Club’s gift, we have made major strides in the design of a shunt device, have begun testing in an animal model, and have initiated the application for FDA approval. I presented our work at the IFMSS conference in August of 2016, with members of the original investigation team from the 1980s in attendance, to overwhelming enthusiasm, encouragement and support. This initiative will move forward in the coming years and holds the promise to improve pregnancy outcomes on a global scale if successful. The 25 Club’s generous donation allowed me to start this initiative and has placed Magee-Womens Hospital as a leader in clinical care, research, and innovation.”