Dear families, colleagues, and friends,

Welcome to the Isabel Davis Center for Safe Children.

Our center begins with a commitment to children whose lives ended too soon and to the families who carry their memory forward. When an infant or child dies suddenly and unexpectedly, the loss can be compounded by questions that remain unanswered. Families deserve compassionate support, and those questions deserve sustained scientific attention. Both responsibilities guide our work.

At Texas Children’s Research Institute, part of Texas Children’s Hospital, we are bringing together people with different kinds of expertise to address sudden infant and childhood death. Scientists, clinicians, medical examiners, investigators, public health professionals, and community partners each see a different part of this problem. Families bring knowledge and experience that must also shape how we listen, what we study, and how we offer help. Our center connects these perspectives so that what we learn in one setting can inform the work in another.

In the laboratory, we study the biological systems that sustain breathing, regulate heart function, and help the body respond to danger. We use genetic tools, carefully designed modeling studies, and advanced measurements to investigate how these protective systems develop and why they sometimes fail. Our long-term goal is to recognize vulnerability before a tragedy occurs and develop interventions that can protect children. We still have much to understand, and we are committed to pursuing that work with rigor and honesty about what the evidence can tell us.

That effort extends well beyond the laboratory. We help train investigators to document infant deaths thoroughly and communicate respectfully with grieving families. We work with community partners to share safe-sleep information and connect caregivers with practical resources. These relationships help us understand the circumstances families face and ask better questions about prevention.

Supporting families is a purpose of the center in its own right. Through personalized remembrance items and connections to bereavement resources, we honor children and help families find a place to begin. These services do not require participation in research. Every family’s needs, choices, and experience of grief deserve respect.

If you are visiting as a parent or family member, I hope you find a welcoming place here. If you come as a professional, student, advocate, or supporter, I invite you to consider how your experience might contribute. Progress depends on people willing to share knowledge, listen carefully, and work across the boundaries of their own disciplines.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about our center. Together, we are working toward a future with fewer unexplained losses and many more birthdays.

Warmly,

Russell S. Ray, PhD
Director, Isabel Davis Center for Safe Children