Our Leadership

From Our Director

The Children’s National Research Institute is the academic arm of Children’s National Hospital and has expanded to three campuses: the Sheikh Zayed Hospital Campus, the new Research & Innovation Campus and the Inventa building.

Children’s National Research Institute consists of five integrated research centers, as well as all undergraduate and graduate medical education programs, and Children’s National faculty affiliated with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (for which Children’s National serves as the Department of Pediatrics).

The research centers span from basic science to translational research and from clinical trials to community research:

The development arm of our research enterprise is Children’s National Innovation Ventures, which promotes product development and commercialization. A core value of Children’s National Research Institute is the collaborative and interdisciplinary approach we bring to all we do, and the close alignment of our research and clinical programs for the benefit of children’s health.

Through our integrated multidisciplinary programs we are transforming treatments in the areas of childhood cancer, rare genetic disorders, neurodevelopmental disabilities, behavioral disorders and surgical conditions.

Major advances have been made by all five research centers over the past year with high impact scientific journal articles and successful grant funding both from federal and non-federal resources. Seminal research has been published in the areas of cellular immunotherapy, global genomics, developmental neurobiology, device development and health equity. Despite COVID-19, 2020-2021 has seen an increase in our publication record, grant submissions and external grant support, such that our research enterprise now approaches $100 million per year.

We are passionate about the training and mentoring of the next generation of scientists, engineers, nurses and physicians dedicated to improving the well-being of children throughout their lifespan. Our research training and educational programs continue to excel, hosting over 1,600 trainees per year, including undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and physician-scientists. Our highly competitive residency program receives over 2,400 applicants for the 40 positions in our first year (intern) class.

Over two-thirds of all U.S. medical students who choose pediatrics apply to our program. In 2021, we welcomed an intern class of which half self-identify as coming from populations underrepresented in medicine .

We invite you to learn more about the work of our faculty and staff, and engage with our institute through this website, conferences, training programs and many other activities.

If you see opportunities for collaboration or would like to support our work, contact our leadership and administration or research centers.

Welcome to the Children’s National Research Institute website!

CNRI Director,
Catherine Bollard, M.D., M.B.Ch.B.
Interim Chief Academic Officer, Children’s National Hospital
Interim Director, Children’s National Research Institute
Director, Center for Cancer and Immunology Research