Leadership Circle

An investment that makes an impact

Leadership Circle members invest in cutting-edge, high-impact projects led by Phoenix Children’s physicians and researchers. Since 2004, Leadership Circle has awarded nearly $5.6 million in grant funding to advance the groundbreaking work of the hospital’s top innovators.

Saving lives by preventing codes

In January 2021, Phoenix Children’s launched WATCHER, an early-warning system that alerts a patient’s care team when the patient’s condition is at risk of deteriorating. Funded by a Leadership Circle grant, WATCHER detects subtle changes in clinical status by analyzing data from the patient’s electronic medical record. This allows staff to identify at-risk patients and intervene sooner, preventing rapid decline and reducing the number of code events happening outside the ICU.

Making endoscopies faster, less expensive and less invasive

Pediatric gastroenterologist Shauna Schroeder, MD, used a Leadership Circle grant to bring a state-of-the-art, minimally invasive endoscopic procedure to Phoenix Children’s. With transnasal endoscopy, she can perform endoscopies more quickly and at a lower cost than with traditional endoscopy—and her patients no longer need general anesthesia to undergo the procedure.

Improving rehab with cutting-edge technology

Director of Rehabilitation Elizabeth Linos, MD, received a Leadership Circle grant to purchase a state-of-the-art gait training system for the Rehabilitation Program. Phoenix Children’s is the first children’s hospital in the country to use this system, which is making a big difference for patients and staff alike.