Country icon Dolly Parton has donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville for pediatric infectious disease research.
"No child should ever have to suffer," Parton, said in a press release. "I'm willing to do my part to try and keep as many of them as I can as healthy and safe as possible."
The funding will help Vanderbilt's Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases to advance its effort in understanding how viruses and bacteria cause disease, understanding and preventing resistance to antibiotics, diagnosing and treating infections in children with cancer and more.
"Dolly's previous support to infectious disease research, and also our pediatric cancer program, has already saved countless lives," said Dr. Jeff Balser, president and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "This new gift will bolster our defenses against future threats to the safety of this region and society as a whole."
In April 2020, Parton made a $1 million gift to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in honor of her longtime friend, Naji Abumrad, MD, professor of Surgery, to support research to help in the fight against COVID-19.
(Photo: Stacie Huckeba)
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