Nationwide Children's Hospital Newsletter October 2022

Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Foundation

A Letter from the Foundation

Fall is such a wonderful time for children and families. Hayrides, trick or treat, sports, and the promise of the holiday season right around the corner. I hope this issue of the Foundation Newsletter finds you doing well and enjoying the season.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital would not be the institution we are today without our long-standing corporate partner, Nationwide. Their giving to our hospital is unparalleled in the business world and, in this issue, we will tell you about the 2022 iteration of the Nationwide Foundation Pediatric Innovation Fund.

Steve Testa President, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation

You will also learn about genomics, a revolutionary discipline that will, someday, change the way we diagnose and treat virtually every healthcare condition. At Nationwide Children’s, we have used nationally known strengths in genomics to positively impact children with cancer, birth defects, genetic conditions, behavioral health conditions, and more.

While you will read about Nationwide’s tremendous generosity, I do want to thank you for every way that you support our mission. Every gift truly does matter. We all have a role to play in helping children and gifts of every dollar amount help us care for every child, for every reason, without regard to the family’s ability to pay.

We wouldn’t be here without corporate support. But we wouldn’t be here without your support either.

Thank you for everything,

Testa

Steve

Your generosity helps us launch so many innovative programs and treat children in our community and beyond.

Inside? What’s

Where Are They Now? 4

Genomics Impact on Cancer Treatment 6 Improving the Health of Children Takes Visionary Support 8

Helping Youth Athletes 10

A Sweet Choice - IRA Charitable Rollover 11

“Without genomic testing, we would be treating Carter’s tumor based on our best guesses.”

Where Are They Now?

The first day of school is a big day for every child’s family. But for Carter’s family, it was a celebratory reminder of just how far he had come.

Carter has been a patient at Nationwide Children’s Hospital since 2013. At just 1 year old, he was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. Now — thanks to the expertise in precision medicine led by his clinical teams and cutting-edge research at the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Ge nomic Medicine (IGM) at Nationwide Chil dren’s Hospital — Carter is a 9-year-old kid enjoying a new school year.

Following Carter’s 1-year well-baby visit, physicians discovered he had sarcoma, a rare cancerous tumor that occurs in bone, muscle, or connective tissues. Treated through surgery and pro ton radiation therapy with initial success, the tumor returned when Carter was 6 years old. Physicians turned to the IGM for answers – and the sarcoma was classified as a meningeal sarcoma — an especially rare and aggressive tumor that pre dominantly affects children. They identified its cause: a mutation that causes one specific gene to become overactive. Carter’s clinical team was able to target that gene with an oral chemotherapy drug.

GENOMICS AND PEDIATRIC CANCER: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

All cancers contain genetic changes, or mutations, in the ge netic code of their cells. These mutations cause cancer cells to grow and spread, leading to the development of a tumor. Genomic testing searches for gene alterations, or harmful changes, in the genetic code and identifies the specific pat tern of mutations of a person’s cancer.

“DNA, essentially, encodes the instructions for how cells should work,” says Elaine Mardis, PhD, who leads the IGM

along with Richard Wilson, PhD, as co-executive director. “If those instructions get scrambled or damaged, then cells may grow out of control, resulting in a cancer.”

Treatments affect people differently - it comes down to our genes. Genomics leads to better understanding the cancer, allowing doctors to identify treatments that may or may not work best for each patient. When the IGM identified the mutation responsible for Carter’s tumors, his clinical team was able to prescribe targeted treatment for that mutation which has helped him stay in remission, tolerate his medication without side effects, and avoid any developmental delays.

“Without genomic testing, we would be treating Carter’s tu mor based on our best guesses. Knowing the exact mutation, we were able to quickly arrive at an effective treatment for him. This is precision medicine at its best,” says Dr. Nick Yeager, director of Oncology in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplant and a member of the com prehensive sarcoma program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

THE PROMISE – AND REWARD - OF PRECISION MEDICINE

Now cancer free, Carter represents the power of combining state-of-the-art diagnostics and therapies. His life was saved by researchers and specialists at the IGM, working to find the genes driving cancers in children — and the drugs that can stop them. DNA sequencing and genomics are revolu tionary next steps towards precision medicine. With these powerful new weapons in our arsenal, we can continue to learn more about what causes pediatric cancer and match children with precision treatments that spare them harsh side effects. This knowledge can give patients, like Carter, personalized approaches to fighting cancer and the chance to grow up and lead full lives.

