St. Jude Named Among Best Places to Work in Academia

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St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Jun 29, 2010, 12:00 ET

The Scientist magazine ranks St. Jude Children's Research Hospital among the top 10 "Best Places to Work in Academia" for the fifth straight year

MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is ranked as one of the top institutions in the annual "Best Places to Work in Academia" list by The Scientist magazine. This is the fifth consecutive year St. Jude made the publication's top 10 list of institutions in the United States. The hospital ranks second in the country behind Princeton University.

"The best way to accelerate progress toward our mission of advancing cure rates for childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases is to have the best and brightest researchers collaborating in an environment where they can do their best work," said Dr. William E. Evans, St. Jude director and CEO. "We work hard to create an environment that facilitates innovation and teamwork, and this latest acknowledgement further validates that St. Jude is an exceptional place for scientists and clinicians to conduct research and make an impact on serious childhood illnesses."

The Scientist posted a Web-based questionnaire and invited those who identified themselves as life scientists with a permanent position in an academic, hospital, government or research organization. Respondents were asked to assess their working environment according to 38 criteria in eight areas by posing positive statements with which the participant was asked to agree or disagree. Respondents were also asked to rank the perceived importance of each factor.

The magazine received 2,302 valid responses. Represented in those responses were 119 institutions—89 from the United States and 30 from the rest of the world. The full article with detailed survey results can be found in the July issue of The Scientist and is available online at www.the-scientist.com/bptw.

The Scientist provides print and online coverage of the latest developments in the life sciences including trends in research, new technology, news, business and careers. Survey participants cited opportunities for advancement and research resources as major strengths of the top institutions ranked.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Ranked the No. 1 pediatric cancer hospital by Parents magazine and the No. 1 children's cancer hospital by U.S. News & World Report, St. Jude is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and from around the world, serving as a trusted resource for physicians and researchers. St. Jude has developed research protocols that helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancer from less than 20 percent when the hospital opened to almost 80 percent today. St. Jude is the national coordinating center for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium and the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. In addition to pediatric cancer research, St. Jude is also a leader in sickle cell disease research and is a globally prominent research center for influenza.

Founded in 1962 by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world, publishing more research articles than any other pediatric cancer research center in the United States. St. Jude treats more than 5,700 patients each year and is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. St. Jude is financially supported by thousands of individual donors, organizations and corporations without which the hospital's work would not be possible. In 2010, St. Jude was ranked the most trusted charity in the nation in a public survey conducted by Harris Interactive, a highly respected international polling and research firm. For more information, go to www.stjude.org.

SOURCE St. Jude Children's Research Hospital