NEW HYDE PARK, NY – On what would have been the celebration of Jeffrey Modell’s 39th birthday, his parents Vicki and Fred Modell paid tribute to their late son by announcing the establishment of the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies (PI) at Schneider Children’s Hospital (SCH).

The Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center – the only one in the New York metropolitan area -- is one of more than 55 worldwide, spread over six continents that focus on the diagnosis, care and treatment of patients suffering with PI, an umbrella term for more than 150 diseases caused by an immune system that fails to function properly.

“Early recognition and diagnosis of PI can save lives and improve health outcomes for children,” said Arthur Klein, MD, senior vice president of children’s services for the North Shore-LIJ Health System, and the executive director and chief of staff at SCH. “The educational and diagnostic programs made possible through this support will improve care for patients with PI and generate cutting-edge research opportunities,” he said.

PI affects males and females of all ages, but the most severe forms are frequently detected in childhood. PI often can present in the form of common illnesses such as sinus infections, pneumonia, ear infections and bronchitis. For this reason, families and doctors are often unaware that the troubling conditions that they are dealing with are actually rooted in a defect in the immune system, and may treat the symptoms rather than addressing the underlying cause. Failure to diagnosis and treat PI can lead to serious chronic illness, permanent organ damage or even death.

 In 1987, Mr. and Mrs. Modell established the Jeffrey Modell Foundation in memory of their son, who died at the age of 15 from complications of Primary Immunodeficiency. JMF supports research, diagnosis and treatment of PI in the United States and throughout the world through the Jeffrey Modell Centers Network of Diagnostic, Research and Referral Centers worldwide.

“The designation of the Immunology Laboratory as a Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center in the Feinstein Institute, and the large patient population with PI in the hospital, will enable us to better provide educational and diagnostic support for children and adults with these diseases, their families, and their health care providers,” said Vincent Bonagura, MD, chief of Allergy and Immunonology at SCH, and director of the new Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center at SCH and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. The Center, he said, will ensure better awareness of PI in the community, early diagnosis to prevent the associated morbidity and mortality linked to the failure of recognizing PI early, and more rapid treatment of patients who suffer from these rare diseases of the immune system.

 “This support will allow Schneider Children’s Hospital to join an elite international community of research and “cutting edge” clinical centers around the world that focus on the diagnosis and treatment of children and adults with PI,” Dr. Bonagura said.

 As of 2008, the Jeffrey Modell Foundation was associated with nine out of the top 10 and 24 of the top 30 best pediatric hospitals identified by U.S. News & World Report, which included Schneider Children’s Hospital.

Media Contact: Michelle Pinto
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