Pediatric Training Facility Opens with Donation from Beachwood Couple

Cleveland Clinic celebrated the opening of a dedicated education laboratory for pediatric airway management May 10, thanks to a gift from Mort and Iris November.  The lab is named in memory of Mr. November's late daughter, Debra Ann.

The Debra Ann November Pediatric Airway and Pulmonary Mechanics Lab is a state-of-the-art simulation facility focused on advancing care for some of Cleveland Clinic’s youngest patients. 

The lab is part of Cleveland Clinic’s expanding Multidisciplinary Simulation Center and will help train thousands of doctors, nurses, fellows and medical students, with the potential to one day train other community members, such as first responders.

“Airway and ventilation management in children is a unique skill set that requires a significant base of knowledge in pediatric anatomy and physiology, coupled with technical hands-on skills that leave little room for error,” said Dr. Stephen Kimatian, Chair of Pediatric Anesthesiology. “Airway compromise is a significant cause of pediatric injury, illness and death, requiring focused education and training.” 

Equipped with an ICU ventilator, an artificial lung, a high-fidelity bronchoscopy simulator and child-sized high-fidelity mannequins, the lab will further a curriculum that spans the fundamental skills of airway management to the more complex competencies required for diagnosis, decision making and team leadership. 

“My daughter, Debra Ann, would be so thrilled that she’d have cries of joy,” said Mr. November.  “She’d be happy knowing that caregivers are able to help children; she just loved children so much.”

In addition to their support of the Pediatric Airway and Pulmonary Mechanics Lab, the Novembers established the Debra Ann November Wing as part of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Autism. The couple has also made donations to Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital and the Partnership for Families Program at the Cleveland Clinic Beachwood Fertility Center.

The Novembers are members of the 1921 Society, which recognizes donors of more than $1 million to the Cleveland Clinic, and have been inducted into the PYRAMID Legacy Society in recognition of their charitable estate commitments.