Overview

The Children's hospital Mental Retardation Research Center (MRRC), one of the original centers funded by the NICHD, began with the awarding of a construction grant in 1967 and Core Implementation Program Funds in 1968. A parallel program of training and patient care in developmental disabilities developed with the establishment of the University-Affiliated Program (UAP) at the Hospital, and this close relation of the Children's Hospital MRRC and its UAP has continued ever since.

Nobel laureate John Enders at the dedication of the Enders Building

Enders Building today
The Children's Hospital MRRC served as the driving force for the institution's original Enders Pediatric Research Facility at Children's Hospital. During the past 30 years, the Center has grown to encompass approximately 60 investigators from the Harvard-Longwood area who are based in approximately 15 Departments and Divisions and who are supported by nearly 100 NIH-funded projects and approximately $16 million in total direct costs yearly. MRRC investigators have made many significant contributions to the illustrious history of Harvard Medical School and its affiliated teaching hospitals.