Seattle Childrens Research Institute (SCRI) is a world-renowned center for pediatric research and care. SCRI was founded in 1907 by Dr. Luther A. Wehrung, a pioneer in the field of child health and development. Today, SCRI is one of the leading institutions dedicated to improving child health through groundbreaking medical research and innovative patient care.
SCRI’s mission is to provide hope, care, and cures for children with catastrophic illnesses worldwide through expert clinical care, innovative research, and advocacy for families. In pursuit of its mission, SCRI has made major contributions to the understanding and treatment of childhood diseases such as cancer, heart disease, genetic disorders, infectious diseases, and developmental disabilities.
SCRI is home to more than 1,700 employees – including more than 500 scientists – who work together to advance knowledge about how best to improve the health of all children through biomedical discovery. The institute comprises three divisions: Basic Sciences Division (BSD), Clinical Sciences Division (CSD), and Population Sciences Division (PSD). Each division includes several programs that focus on specific areas of child health research or patient care. Together, these divisions provide a comprehensive approach to tackling some of the most pressing problems in pediatrics today.
The BSD conducts laboratory-based research aimed at identifying the causes of childhood diseases and developing new treatments and cures. The CSD translates findings from basic science into new therapies and treatments for patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital and beyond. The PSD designs population-based studies that generate real-world data on how best to prevent or treat childhood illnesses; this type of “translational” research often has direct implications for public policymaking. All three divisions work closely together to ensure that discoveries made in the laboratory are quickly translated into improvements in patient care