The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has announced a $25 million gift from former board member Aileen K. Roberts and her family to launch a $50 million pediatric research and patient care initiative.

The family's gift will be used to create the Roberts Collaborative for Genetics and Individualized Medicine, core components of which will include genetic diagnostics; targeted therapeutic options based on an individual's genetic information; the training of residents and medical students; the development of healthcare informatics solutions; and clinical support and counseling through the newly established Roberts Individualized Medical Genetics Center. The gift also will  facilitate the integration of all clinical departments, divisions, and centers for the care of pediatric patients at the hospital and speed up the pursuit of breakthrough cures for childhood disease.

"The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is an internationally renowned pediatric healthcare network that integrates excellent patient care, innovative research and quality professional education into all of its programs," said Roberts. "Philadelphia is fortunate to have some of the nation's leading biomedical research institutes, and they are achieving great success in making the latest cures and therapies available to adults and children. Today, the Roberts family is honored to be able to contribute to CHOP's efforts to create a world-class collaborative and clinical center for genetic and individualized medicine in pediatrics.”