About the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome

The Global Down Syndrome Foundation provides fundraising, education, awareness and government advocacy for the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome.

The mission of the Crnic Institute is to significantly improve the lives of people with Down syndrome by eradicating the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with the condition.

Established in 2008, the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome is the first academic home for Down syndrome research in the United States. The mission of the Crnic Institute is to significantly improve the lives of people with Down syndrome by eradicating the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with the condition.

The Crnic Institute is a partnership between the founding donor, the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Headquartered at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus, the Crnic Institute includes the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at the Children’s Hospital Colorado and is focused on life-changing research and medical care for individuals with Down syndrome.

The Crnic Institute currently supports research that addresses the diseases and conditions that a large number of people with Down syndrome tend to have – such as sleep apnea, Alzheimer’s disease, congenital heart disease and autism. Research on the best practices for medical care, behavior, motor skills, and other therapies is a key emphasis for the Crnic Institute as well as important basic research addressing cognition.

The Crnic Institute has the vision and leadership to correct the alarming disparity of funding for research for people with Down syndrome. With the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, the Crnic Institute works to end discriminatory practices in the medical community.

The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome was inspired by the birth of Anna and John J. Sie’s  grandchild and by the Sie Family Research Summit on Down syndrome. The Crnic Institute is named in memory of Dr. Linda Crnic, a University of Colorado professor of pediatrics and psychiatry, who was dedicated to helping people with Down syndrome through research. The Crnic Institute is a research and medical-based organization without political or religious affiliation or intention.