PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2025--
Two months after hosting a private ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Steele Foundation is proud to celebrate the establishment of the Daniel Cracchiolo Institute for Pediatric Autoimmune Disease Research at the University of Arizona Steele Children’s Research Center. The institute represents a significant step forward in the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to advancing pediatric health and combating autoimmune diseases.
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The Cracchiolo Institute is dedicated to fighting diseases such as lupus, juvenile arthritis, and Type 1 diabetes and is named for the prominent Arizona attorney and philanthropist who served as founder, chairman, and CEO of The Steele Foundation. In 1992, the foundation’s original investment of $2 million established the Steele Children’s Research Center, which was followed by a $1 million investment establishing the Horace Steele Endowed Chair in Pediatric Research.
Upon Cracchiolo’s death in 2022, The Steele Foundation made its largest gift — $10 million to the Steele Children’s Research Center, establishing the Daniel Cracchiolo Endowed Chair for Pediatric Autoimmune Disease Research, two endowed professorships, and providing research funding for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. At February's ribbon cutting, invited guests toured the institute, where 6,500 square feet of lab space was renovated as a result of the donation.
Fayez K. Ghishan, MD, director of the Steele Children’s Research Center, and Horace Steele Endowed Chair said, “Autoimmune diseases are chronic illnesses which have no cure. You live with them your whole life. Having the Daniel Cracchiolo Institute will greatly expand the work we can do to change the future for children who are suffering. Our goal is to improve treatments, to seek cures and to prevent illness. Dan’s legacy will live on through the lives he will impact.”
Michael M.I. Abecassis, MD, MBA, dean of the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson and a member of the BIO5 Institute, said, “With its focus on advancing knowledge, fostering collaboration and supporting the development of leaders in pediatric medicine, the Dan Cracchiolo Institute will serve as a catalyst for innovation that will impact families for generations to come.”
Marianne Cracchiolo Mago, president and CEO of The Steele Foundation, said: “My father’s name representing the fight to cure pediatric diseases is a momentous opportunity for us. Dan would be thrilled for his name to grace our ‘crown jewel,’ the Steele Children’s Research Center. This cements his legacy and represents a significant moment for our family and the foundation. As a devoted Wildcat, this tremendous honor would mean the world to him. Bear down!”
A proud member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Dan was listed in Best Lawyers in America and in every issue of Southwest Super Lawyers since its inception in 2007. Dan was inducted into the Maricopa County Bar Association Hall of Fame in 2010 and enjoyed an active practice until almost 90 years of age.
U of A President Suresh Garimella, PhD, addresses guests during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Daniel Cracchiolo Institute for Pediatric Autoimmune Disease Research at the U of A Steele Children’s Research Center. Photo by Chris Richards, U of A Foundation
(From left) John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the U of A Foundation, Marianne Cracchiolo Mago, president and CEO of The Steele Foundation, Fayez K. Ghishan, MD, director of the Steele Children’s Research Center, and University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella, PhD, cut the ribbon at the ceremonial grand opening of the new Daniel Cracchiolo Institute for Pediatric Autoimmune Disease Research at the U of A Steele Children’s Research Center. The private ceremony was held in late February. Photo by Chris Richards, U of A Foundation
