$4 Million Contributed to Establish Chair for The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Two philanthropic gifts, totaling $4 million, have been pledged in support of The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, an international referral center for children with complex eye diseases.

A $2 million gift from the Larry & Celia Moh Foundation to The Vision Center will help establish the A. Linn Murphree Retinoblastoma Program Chair.  CHLA ophthalmologist A. Linn Murphree, MD, established the retinoblastoma center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles more than 30 years ago, and has devoted his professional career to uncovering the mysteries of retinoblastoma and caring for children with childhood eye cancer.

Murphree, who is also a professor of Ophthalmology at the USC Eye Institute, has pledged an additional $2 million toward the endowed chair.  The inaugural chair is Jonathan W. Kim, MD, director of The Vision Center’s Retinoblastoma Center and associate professor of Ophthalmology at the USC Eye Institute. 

Kim joined The Vision Center at CHLA in 2012 as the new director of the Retinoblastoma Program, after being recruited from Stanford Medical Center. He provides clinical expertise in the management of pediatric intraocular tumors, having trained at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School.

“We are very grateful for the vital funding provided by the Moh family and by Dr. Murphree,” said Thomas C. Lee, division head of The Vision Center at CHLA and associate professor of Ophthalmology at the USC Eye Institute.  “Their generosity will enable Dr. Kim and his team to carry on the legacy established by Dr. Murphree to research and develop new treatment modalities to save the eyes and lives of children with retinoblastoma.”

Furniture-industry entrepreneur Laurence Moh established the Larry & Celia Moh Foundation, based in Shanghai.  Their son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Peggy Moh, have a teen-age daughter who has been treated since infancy at The Vision Center of CHLA for retinoblastoma, a rare childhood retinal tumor.

As one of the largest clinical programs and centers in the United States, The Vision Center at CHLA is the only program of its kind with expertise in virtually every pediatric ophthalmologic subspecialty.  The physicians and scientists in the retinoblastoma program focus on early detection and the development of improved treatments for retinoblastoma and other cancers that could arise in children as a result of mutations in the retinoblastoma gene. Theirs is one of the most active programs in the country, with 18 current and ongoing clinical trials providing the potential to enhance patient care by discovering new, innovative treatment options.

Murphree has been instrumental in identifying the genetic mutation causing retinoblastoma and has recently developed a new classification system to describe the disease. In addition to supporting the research endeavors of The Vision Center, the A. Linn Murphree Chair will allow Kim and colleagues to develop a long-term care clinic devoted exclusively to patients who have already received initial treatment for retinoblastoma. Instead of multiple visits throughout the year, patients will have all their needs addressed at the clinic at one time, and receiving comprehensive care from a team of specialists.

“I am proud to be carrying on the legacy established by Dr. Murphree as we continue to provide the best clinical care in the word to children afflicted with retinoblastoma here at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles,” said Kim.

About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children’s hospital on the West Coast and among the top five in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Children’s Hospital is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children’s Hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since 1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

About The Vision Center at CHLA

The Vision Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles is an international referral center for children with complex eye diseases and is the only program of its kind in the United States with expertise in virtually every pediatric ophthalmologic subspecialty.  It is closely affiliated with the USC Eye Institute at the University of Southern California. 

For more information, visit CHLA.org. Follow us on our blog http://researchlablog.org/.  

Media Contact: Debra Kain, dkain@chla.usc.edu

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