CHOP Establishes Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment

Richard D. Wood Jr. with Dr. N. Scott Adzick.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia established the Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, naming the Center after the Chairperson Emeritus of Wawa in recognition of a transformational gift of $25 million. The funding will help support the next generation of fetal medicine breakthroughs and research.

“Across eight generations and for more than 165 years, the Wood family and Wawa have been invaluable partners to and champions of our hospital,” said Madeline Bell, President and CEO of CHOP. “This generous investment from the Wood family will undoubtedly help advance the translation of promising science into new therapies that will benefit our tiniest patients.”

The gift will allow for the expansion of clinical, educational, and research efforts. Some of the initiatives planned including building a new clinical space for the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit, which will allow CHOP to serve more patients and families; creating a birth defects biorepository, which will enable groundbreaking research and help guide treatment decisions; and establishing endowments for a Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Surgical Science, and Fellowships in Pediatric Surgical Science.

“It’s a great privilege and honor to name the hospital’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment after Richard D. Wood Jr.,” said N. Scott Adzick, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief and Founder and Director of the Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment. “On behalf of our entire team, I would like to express my gratitude to the Wood family on this historic gift, which will fuel a new era of breakthroughs in fetal medicine and surgery. Their generous philanthropic support will allow for a major expansion of infrastructure, patient services, research, and recruitment that will categorically be pivotal to our hospital and the patients and families we serve worldwide.”

The Wood family has supported CHOP since its founding in 1855 as the nation’s first children’s hospital. Dr. George Bacon Wood was among the signers of CHOP’s articles of incorporation, and a Wood family member has been involved with the hospital since then. Among their contributions include leading the project to move CHOP from its original South Philadelphia location to its current location; creating a chair endowment; and providing free coffee and beverages to CHOP families and visitors daily.

“Supporting the mission of CHOP has long been part of the Wood family and Wawa DNA, and we are sincerely honored to continue supporting the hospital’s mission through the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment,” said Richard D. Wood Jr. “It’s incredible to witness our partnership flourish over the decades. We are truly proud to be part of the legacy of a world-renowned fetal medicine program led by Dr. Adzick.”

The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment opened in 1995 and has since worked tirelessly to advance the field of fetal medicine. The Center is recognized internationally, and its team has cared for more than 27,000 expectant parents from around the country and the world. Dr. Adzick and other Center leaders are considered founders of modern fetal medicine, and they have worked alongside other leading physicians and researchers in experimental laboratories to develop the techniques used clinically today.

Read more about the Center’s history of groundbreaking research in a Q&A with Dr. Adzick.