This year’s luncheon is taking place on Saturday, March 28, 2020 at The Phoenician Resort and the theme is “Field of Dreams”. The event will benefit pediatric medical research in Arizona and feature 55 models, a live and silent auction and raffle.

Our 2020 project is focusing on three research areas for which Steele is world-renowned:
• Autoimmune research: Uncovering what makes a child’s body suddenly turn against itself, including diseases such as Type 1 Diabetes, Crohn’s Disease, and ulcerative colitis.
• Childhood Postinfectious Autoimmune Encephalopathy (CPAE): Supporting the first center of excellence in the United States for this devastating condition associated with Streptococcal infection.
• Genome sequencing: Personalizing treatments for children with unexplained illness and non-response to traditional therapies.

The Steele Children’s Research Center is the only academic pediatric medical research center in Arizona. The dual role of researcher and physician at Steele is also unique in pediatric medicine in Arizona.

About the UA Steele Children’s Research Center

The UA Steele Children’s Research Center is one of the prestigious Centers of Excellence at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson at the University of Arizona Health Sciences. It is the state’s only academic pediatric research center designated by the Arizona Board of Regents, and the only facility in Southern Arizona where researchers and physician-scientists are dedicated to advancing medical knowledge through basic and translational research to improve children’s health. As researchers, they seek to discover answers to children’s medical mysteries. As physician-scientists, they provide compassionate care to hospitalized patients at Banner Children’s at Diamond Children’s Medical Center and pediatric outpatient clinics throughout the state. And, as faculty members with the UA Department of Pediatrics, they teach and train the next generation of pediatricians and researchers.

About PANDA

Since its founding, the Phoenix Women’s Board of the Steele Children’s Research Center, known as PANDA (People Acting Now Discover Answers), has raised over $15 million to improve treatments and cures for devastating childhood diseases as well as fund and recruit internationally recognized pediatric physicians and scientists to Arizona, providing families with the most cutting-edge medical care. PANDA is an entirely volunteer board consisting of more than 150 Phoenix-area women. To learn more, visit: azpanda.org.