Located in Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude Children’s Hospital is internationally famous for its mission to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. More than 8,000 people from around the world are seen at St. Jude for research and treatment every year, and no family ever receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.
St. Jude was conceived by actor Danny Thomas as he prayed at a Catholic Church in Detroit while struggling in his young career. When he became a popular star, he followed through, forming the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude.
The hospital treats children from all 50 states and around the world via the main campus and eight affiliate clinics. Unlike other hospitals, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from generous donors. In the years ahead, an estimated 89% of the funds necessary to sustain and grow St. Jude must be raised by ALSAC from generous donors. In 2023, ALSAC raised $2.4 billion for the hospital. Maintaining and expanding St. Jude requires more than $2 billion annually.
From its beginning in 1962, St. Jude has conducted important research on childhood cancers and has shared its findings with the global research community. In a typical year, its staff publishes up to 800 articles in academic journals. Peter Doherty, who conducts research on immunology at the hospital, won the 1996 Nobel Prize for his work in Physiology or Medicine. St. Jude was the first institution to develop a cure for sickle-cell disease, via bone marrow transplant.
Protocols developed at St. Jude have helped push national survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20% when the facility opened to more than 80% today.
- St. Jude 2023 Annual Report, ALSAC / St. Jude 2023 Annual Report: Highlights & Financials