A $150,000 donation from The Duke of Sussex's Archewell Foundation was announced during a visit to Imperial's Centre for Injury Studies.
Prince Harry visited Imperial's White City Campus to learn more about the Centre for Injury Studies and its work to improve treatment for child amputees and other injuries in conflict and disaster zones.
The donation of $150,000 from The Archewell Foundation, on behalf of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will support the Centre for Injury Studies and its efforts to develop prostheses that can support injured children, particularly those injured in conflicts such as those in Ukraine and Gaza.
Prince Harry was joined on the visit by the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The Duke and Dr Tedros were shown around the Centre by Dr David Henson, Centre for Injury Studies Ambassador and British Paralympic athlete, Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial, and Alison Griffin, Save the Children's Head of Conflict & Humanitarian Campaigns.
They received an update on the Centre's work and its focus on paediatric blast injuries, which builds on previous research from Afghanistan and more recent work focused on Türkiye, Ukraine and Gaza.
Prince Harry previously opened the Centre for Blast Injury Studies' laboratories at Imperial's South Kensington Campus in 2013. The Centre for Blast Injury Studies is now part of the overarching Centre for Injury Studies based at Imperial's White City Campus, whose remit expands beyond military personnel and veterans to include children and civilians, and traumatic injuries of a broader nature.
Alongside the donation to Imperial, the Duke also announced a grant for the World Health Organization to support medical evacuations from Gaza to Jordan, and for Save the Children to provide ongoing humanitarian support in Gaza.
Pioneering work
During the visit, the Duke was shown a range of work taking place at the Centre. This included research by Dr Angela Kedgley and PhD researcher Antony Crossman who are pioneering new methods to replicate the forces applied to the foot and ankle to support the testing of surgical techniques, rehabilitation approaches, or prostheses. They also received an overview of a collaboration with the Child Wellness Center in Türkiye, which is working to address physical and mental rehabilitation needs for children following the Kahramanmaraş earthquake in 2023.
"Prince Harry's long-standing support for the work of our Centre for Injury Studies demonstrates the importance of the pioneering work being done at Imperial to improve treatment in conflict and disaster zones." Professor Hugh Brady President of Imperial College London
Imperial researchers highlighted the limitations of current prosthetics available to children in conflict zones and other humanitarian settings, which are often scaled down adult versions that lack design features that support a fulfilling and happy childhood. The Duke was shown work by PhD researchers Claudia Ghidini and Caitlin Edgar, who are developing a toolkit that includes engaging card games and activities to create a safe, enjoyable space for children to share their experiences to aid a better understanding of their unique needs. Dr Clement Favier and Dr Dave Henson gave an overview of their work developing a new paediatric knee joint that meets real world demands – such as play - and is appropriate for childhood growth.
The visit included a demo of the Centre's pioneering gait lab, which uses an immersive virtual environment with motion capture cameras and an instrumented treadmill to evaluate the impact of new prosthetic designs on patients' movement patterns.
Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, said: "Prince Harry's long-standing support for the work of our Centre for Injury Studies demonstrates the importance of the pioneering work being done at Imperial to improve treatment in conflict and disaster zones.
"The Centre's research on paediatric blast injuries, in partnership with Save the Children, is an important example of our Science for Humanity strategy in action, bringing together engineers, scientists and clinicians to provide world-class medical support for child amputees.
"We were proud to welcome the Duke once again to Imperial to see how our work and partnerships are transforming lives around the world, and are sincerely grateful to The Archewell Foundation for their generous donation in support of this crucial work."
The visit builds on the work of the Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership between Imperial and Save the Children. Following the laboratory tour, the Duke participated in a roundtable discussion chaired by Save the Children's Alison Griffin on mobilising efforts focused on mental health and medical evacuation in conflict.
"My visit with the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, to Imperial College London's Centre for Blast Injury Studies was a powerful reminder of the terrible impact of war and conflict on the health of innocent civilians." Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Director-General of the World Health Organisation
Following the tour, Professor Brady met with Dr Tedros to discuss the role of Imperial's White City Deep Tech Campus in health innovation and to recognise the work and life contribution to humanitarian causes of the late Professor David Nabarro, who held positions at Imperial and WHO.
During the meeting, Dr Tedros was introduced to some of Imperial's leading global health academics to learn more about how the university's research is addressing health challenges around the world.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said: "My visit with the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, to Imperial College London's Centre for Blast Injury Studies was a powerful reminder of the terrible impact of war and conflict on the health of innocent civilians. At the same time, it demonstrated the power of collaboration to care for those afflicted by such injuries and, underscored that peace is and will always be the best medicine."
"I am proud to support Prince Harry in his efforts to raise more attention on preventing and addressing the physical and mental scars of conflict, and look forward to our continued collaboration. I would also like to congratulate Imperial College London and Save the Children for their leadership on helping child survivors of blast injuries in their recoveries."
Treating child injuries
Imperial and Save the Children's Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership was set up to address the need for further research on treating child-specific injuries caused by explosive weapons.
Children are seven times more likely to die from blast injuries than adults, and they tend to experience different types of injuries to adults and require specialist care that accounts for their physiology and growth.
Last year, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and Akshata Murty, the wife of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, toured the Centre to see how Imperial is working to address this important problem.
During the visit, Mrs Zelenska and Mrs Murty were shown how researchers are improving our understanding of the biomechanics of blasts on children, emergency medical needs, long-term rehabilitation needs, and surgical and rehabilitation technology.
Main image credit: Misan Harriman / Save the Children.
