CHERUBS sponsors $10,000 Facebook Contest to Benefit CDH Research

Something very exciting is going on at CHERUBS and we want YOU to be a part of it! Thanks to all of you wonderful members and fans for buying and selling raffle tickets we are ready to award a $10,000 CONGENITAL DIAPHRAGMATIC HERNIA RESEARCH GRANT!!!! 

We could choose a hospital ourselves but we thought it would be more fun, and raise more awareness, to get your help! So the hospital with the most votes by December 30th will win $10,000 for CDH Research!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vote at https://www.facebook.com/questions/10151158907097006

In the running are the following CDH labs and clinics:

• Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) Genetic Research Study
• DHREAMS Research Study (Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia) Lab 
• St. Louis Fetal Care Institute 
• Baylor College of Medicine CDH Genetic Lab 
• The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at CHOP 
• UCSF Fetal Treatment Center 
• Shands at the University of Florida CDH Clinic 
• Boston Children's Hospital CDH Clinic 

 These facilities were chosen based on research history and long-term research so that the most families can be helped.

The prize money was raised by members and friends of CHERUBS through a 50/50 raffle fundraiser over the summer and early fall.   9003 tickets were told to raise $9003.00.  The addition $997.00 comes from CHERUBS CDH Research Fund.

Vote at https://www.facebook.com/questions/10151158907097006

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

CDH occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth.   CDH occurs in 1 of every 2500 births; somewhere in the world, a baby is born with CDH every 10 minutes. 50% of babies diagnosed with CDH do not survive.  The cause is not known.  Over a half million babies have been born with CDH since 2000. 

CDH is as common as Spina Bifida and Cystic Fibrosis but there is very little awareness and even less research.  1600 babies are born with CDH every year in the United States.  Globally, a baby is born with CDH every 10 minutes.

CHERUBS is working hard to raise more CDH Awareness, and in turn, more CDH Research, while we continue to support families affected by this devastating birth defect.


CHERUBS  - The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support

CHERUBS is the world's first, oldest, and largest CDH non-profit organization.  We are truly a grassroots organization - CDH families creating something out of nothing when there was no other CDH group, information and services in 1995.  CHERUBS was created to make sure that no family endures Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia without support or accurate information.  Our Board of Directors includes CDH parents, grandparents, survivors, nurses, doctors and the world's top CDH researchers. CHERUBS is run solely by volunteers and donations.  At CHERUBS, every CDH family has an opportunity to honor or remember our children while doing good to help others and work together as a CDH community. No other charity in the world has such a respected, educated or experienced group of leaders who care so much about the CDH community.

CHERUBS was not created by one family or for one family.   It was not created in honor or in memory of one child.   It is, and has always been, a group effort to help all families affected by Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.   It is built upon the experiences of CDH families, collaborations with CDH researchers and a strong desire to raise CDH awareness through projects and events created in honor and in memory of cherubs.   CHERUBS was named for all the babies lost to Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

We are proud to serve over 4100 families in 54 countries and all 50 states affected by CDH since our creation.   Through our dozens of free ground-breaking services and the friendships made within our member community, CHERUBS has positively affected the lives of 1000's of CDH families and inspired many new CDH charities and project who have followed in our footsteps. We will continue to lead until Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia is no more. We are devoted to finding the cause, prevention and best treatments for CDH.

Learn more about us through the links to the left.

On The Fifth Day of CDH Christmas....

On The Fifth Day of CDH Christmas.... CHERUBS gave the CDH community another conference, another chance to meet other CDH families in person, talk to the world's leading CDH specialists, participate in CDH research and have fun.

CHERUBS 2010 International Member Conference for Families Affected by Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia will take place on July 8 - 10, 2010 in San Francisco.

This will be our first web conference as well! Members will be able to view the speakers on-line during our conference.

Hotel and speaker details to be posted soon on our conference web site at http://www.cherubsconference.org

Also today, here is the debut of our 2009 CHERUBS International Member Conference video.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gox5BgdkuoM

Five UCSF scientists named to Institute of Medicine

Congratulations to CHERUBS Medical Advisor, Dr. Michael Harrison!!!!!

http://news.ucsf.edu/releases/five-ucsf-scientists-named-to-institute-of-medicine/

October 12, 2009

Five UCSF scientists named to Institute of Medicine

Five UCSF faculty scientists are among the 65 newly elected members to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the National Academy of Sciences.

Election to IOM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. The new members were announced today (Oct. 12, 2009) at the IOM annual meeting.

The new UCSF members are:

• Deborah Grady, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and associate dean for clinical and translational research; and director, UCSF Women’s Health Clinical Research Center
• Lawrence W. Green, DrPH, professor, UCSF Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics; and co-leader, Society, Diversity & Disparities Program, UCSF School of Medicine and UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Michael R. Harrison, MD, professor emeritus of clinical surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences; and director emeritus, Fetal Treatment Center, UCSF Children’s Hospital
• Sam Hawgood, MBBS, dean and vice chancellor for medical affairs, UCSF School of Medicine
• Roger Nicoll, MD, professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology and physiology

The election brings to 71 the number of UCSF faculty who are members of the prestigious Institute. Election to the Institute recognizes those who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.

