Benefactors

The late Houston businessman Dan Duncan and his wife, Texas Children's Hospital trustee Jan Duncan, generously donated $50 million to support the creation and development of the new Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's. Their landmark gift, the largest ever given to Texas Children's, will fund collaborative research, education and identification of new treatments for disorders including autism, epilepsy and cerebral palsy, as well as learning disorders.

Anthony Petrello, a member of the Texas Children's Hospital Board of Trustees, and his wife Cynthia launched a fundraising effort to help establish the Texas Children's Neurological Research Institute, a research-based center of excellence in pediatric neurosciences. Their $5 million private donation will help create a facility that combines clinical, educational and research programs focused on children with mental or neurological disorders.

Founded in Houston in 1923, The Blue Bird Circle is an organization of women volunteers dedicated to community improvement through acts of charity and service. Baylor College of Medicine Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Neuroscience receives invaluable support from the organization through its sponsorship of Texas Children's Blue Bird Circle Clinic for Pediatric Neurology, the Blue Bird Circle Developmental Neurogenetics Laboratory, and the Blue Bird Circle Rett Center. Blue Bird volunteers raise over $1 million annually and contribute over 100,000 hours of service each year in support of neurological research and patient care.

The Gordon and Mary Cain Pediatric Neurology Research Foundation Laboratories were established in 1992 to conduct research into the underlying causes of epilepsy and other disorders of neurological development. Through the generous financial support of the late Houston businessman and philanthropist, Gordon Cain, the laboratories have generated significant discoveries relating to neurological function and disease and are able provide multidisciplinary training for a new generation of neuroscientists.