$4 Million Contributed to Establish Chair for The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Two philanthropic gifts, totaling $4 million, have been pledged in
support of The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, an
international referral center for children with complex eye diseases.

A $2 million gift from the Larry & Celia Moh Foundation to The Vision
Center will help establish the A. Linn Murphree Retinoblastoma Program
Chair. CHLA ophthalmologist A. Linn Murphree, MD, established the
retinoblastoma center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles more than 30
years ago, and has devoted his professional career to uncovering the
mysteries of retinoblastoma and caring for children with childhood eye
cancer.

Murphree, who is also a professor of Ophthalmology at the USC Eye
Institute, has pledged an additional $2 million toward the endowed
chair. The inaugural chair is Jonathan W. Kim, MD, director of The
Vision Center’s Retinoblastoma Center and associate professor of
Ophthalmology at the USC Eye Institute.

Kim joined The Vision Center at CHLA in 2012 as the new director of the
Retinoblastoma Program, after being recruited from Stanford Medical
Center. He provides clinical expertise in the management of pediatric
intraocular tumors, having trained at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center, Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, and the Massachusetts Eye and
Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School.

“We are very grateful for the vital funding provided by the Moh family
and by Dr. Murphree,” said Thomas C. Lee, division head of The Vision
Center at CHLA and associate professor of Ophthalmology at the USC Eye
Institute. “Their generosity will enable Dr. Kim and his team to carry
on the legacy established by Dr. Murphree to research and develop new
treatment modalities to save the eyes and lives of children with
retinoblastoma.”

Furniture-industry entrepreneur Laurence Moh established the Larry &
Celia Moh Foundation, based in Shanghai. Their son and daughter-in-law,
Michael and Peggy Moh, have a teen-age daughter who has been treated
since infancy at The Vision Center of CHLA for retinoblastoma, a rare
childhood retinal tumor.

As one of the largest clinical programs and centers in the United
States, The Vision Center at CHLA is the only program of its kind with
expertise in virtually every pediatric ophthalmologic subspecialty. The
physicians and scientists in the retinoblastoma program focus on early
detection and the development of improved treatments for retinoblastoma
and other cancers that could arise in children as a result of mutations
in the retinoblastoma gene. Theirs is one of the most active programs in
the country, with 18 current and ongoing clinical trials providing the
potential to enhance patient care by discovering new, innovative
treatment options.

Murphree has been instrumental in identifying the genetic mutation
causing retinoblastoma and has recently developed a new classification
system to describe the disease. In addition to supporting the research
endeavors of The Vision Center, the A. Linn Murphree Chair will allow
Kim and colleagues to develop a long-term care clinic devoted
exclusively to patients who have already received initial treatment for
retinoblastoma. Instead of multiple visits throughout the year, patients
will have all their needs addressed at the clinic at one time, and
receiving comprehensive care from a team of specialists.

“I am proud to be carrying on the legacy established by Dr. Murphree as
we continue to provide the best clinical care in the word to children
afflicted with retinoblastoma here at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles,”
said Kim.

About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children’s
hospital on the West Coast and among the top five in the nation for
clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News &
World Report Honor Roll. Children’s Hospital is home to The Saban
Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric
research facilities in the United States. Children’s Hospital is also
one of America’s premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation
since 1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of
Southern California.

About The Vision Center at CHLA

The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is an international
referral center for children with complex eye diseases and is the only
program of its kind in the United States with expertise in virtually
every pediatric ophthalmologic subspecialty. It is closely affiliated
with the USC Eye Institute at the University of Southern California.

For more information, visit CHLA.org.
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Contacts

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Debra Kain, 323-361-7628 or
323-361-1812
dkain@chla.usc.edu