Dolly Parton Donates $1 Million For Pediatric Disease Research

Dolly Parton is donating $1 million to pediatric infectious disease research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), another transformative gift aimed to help fight against serious infectious diseases, such as coronavirus worldwide ramifications.

Dolly said in a press release, "I love all children. No child should ever have to suffer, and I'm willing to do my part to try and keep as many of them as I can as healthy and safe as possible."

Ongoing research in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases includes understanding how viruses and bacteria cause disease, understanding and preventing resistance to antibiotics, preventing and treating infections, diagnosing and treating infections in children with cancer, and research to define the impact of childhood infections throughout the world.

Parton made a previous $1 million gift to VUMC in April 2020 in honor of her longtime friend, Naji Abumrad, MD, professor of Surgery, to increase scientific knowledge and advance the battle against COVID-19 by supporting research teams working urgently to perfect treatments and cures.

Dolly's other gift to VUMC was a transformational contribution to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt Pediatric Cancer Program in honor of Abumrad and her niece, Hannah Dennison, who was successfully treated for leukemia as a child at Children's Hospital.