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In today’s show Jeff Pearson discusses his role as CFO of one of the largest providers of healthcare to children. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where “No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.” Considering the start of this non-profit in 1962 with an annual budget of $1 million, it’s come a long way in its vision to be the world leader in advancing the treatment and prevention of catastrophic diseases in children. Today, St Jude hospital requires $1.7 million daily to run its programs. In 1962, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened its doors amid an emotionally charged debate regarding how to treat childhood cancer. At that time, few children with the most common form of childhood cancer survived, and many physicians believed treatment was futile. St. Jude physicians and researchers took a radically different approach, and these efforts proved pivotal in changing the way the world treats childhood cancer. St. Jude is recognized for playing a significant role in improving overall survival rates for childhood cancer, which have increased from 20 percent in 1962 to 80 percent today.
Listen in as Jeff discusses his philosophy to leadership – Purpose, People and Passion. To run a first-class finance organization, Jeff believes you “Shouldn’t get bogged down in the detail”. Instead, “Inspire your people, listen to them intently and take the constraints off them so they may flourish.”