The Iroquois Steeplechase, considered Nashville’s rite of spring, is saddling up for the 75th annual running of the horses.
The Iroquois Steeplechase, one the nation’s premier horse races, draws more than 25,000 spectators who come out to support the event, which benefits Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Since being designated the official charity of the Iroquois Steeplechase in 1981, Children’s Hospital has received nearly $10 million from the event proceeds. The race is set for Saturday, May 14, at Percy Warner Park.
For the milestone anniversary, the Iroquois Steeplechase and its 501(c)3 organization, the Volunteer State Horsemen’s Foundation, selected Steven Webber, MBChB, MRCP, pediatrician-in-chief at Children’s Hospital, as its 2016 honorary co-chair.
“It is a great honor to serve as co-chair for this event, especially as it celebrates its 75th anniversary,” said Webber, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt and the James C. Overall Professor. “The Iroquois Steeplechase is part of Nashville’s fabric, but more importantly, it supports an amazing community cause that serves all the children of our region. We are deeply grateful for the long-term partnership with Iroquois.”
Prior to joining Vanderbilt in 2012, Webber served as chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology, co-director of the Heart Institute and medical director of the Thoracic Transplantation Program, at the University of Pittsburgh and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. A native of the United Kingdom, he graduated from the University of Bristol Medical School.
Webber’s clinical focus involves the care of infants and children with end-stage heart failure, including those undergoing mechanical support and thoracic transplantation. He has served as president of both the Pediatric Heart Transplant Study and the International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA).
He recently served as chair of the Thoracic Committee of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and has also served on the board of directors of the American Society of Transplantation and of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.
He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, and is the editor-in-chief of the journal Pediatric Transplantation. In addition, he is co-editor of “Pediatric Solid Organ Transplantation,” “Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorders” and “Solid Organ Transplantation,” all of which are medical textbooks.
On race day, gates open at 8 a.m., and the first race starts at 1 p.m. A designated family area also offers free games and activities for children younger than 12 who are accompanied by a parent.
For more information about the Iroquois Steeplechase, its 75th anniversary and its relationship with Children’s Hospital, go to www.iroquoissteeplechase.org.
