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Gillette Children’s Hospital Joins IHF’s Global Network on Pediatric Rare Diseases

February 22, 2023

St. Paul, MN - Gillette Children's, a leading healthcare institution in the United States, has partnered with the International Hospital Federation (IHF) in a collaborative effort to tackle the challenges related to pediatric rare diseases.  

Together, Gillette and the IHF have formed the Global Network on Pediatric Rare Disease. The newly formed network brings together executives from institutions worldwide to exchange ideas and knowledge on the administrative and leadership aspects of caring for children living with a rare disease. Barbara Joers, President and CEO and Andrea Stoesz, Director of External Affairs at Gillette Children’s lead the group. 

"At Gillette, one in five of our patients has a rare disease. We are thrilled to lead this innovative, international network.” Joers said. “Our goal is to improve patient care by fostering international collaborations and partnerships, and this network provides us with the platform to do just that." 

The network will use an action-learning set approach to encourage knowledge exchange. The network began meeting in late 2022, with evaluations planned for the end of 2023. 

IHF Appoints Getsay to Scientific Committee 

In addition to leading the IHF's global network on pediatric rare diseases, Tim Getsay, Executive Vice President of Integration and Performance at Gillette Children's, has been named to the IHF’s 46th World Hospital Congress (WHC) Scientific Committee. The Scientific Committee plays a crucial role in shaping the Congress program and will work towards creating an interactive and engaging experience that fosters global knowledge exchange. 

Getsay will be tasked with providing expert advice and guidance on the WHC program content, reviewing abstracts for oral and poster presentations, recommending topics, sessions, speakers and presenters, and judging the best poster awards.  

"I am honored to be a part of the Scientific Committee and look forward to working with healthcare leaders from around the world," Getsay said. "By participating in this committee, I have the opportunity to share Gillette’s mission with leaders around the world while making a significant impact on the global healthcare community." 

About the International Hospital Federation 

The IHF is the worldwide forum and knowledge hub for hospitals, national hospital associations and healthcare organizations that facilitates the exchange of strategic information and experience in health sector management. 

The primary goal of the IHF is to improve the health of society by helping hospitals worldwide to improve the level of the services they deliver to the population. IHF is an independent, not for profit, non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. 

About Gillette Children’s  

Gillette Children's specializes in treating children who have brain, bone and movement conditions. We provide comprehensive services, highly trained specialists, an integrated team approach, family-centered care and a lifetime of services.