In 2017, the Novo Nordisk Foundation granted a total of DKK 60 million for three five-year professorships in paediatric surgery at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. The grants were made as plans were afoot for a new children’s hospital (originally BørneRiget, now Mary Elizabeth’s Hospital), now scheduled for opening in 2026.
Children born and growing up with heart disease or a congenital deformity of the kidneys, urinary tract or gastrointestinal tract often need highly specialised investigation and surgery, sometimes at the fetal stage.
The three professorships were created for the purpose of research, development, and teaching in these areas. The purpose of the professorships was to contribute to creating a world-class research and treatment environment at the new hospital to benefit patients throughout Denmark.
About the three professorships
Professorship in fetal and intrauterine therapy
A treatment and surgery programme is often planned while children are still in the fetal stage. The professorship in fetal and intrauterine therapy was designed to help ensure the continuing development of new and better methods of assessing the health status of an unwell fetus, and the development of effective, safe, and timely treatments and interventions at the fetal stage to ensure the best possible quality of life for each child.
Professorship in paediatric cardiac surgery
Fetal diagnosis, early heart surgery and advanced monitoring and treatment during hospitalisation at an intensive care unit is vital to ensure a high quality of life for children with heart disease. Studies show that many children with heart disease develop complications such as learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, and poor motor development. The professorship was intended to enable intensified research in these fields within paediatric cardiac surgery to help take the new children’s hospital to the frontline of research, improving treatment as a result.
Professorship in reconstructive surgery
Many children with congenital deformities undergo reconstructive surgery to restore functioning and physical characteristics. The establishment of a professorship in the development of tissue culture transplants for clinical use closely linked to the clinical development of surgical techniques, including robot-assisted ones, together with the current stem cell research at Rigshospitalet, was intended to help create a scientific powerhouse in the absolute elite of research in paediatric surgery.
Image: Illustration of entrance of the future Children’s Hospital (BørneRiget). Illustation: 3xN.
