UK HealthCare - Concours d'Elegance

Concours d'Elegance Aug. 23-26 to Benefit Kentucky Children's Hospital

For four summers, the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance has brought elegant cars to travel the scenic corridors of the bluegrass. This year’s event will be held Aug. 23-26 on the grounds of Keeneland Race Course, and will feature Jaguar as the guest marque. These fine automobiles will attract attention across the region and bring much-needed support for Kentucky Children’s Hospital with them.

In 2006 fortifying their commitment to Kentucky Children’s Hospital, the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance Board chose to create an endowment for neonatal research. Henrietta Bada, MD, MPH, Chief of Division of Neonatology at Kentucky Children’s Hospital, leads the endowment research.

“The physicians in neonatology are involved not only in the day-to-day care of the very sick newborn and premature infants but also in clinical research. Dedication to research is important if the doctors are to continue to deliver state-of-the-art care to the sickest children in Kentucky and the world,” said Bada. “The endowment from the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance makes this possible.”

Through the endowment, supporters of the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance are helping physicians and researchers in the Neonatology Division of the University of Kentucky and Kentucky Children’s Hospital find answers to the following questions:

How can we prevent the brain hemorrhages that cause cerebral palsy and developmental delays in babies born prematurely?

How can we help newborn infants with respiratory problems and difficulty in oxygenation through evaluations of new medications in the treatment of diminished blood flow to the lungs (pulmonary hypertension)?

How can we minimize the manifestations of chronic lung disease among premature infants who have survived after treatment of their immature lungs?

What can we learn about the natural maturation of the rhythm of sucking, swallowing and breathing in premature infants with lung problems or with brain damage so that we can provide early intervention for these children and help make positive long-term developmental outcomes for them?

In addition to support from the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance, the Division of Neonatology has been awarded research grants from various agencies including the National Institutes of Health.

There are approximately 40 Concours events throughout the country, and Lexington, Kentucky, is fortunate to be the home to the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance. For more information on the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance, please visit www.keenelandconcours.com.