Genomics Impact on Cancer Treatment

The genome is the blueprint of who we are. Break ing it down and truly understanding it will allow us to do amazing things, like precisely target treatments and medications to specific cells in the body. We aren’t there yet, but we’re farther along than we were. In 2003, the first human genome sequence was complet ed. It was the culmination of 15 years of work by scien tists around the world and over $3 billion in funding. A tremendous medical breakthrough, unlocking infinite potential to treat patients around the world, but a costly, time-consuming one. Time is often of the essence, and the children and families who come to Nationwide Children’s Hospital deserve the best possible care.

Founded in 2016, the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen In stitute for Genomic Medicine (IGM) has led the way in dramatically reducing the time, and cost, of genomic sequencing. What once took 15 years to unlock, can now be accomplished in mere hours. Hours that can mean a child starts treatment sooner. Hours that provide answers to a family with more questions than patience. Hours that can bring a family together and restore hope to a once-hope less situation.

“I think genomics will change the face of pediatrics. We have the opportunity to meld together research and clinical care to offer more tests, more information and more interpretation to our clinicians, which results in better outcomes for kids. In five years, I see genomics being much more rapidly applied.”

– Elaine R. Mardis, PhD, Co-Executive Director, Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine

Since 2018, the IGM at Nationwide Children’s has studied more than 400 cancer patients, with 95% of them receiv ing at least one medically meaningful result. As Nationwide Children’s launches the boldest strategic plan in our 130-year history, this potential to provide better insights to more cancer patients drove us to identify genomics and personalized medicine as one of the plan’s three key pillars, and an area where we’re truly leading the charge.

There are three areas on which Nationwide Children’s ge nomics team will focus on the continuing Journey to Best Outcomes: developing novel genomics-enabled research, advancing genomics-driven precision medicine, and ad vancing computational genomics and informatics.

Working with service lines like fetal surgery, cardiology, and immunology, our scientists will work to develop new programs and potential treatments, driven by what the pa tient’s genetic code can tell us. This view of how a patient’s genetic code works together allows us to identify which genes are associated with health and disease. Ultimately, the hope is that all this work and research will provide answers in understanding what is happening in the body that causes childhood cancers, birth defects, and rare or undiagnosed genetic diseases.

The second area, advancing genomics-driven precision medicine, allows us to put this research into practice. The goal is to increase a patient’s access to new treatments and clinical trials, all made possible by a greater understand ing of their genetic code. For those who are still awaiting answers to what may be causing their illness, expansion of the genomics program will allow us to provide rapid ge nome sequencing to critically ill patients in intensive care units at Nationwide Children’s and our affiliate hospitals. By expanding next-generation sequencing testing to all pa tients with cancer, we hope to provide targeted, time-sen sitive treatment to childhood cancer patients earlier than ever before. All because we have a better understanding of what their genetic code is telling us.

Lastly, research and data-driven decision making are at the core of everything we do at Nationwide Children’s. Over the course of this strategic plan, disease specific focus areas will be developed, allowing us to continue to scale our work. We will also do more to create opportunities for cross-disciplinary work, growing collaborations across the department and all of Nationwide Children’s.

Genomics offers us the ability to drill down to the most basic structure of what makes us who we are, and to create a plan to address things like childhood cancer at its core. The leap has been made from it taking years to complete a sequence to taking only hours. It’s time to make the next leap, the one into unlocking the questions around cancer, birth defects, and rare and undiagnosed conditions. It’s time to put what we know into widespread use. It’s time, once again, for Nationwide Children’s to lead.

Gene

A gene is a short section of DNA that carries instructions for determining physical traits such as eye color, hair color and height.

Genes carr y information passed down from parents to their children.

This information provides the instructions that determine physical features. Sometimes this information can cause diseases.

Genome

The genome is the body’s inner car engine

Each part of a car engine is like a gene.

