Dr. Karen Pape Program in Neuroplasticity

A Letter from Dr. Pape’s Children

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Supporters of our Mum,

In her lifetime, our mother started a revolution in the care of children with early brain injury. For decades, through her clinical practice and advocacy efforts she advanced widespread recognition that there is real hope for children with early brain injury—that they are capable of health and quality of life outcomes that were long thought impossible.

In the last two years of her life, she reconnected with SickKids. Believing that a reimaging of the mission of the Neonatal Follow-up Clinic she founded would be the fastest and most cost-effective way to transform the standard of care, she began developing what has become the Dr. Karen Pape Program in Neuroplasticity.

While it is devastating that she did not live to see this day, her work lives on in this newly established program. The paradigm is shifting. A flag has been planted at SickKids and the Hospital is dedicated to carrying on the work our mother championed.

We hope you will join us in supporting this vital program. By raising $5.975 million, together we can drive system-wide change, helping to make a new standard of care available to children everywhere.

Sarah Pape & Aaron Pape

THE CHALLENGE
Premature and critically ill babies are at high risk for neurodevelopmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy. At present, we are limited in our capacity to enable healthy outcomes in these infants because of a lack of effective diagnostics and treatments that harness the brain’s capacity to adapt and recover.

WHY SICKKIDS
Karen believed in SickKids as the place to start driving system-wide change—we are the clinical home for infants with brain injury during a critical period of their brain development, we have a deep bench of interprofessional and neuroscience expertise, and we have an international reputation for excellence that inspires others to follow our lead.

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP
DR. ESTELLE GAUDA, Head, Division of Neonatology
DR. LINH LY, Director, Neonatal Follow-up Program
DR. STEVEN MILLER, Head, Division of Neurology and Centre for Brain & Mental Health
DR. DONALD MABBOTT, Head, Neurosciences & Mental Health Research Program

OUR VISION
Our vision is to redefine what is possible for children with early brain injuries by initiating system-wide change in how we care for the developing brain. Over a 10-year period, in Dr. Karen Pape’s name, we will build a world-leading clinical care, research and education program in neuroplasticity focused on transforming outcomes for infants and children affected by early brain injury.

YOUR IMPACT
Through an investment of $5.975 million, the Dr. Karen Pape Program in Neuroplasticity will reimagine neonatal follow-up care at SickKids for infants with cerebral palsy, build evidence to support its broader adoption, and instill this new knowledge in the next generation of leaders—all toward the goal of reducing developmental disabilities and improving quality of life for children with early brain injury.

For more information, please contact:
Angela Murphy
Vice-President, Campaign
Angela.Murphy@sickkidsfoundation.com
phone: 416-572-1646