Texas Children's Hospital® - VISION 2010

Feigin Center - Overview

The Feigin Center at Texas Children's Hospital is internationally recognized for its seminal pediatric research, with more than 120 investigators collaborating in every aspect of pediatric care. The Vision 2010 eight-floor expansion adds the vital lab space, research infrastructure, and teaching and training opportunities that are so critical to advancing pediatric medicine and capitalizing on research advances that hold promise for a broad range of health issues facing children today.

Building on a tradition of excellence

Constructed in the early 1990s, and originally consisting of twelve floors, the building was renovated and rededicated to Drs. Ralph and Judith Feigin in 2003 as a tribute to their tireless work to making life better for all children. With more than $90 million in annual government grants, the researchers at the Feigin Center conduct ongoing research on everything from pediatric cardiology to asthma to infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

The addition of eight floors has expanded the Feigin Center's facilities to allow for more collaborative and clinical research — all making way for the faster translation of laboratory findings into effective treatments for children. The expansion allows Feigin Center researchers to intensify their research in areas of fundamental importance in microbiology, immunology, cell biology, and the sciences of infection and inflammation. They are making landmark discoveries and fundamental contributions to the fields of pediatric cancer and blood disorders, and learning how to genetically manipulate tumor cells to make effective cancer vaccines and how to enhance patients' own immune cells to enable them to attack cancers directly.

A vision for the future

Dr. Ralph Feigin (1938-2008), former physician-in-chief at Texas Children's Hospital and former president of Baylor College of Medicine, oversaw research that attracted more NIH funding than its peers and that received more new drug applications from the Food and Drug Administration each year than most pediatric hospitals or major pharmaceutical companies. To maintain this momentum, Dr. Feigin foresaw the imminent need to intensify research in vital areas such as cell and gene therapy. The Feigin Center will continue to expand upon that vision.

View the commemorative Feigin Center booklet highlighting the work of more than a dozen researchers who have made some of the most exciting discoveries of our time.

IN DEPTH

• Research Excellence

  A renowned epicenter of research in nearly every pediatric specialty, the Feigin Center has expanded its facilities with an eye toward bringing new discoveries and training the next generation of health care professionals.

• The Inspiration

  Under Dr. Ralph D. Feigin's visionary leadership, Texas Children's Hospital became a pediatric research powerhouse. Even more than his outstanding contributions to pediatric medicine, he is remembered for his warmth, accessibility, and unwavering commitment to excellence.

• Feigin Center Building

  With the new expansion, the Feigin Center will now accommodate a state-of-the-art simulation center, an animal imaging facility, and a special collaboration zone.