Air Filter

Fan Exhaust

Oil Pan

Genetics

Genetics is the study of how single-gene diseases are transmitted from parents to their children

It’s like examining how an engine was built and what each part does.

Keeps dirt and debris from entering the engine.

Air Filter Fan

Its parts — genes — work together to make you unique.

A car needs an engine to drive, and your body needs the instructions in your genome to perform the functions that help you grow and live.

Genomics

Genomics is the study of a person’s collection of genes

— like looking at a car engine and how its parts work together

Variant

A variant is when a gene is changed, added, missing or in the wrong place.

Missingparts

Extra parts

Air Filter Fan

Exhaust Engine Block

Exhaust

Engine Block

Changes in the parts of the engine can affect how the car runs.

Improving the health of children takes visionary support

Established in 2014, the Nationwide Foundation Pediatric Innovation Fund targets strategic investments in pediatric and community health. The Innovation Fund supports several key clinical and research efforts, including behavioral health research, On Our Sleeves, population health, infectious disease, and clinical and translational research.

The fund has helped propel the promise of precision medicine into reality through genomics. The Innovation Fund enabled transformational impact by helping make possible the recruitment of world-renowned genomics researchers Richard K. Wilson, PhD and Elaine R. Mardis, PhD to lead the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine (IGM) in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s. Today, both Wilson and Mardis hold endowed chairs generously created by the Nationwide Foundation and IGM remains one of the few programs in pediatric personalized genomic medicine in the U.S. and focuses on genomics as the root cause of many childhood diseases. Since establishment in 2016, the institute has provided more than 59,000 clinical genomics-based tests for more than 16,000 patients with a variety of conditions.

“The Pediatric Innovation Fund has been a game-changer,” said Tim Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “These funds accelerate key initiatives across our organiza tion, advancing promising discoveries and tackling some of toughest issues in pediatrics today. With support from the Nationwide Foundation, we have attracted and funded some of the brightest minds in pediatric research and care. This is impact that will be felt for decades to come.”

With Nationwide Foundation’s announcement in August of a new $10 million gift, they have contributed $90 million to the fund since its inception. This year’s gift will continue to benefit IGM as well as:

• The Great Collide - The original study, funded by the Innovation Fund in 2021, revealed how employees’ concerns over pediatric mental health affects business. The Fund will now enable additional research and national mar keting and awareness building for the second phase of study, specifically researching the im pact of child mental health in the workplace.

• Population Health in Linden - Continued investment in vital, evidence-based programs to help ensure all children have a healthy future in Columbus’ historic Linden neighborhood. Last year, the Nationwide Foundation com mitted $2 million to Nationwide Children’s Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families initiative to create single-family affordable housing units in Linden.

• Infectious Disease Fellowship - Patients with infections have better outcomes if managed by an Infectious Disease subspecialist. This 2022 Innovation Fund support will endow an Infectious Disease Host Defense program.

• Chair in the Center for Clinical and Translational Research - Supports the creation of the Nationwide Foundation Endowed Chair for Clinical and Translational Research. The chair will be awarded to John David Spencer, MD, Chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and Principal Investigator in the Center for Clinical and Translational Research. With the creation of the chair, Nationwide Children’s role as a leader in this area will grow and help ensure no child has to leave central Ohio for world-class care.

Nichole Ferris

If you have questions or would like more information, contact: 614.355-5427

Vice President, Constituent Giving

Nationwide Childrens Hospital Foundation 700 Children’s Dr. * Columbus, OH 43205 - 43205

Email: Nichole.Ferris@NationwideChildrens.org

Tim Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Richard K. Wilson, PhD Executive Director of the Steve and Cindy Rasmus sen Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Elaine R. Mardis, PhD Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

59,000 16,000 clinical genomics based tests for more than patients with

a variety of conditions

Since 2018 the IGM has studied more than 400 cancer patients with 95% receiving medically meaningful results

“Creating the Pediatric Innovation Fund has allowed us to make meaningful contributions in the lives of children and their families not only locally, but worldwide. The research discoveries and innovations happening at Nationwide Children’s Hospital are shared with pediatric hospitals across the country and around the world to help children everywhere.”

