Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich., has established an endowment for the division chief for pediatric hematology/oncology.
James Fahner, MD, who leads the hospital's cancer program, will be the first person in the position, and the endowment will help ensure ongoing leadership, advocacy and program development, Spectrum Health said in a news release.
Funding for the endowment is possible due to a gift from the Haworth family, longtime supporters and contributors to Helen DeVos Children's.
Dick and Ethie Haworth have been advocates and donors to the hospital for 17 years, since their grandson, Sam, was diagnosed with leukemia. Their contributions, cited by Spectrum Health, include endowments to create the Pediatric Oncology Innovative Therapeutics Clinic and the endowed medical director role for the clinic. The health system said the family has also given startup funding and an endowment for a comprehensive adolescent and young adult cancer services program.
"The Haworths' landmark generosity continues today, by making a new gift that will transform cancer care at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in several vital and impactful ways for years to come," Spectrum Health president and CEO Tina Freese Decker said in a news release.
Helen DeVos Children's will also refer to its childhood cancer program as the Ethie Haworth Children's Cancer Center.