Valley Children’s Hospital pediatric hematologist and oncologist Dr. Ruetima Titapiwatanakun has received a $25,000 infrastructure grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The funding is intended to enhance access to pediatric cancer clinical trials and provide more resources for local research in California’s Central Valley.
Valley Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center is currently the only provider of pediatric oncology services between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. It is also recognized as one of the leading pediatric cancer centers on the West Coast.
Dr. Titapiwatanakun said, “I am grateful for this grant, which expands Valley Children’s clinical research assistant infrastructure, supports equitable access to pediatric clinical research and advances evidence-based care. With this support, we can offer more children therapeutic and non-therapeutic trials while sustaining enrollment levels that place us in the 80-90+ percentiles among Children’s Oncology Group (COG) institutions nationwide.”
The center ranks in the top 5 to 8 percent internationally for patient enrollment in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), an organization focused solely on childhood cancer research.
Founded in 1999, St. Baldrick’s Foundation is considered the leading charitable funder of childhood cancer research grants in the United States, supported by thousands of volunteers and donors.
