Joseph B. Gould Foundation

David D. Watts (right), trustee of the Joseph B. Gould Foundation and associate vice president of Major and Planned Gifts at Children's Hospital, presents the Gould Foundation's gift to Henri R. Ford, MD, vice president and chief of surgery at Children's Hospital.

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The da Vinci robot provides surgeons with an alternative to both traditional open surgery and conventional laparoscopy, enabling them to perform complex and delicate procedures through very small incisions with extreme precision. “This is an extraordinary gift that will help children recover faster from surgery, experience less pain and scarring, reduce the risk of infection and decrease blood loss,” says Henri R. Ford, MD, vice president and chief of surgery at Children's Hospital and professor and vice chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. “We are extremely grateful to the Foundation.”

“The Joseph B. Gould Foundation’s gift will bring to Children's Hospital the only surgical robot dedicated to children in the Southern California region and in the Southwestern United States,” says Chester J. Koh, MD, attending surgeon in the Division of Pediatric Urology at Children's Hospital and assistant professor of Urology at the Keck School of Medicine. “The da Vinci robot also gives the surgeon better visualization and improved surgical handling that allows complex surgical procedures, such as kidney reconstruction for children with blocked or obstructed kidneys, to be done in a minimally invasive fashion.”

Foundation's History of Giving

The Joseph B. Gould Foundation has been a generous supporter of Children's Hospital since 2000, when they gave the pediatric medical facility an unrestricted $15,000 grant. Since then, they have pledged $1 million toward the Marion and John E. Anderson Pavilion; funded three hydraulic cots for use in the hospital’s emergency transport helicopter and ambulance through a $30,000 grant; and guaranteed the purchase of new FAA-required helicopter equipment. In addition, the Foundation has supported various other hospital programs including cleft lip and palate surgeries, the Amerman Family Foundation Animal Assisted Therapy Program and AIDS treatment.

“Children's Hospital is a wonderful place and we want to see it grow and continue in its marvelous work,” says Carolyn Dirks, president of the Foundation and Joseph Gould’s daughter. “The da Vinci robot is a fantastic machine and it is a very needed piece of equipment.”

About The Donor

Mr. Gould, who passed away seven years ago, was an investor in oil, gas and real estate. He established the Foundation in 1991. “He was a very giving person who wanted the world to be a better place,” explains Mrs. Dirks, a Bel-Air resident. “He always felt that if you are lucky to have good fortune, you should give back and help others.”

Following the legacy established by its founder, the Foundation supports a broad spectrum of organizations including St. John’s Health Center, and various other medical facilities and museums. They also have been a generous supporter of Stanford University, and the ski and swim teams of the United States Olympics.

“We believe that in order to make the world a better place, you need healthy people. That means your body needs to be healthy, which is why we need great medical facilities, and your mind needs to be healthy through the arts,” says Mrs. Dirks. “We need a well-rounded world.”