Grady - As co-director of the UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Grady is focused on transforming clinical and translational research to ensure that the best health solutions get to patients and the community as quickly as possible. She also is an international expert on menopause and the risks and benefits of postmenopausal hormone therapy. With colleagues at UCSF, she designed and conducted the Heart and Estrogen/progestin Replacement Study (HERS), a clinical trial of 2800 women with known coronary disease. The main results of this study showed no reduction in risk of heart attack or stroke among women who took hormones for four years. She currently is working with colleagues to help understand the cause of menopausal symptoms and to develop new treatments.

Green - Green joined the UCSF faculty in 2005 and specializes in population sciences research in cancer and other chronic diseases. Green’s research at UCSF includes reducing disparities in cancer. In a current project, he is looking at screening for colorectal cancer in the context of flu vaccine clinics. He has had an extensive career in both academia and international public health, focusing on translational research and health policy. As director of the Office of Health Promotion in the Carter Administration, he participated in the early development of the Healthy People Initiative, which since 1979 has continued to contribute to programs in health promotion and disease prevention. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he led international programs in tobacco control and national programs in community-based participatory research.

Harrison - As founding director of UCSF’s Fetal Treatment Center, Harrison is internationally renowned for his expertise and innovation in pediatric and fetal surgery and is author of more than 400 hundred peer-reviewed articles and several textbooks. Widely regarded as the “father of fetal surgery,” Harrison established the developmental pathophysiology of correctable birth defects in animal models, developed and tested techniques for fetal intervention, performed the first successful human fetal surgery for congenital diaphragmatic hernia and later for a number of other fetal anomalies, and initiated the first NIH-sponsored clinical trials for fetal surgery. Harrison’s current research focuses on pediatric orphan device development, for which he recently received one of three stimulus grants awarded by the FDA to fund a pediatric device consortium at UCSF.

Hawgood - Hawgood is the newly appointed dean of the UCSF School of Medicine. He previously served as interim dean and led the school in advancing a campuswide strategic plan that included expanding translational research, fostering patient-centered care, and furthering global health. He has been actively involved in planning the new UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, scheduled to open in 2014 with specialty hospitals for children, women, and cancer patients. Hawgood also directs a major NIH grant that supports a range of UCSF projects that seek a new basic understanding of lung biology and pulmonary diseases. He is past president of the Society for Pediatric Research and a past trustee of the International Pediatric Research Foundation.

Nicoll - Nicoll is renowned for his pioneering discoveries about the way in which the brain learns and remembers. Over several decades he has shown that learning and memory occur when neural connections between nerve cells in the brain are strengthened. This capacity to strengthen a connection, known as synaptic plasticity, or long-term potentiation, is considered the linchpin for processing, storing and recalling all information in the brain. Nicoll’s research focuses on the brain’s hippocampus, which is severely damaged in Alzheimer’s disease. Understanding the chemistry of thought could enhance drug design for Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases of the brain. He is a scientific member of the Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction at UCSF.

The IOM total active membership is now 1,610. Five individuals also were elected as foreign associates, bringing the total members in that category to 93. With another 75 members holding emeritus status, IOM’s total membership is now 1,778.

Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute is recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer their service as members of IOM study committees, boards and other activities.

Current active members elect new members through a highly selective process in which candidates are nominated for their professional achievement and commitment to service. The Institute’s charter stipulates that at least one-quarter of the membership is selected from outside the health professions, from such fields as the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; law; engineering; and the humanities.

UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.

Source:
Kate Schoen
kschoen@pubaff.ucsf.edu

Congenital Diapraghmatic Hernia: What to Expect When Your Baby Goes Home

"Description of what to expect once a baby with Congenital Diapraghmatic Hernia is taken home from the hospital. Presented by Roberta Keller MD, Director of the ECMO Program, UCSF Neonatology, and the UCSF Fetal Treatment Center"

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: Tracheal Occusion Surgery

"Description of what happens during Fetal Tracheal Occusion Surgery used for treatment of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). Presented by Hanmin Lee MD, Director of the UCSF Fetal Treatment Center."

On-Line CDH Video!

Courtesy of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, home of one of our Medical Advisors, our web site now has more information on CDH, incredible anatomy graphics and you can view a wonderful CDH video on-line! Thank you CHOP!

http://cdhsupport.org/cdh/

We have also added a CDH info video narrated by Michael Harrison of UCSF, the founding father of fetal surgery and another one of our Medical Advisors. Thank you, Dr. Harrison for supporting CHERUBS for 12 years and CDH families for 2 decades!!!! :)