St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded with a simple but bold dream: no child should die in the dawn of life. What began as one man’s vision has grown into a global institution dedicated to advancing cures and saving children.
From our opening in 1962 to our role today as a world leader in the research and treatment of childhood catastrophic diseases, the story of St. Jude reflects purpose, persistence and progress.
Built on an uncommon idea
The origins of St. Jude trace back to Danny Thomas' belief that no child should be denied a chance at life because of a devastating disease.
From the beginning, the vision was larger than a traditional hospital. St. Jude was designed as a place where scientists and physicians would work side by side, accelerating discoveries from the laboratory to the bedside and sharing those discoveries freely so more children could benefit.
Equally important was another revolutionary idea: families should be able to focus on helping their child heal, not on how they would pay for treatment.
To bring that vision to life, Thomas established the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), the fundraising and awareness organization that has helped sustain St. Jude from its earliest days through generations of growth and discovery.
Together, these ideas created a model unlike any other — one that continues to shape the institution today.
Explore the life and legacy of Danny Thomas and learn more about the founding story of St. Jude.
Dig deeper into the St. Jude story
Danny Thomas and the founding of St. Jude
After Danny Thomas became one of the biggest stars of his time, he took on a new role as founder of St. Jude. Learn more about Danny and how St. Jude came to be.
Pioneering racial integration
At a time when segregation was common, St. Jude became the first fully-integrated children's hospital in the South. Discover how our patients, along with our researchers, doctors and nurses, have always come from all walks of life.
Our legacy of leadership
Our first director, Donald Pinkel, MD, led groundbreaking research while also setting a tone for excellence and integrity that continues to this day. Read about our leaders over the years who have helped St. Jude make a global impact.
St. Jude timeline
Since the beginning, we have been committed to raising survival rates and improving quality of life for children with catastrophic diseases. Browse through a list of our most impactful breakthroughs and discoveries.
60+ years of St. Jude
St. Jude was built on two powerful beliefs: that scientific discovery can change the future for children, and that generosity can make those discoveries possible.
Over more than sixty years, researchers, clinicians, patients, families, supporters and partners have shaped an institution dedicated to advancing cures and improving care. The history of St. Jude is one of continuous progress—driven by innovation, collaboration and an unwavering commitment to children facing catastrophic diseases.
1960s
Building a new model
St. Jude opened with a bold belief that research and patient care should advance together. The hospital established a collaborative approach that challenged traditional boundaries between the laboratory and the clinic.
1970s
Proving what's possible
As research programs matured, St. Jude helped demonstrate that childhood diseases once considered untreatable could be confronted with scientific rigor, persistence and innovation. The decade reinforced a growing sense of optimism about what medicine could achieve for children.
1980s
Strengthening the foundation
With early successes established, St. Jude invested in the people, programs and scientific capabilities needed for long-term impact. The institution expanded its expertise, deepened its research enterprise and built the infrastructure that would support future breakthroughs.
1990s
Looking beyond the cure
As outcomes improved, St. Jude helped advance a broader understanding of childhood disease—one that considered survivorship, quality of life and the lifelong needs of patients and families.
2000s
Accelerating discovery
New technologies and expanding scientific capabilities transformed the pace of research. St. Jude increasingly focused on understanding disease at its biological roots, creating new opportunities for more precise treatments.
2010s
Unlocking the genome
Advances in genomics, computational biology and precision medicine opened new frontiers in pediatric research. St. Jude helped lead efforts to better understand the genetic drivers of disease and share those insights with the global scientific community.
2020s
Extending the mission
Today, St. Jude continues to build on its founding vision through worldwide collaboration, open sharing of knowledge and a commitment to improving outcomes for children everywhere. The mission has expanded in scope, but remains rooted in the same purpose that inspired its founding.
Guided by mission. Sustained by generosity.
The history of St. Jude is ultimately a story of people.
It is a story of patients and families who, in the face of catastrophic diseases, turn to St. Jude. A story of scientists and clinicians who dedicate their lives to discovery and healing. A story of volunteers, partners, and supporters who make that work possible.
For more than 60 years, philanthropy has helped fuel the research, treatment, and innovation that define St. Jude. The partnership between generosity and discovery remains one of the institution’s greatest strengths and one of the reasons its impact continues to grow.
The mission that inspired St. Jude in 1962 remains just as urgent today. Unlike other hospitals, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from generous donors. Thanks to donors like you, St. Jude can give our doctors and researchers the tools and technology they need to make the next groundbreaking discovery.
More to discover
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Danny Thomas
Discover how entertainer Danny Thomas founded St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and built a lasting legacy of hope for kids with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
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Our purpose
St. Jude exists to solve problems that others often cannot or will not solve – pursuing cures and prevention for the most serious diseases children face, and ensuring that discoveries reach children everywhere, not only those treated in Memphis.
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Legacy of Leadership
Guided by mission, shaped by generations of leadership. Review the history of CEOs/Directors of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Highlights in the history of St. Jude
These moments reflect steady progress toward a singular goal: Finding cures. Saving children.®
1957
ALSAC forms
American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) is formed by Danny Thomas to raise funds to build and sustain St. Jude.
1962
St. Jude opens
On February 4, 1962, we open our doors and begin our journey of finding cures for kids with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
1966
Sustained remission
A group of St. Jude patients are the first acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients to ever be successfully taken off therapy, based on evidence that remission can be sustained.
1977
Sickle cell research begins
We launch the first major effort to understand the lifelong progression of sickle cell disease.