Kirt Walker, Nationwide CEO and Nationwide Foundation Chairman

The Impact is

Your spare change has enormous impact. In 2021, our Children’s Miracle Network partners raised $3,101,225.23 to support Nationwide Children’s Hospital!

We are grateful for our corporate partners and their hard-working associates that make this giving opportunity available to their loyal customers. They actively share our mission to help children around the world with breakthrough research, and locally with our personal care, no matter the family’s ability to pay.

This autumn and holiday season, while you are traveling and shopping, consider visiting these Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ partners to support Nationwide Children’s through their campaigns.

On Our Sleeves® Clinical Director Dr. Ariana Hoet talked with On Our Sleeves champion Ryan Day about the importance of parents, caregivers, teachers and coaches in identifying mental health challenges in young people in order to help them.

Watch the full interview by scanning the QR code:

Thanks to all the participants, both in person and virtual, the 2022 On Our Sleeves 5K presented by The Big Lots Foundation raised more than $139,000 for the movement for children’s mental health!

Every dollar raised supports our mission to provide every community in America with free educational mental health resources necessary for breaking child mental health stigmas and educating families and advocates. There’s still time to give!

The On Our Sleeves 5K is moving to May to support Mental Health Awareness Month in 2023. Date and location details coming soon!

A Sweet Choice - IRA Charitable Rollover

While required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your IRA must begin at age 72, that does not mean you must pay taxes on it. Rather than take the distribution yourself, choose instead to direct it to the mission of Nationwide Children’s Hospital through an IRA charitable rollover, also known as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). In fact, a QCD from your IRA may be as close as you come to a perfect dessert.

EXPERIENCE SWEET SAVINGS.

A QCD can satisfy all, or part, of your RMD and allows you to do nate up to $100,000 directly from your IRA to charity using pre-tax assets. If your spouse has a separate IRA, they can use it as well. Even if you do not itemize, or are subject to charitable deduction limits, the QCD allows you to give in a tax advantageous way. Because the distribution is excluded from your income, a QCD may help you avoid income that could push you into a higher tax bracket. It also minimizes the effect on your cash flow; the gift is from your assets, not your checkbook.

Contact your IRA custodian and let them know you intend to make a QCD to Nationwide Children’s. Provide your administrator with the necessary information and contact name below.

Lori Caldwell Aiello, JD, CAP ®

Director, Planned Giving Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation 700 Children’s Dr. * Columbus, OH 43205 Tax ID#31-1036370

Lori.Aiello@NationwideChildrens.org 614.355.5417

Helpful Hints

START EARLY.

It may take your IRA custodian a few weeks to process your gift before year end.

LET US KNOW.

If you decide to make a QCD to Nationwide Children’s, please let us know. If we know your gift is coming, we can be sure to record your gift and thank you properly. You can also designate your gift to a hospital program that is important to you.

BE DIRECT.

To avoid taxes on distributions to charity, your IRA custodian must transfer your gift directly to Nationwide Children’s.

HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF RETIREMENT ACCOUNT?

Rollover gifts can only be made from an IRA. If you don’t have an IRA but you do have another retirement account, please contact us for ideas on what you can do to benefit from the IRA charitable rollover.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital

700 Children’s Drive Columbus, Ohio 43205-2696

The glow on their faces will be felt in your heart.

When your child is sick, your world stops, but the rest of the world keeps going. In this situation, we often hear “let me know if there is anything I can do.” Well, the team at Nationwide Children’s wants you to know, there is something you can do. You have the power to brighten patients’ lives during the holiday season. As this magical time of year approaches, we invite you to partner with us to provide world class care and support to families during their most challenging time.

This holiday season, when you donate to Nationwide Children’s, you will light up the hospital lawn with glowing butterflies for our patients to see and in doing so, light up their life. Beginning in mid-November, when a donation is made, butterflies will illuminate across the front lawn of the main hospital to be viewed by patients peering out of their rooms, and for the community as they pass by.

Join us today. Light up the Lawn, Light up a Life.

Sponsorship opportunities are being offered for our lawn butterflies. Please contact Carrie DiNovo at (614) 355-5494 or Carrie.DiNovo@NationwideChildrens.org for more information.