Each year, there are over 15,000 new cases of pediatric cancer diagnosed in the United States. Pediatric cancer researchers, including those at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, depend largely on private funding for groundbreaking therapies and to advance treatment approaches to the next phase of testing. The ultimate goal: bringing better therapies and cures to kids, teens and young adults with cancer. 

We are grateful to Hyundai Hope on Wheels (HHOW), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supported by Hyundai Motor America, for naming UH Rainbow physician research Alex Y. Huang, MD a recipient of the Hyundai Hope on Wheels 2020 Hope Scholar Grant. The $300,000 grant will support his lab’s research on osteosarcoma.

“Children and young adults fighting cancer are warriors in every sense of the word,” says Dr. Huang, who has been researching pediatric cancer for more than two decades. Dr. Huang lost his cousin and best friend at a young age to osteosarcoma. That experience, and the many patients he has cared for at UH Rainbow's Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Institute continues to inspire his work to find better treatments, improved clinical outcomes and ultimately a cure. 

HHOW is one of the largest funders to support medical institutions and efforts to develop pediatric cancer research in the nation. Since 2010, UH Rainbow has received more than $2.5 million in total grants from HHOW, including during the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, Hyundai Hope on Wheels donated $200,000 in support of University Hospitals’ COVID-19 drive-thru testing site at UH Landerbrook Health Center.

“University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s has a long-standing relationship with Hyundai Hope on Wheels, in support of the great work in pediatric cancer research that takes place on our academic medical center campus,” said Patti DePompei, RN, MSN, President, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s and UH MacDonald Women’s hospitals. “As most of what we do as health care providers is being impacted by the pandemic, it is humbling to receive continued support from organizations like Hyundai.”

"Hyundai is a company committed to improving the well-being of society and the health of children," says Jose Munoz, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor North America. "Through our Hyundai Hope On Wheels program, we are committed to being a strong partner on behalf of children's health.”