LOUISVILLE, KY (October 19, 2026) – Dr. Paula Grisanti, CEO of the National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF), was presented with the 2026 Duke Children’s Hero Award in recognition of NSCF’s commitment to helping children of limited means access clinical trials for rare diseases over the last nine years. The award was presented during the Duke Children’s Society Celebration on October 8th by Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, world renowned cord blood expert and Director of the Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy (PTCT) program at Duke University.
The NSCF Pediatric Promise Fund was established at the PTCT in 2017, speeding research to cures by covering insurance co-pays and deductibles for children participating in clinical trials for rare diseases when those out-of-pocket costs are beyond a family’s means. Children from all over the U.S. and around the world travel to PTCT for access to clinical trials for rare diseases that are responsible for 35% of all deaths in the first year of life. These are children with no other treatment options and often limited financial resources.
To date, more than 270 children, 54% under the age of 10, have accessed the NSCF Pediatric Promise Fund for critical financial support. The average expenditure per child has been just $3,000.
Click here to see the video presented during the awards celebration.