Dr. Yasser El-Sayed, obstetrician-in-chief at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, sat down with Susan Ford Dorsey, board chair at the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, to discuss leadership, legacy, and the power of philanthropy to advance care for mothers and babies. Enjoy highlights from their conversation or watch the full interview.
1. Let the Mission Be Your North Star
“What inspires me, first and foremost, is the mission of the hospital—to treat every family, every child in our community, and make sure that they get the best care possible.”
— Susan Ford Dorsey
For Susan, the mission to deliver exceptional care for every mother and child makes giving not just meaningful, but essential.
2. Care for Your Community—and Beyond
“We are a community hospital. We are a safety-net county hospital. We are a quaternary, tertiary medical center that serves patients regionally, nationally, and internationally.”
— Dr. Yasser El-Sayed
Dr. El-Sayed reminds us that Packard Children’s Hospital is unique: a world-class academic medical center offering specialized care for the most complex pregnancies while always maintaining its community heart. That balance—local roots and global reach—is possible because philanthropy helps keep the doors open for all who seek care here.
3. Honor the Legacies that Shape You
“This gift pays honor to three men in my life—my father, my late husband, and my son, who was born at Packard Children’s.”
— Susan Ford Dorsey
Susan’s endowment of Dr. El-Sayed’s obstetrician-in-chief position shows that every gift carries a story—and builds a legacy. Her father cared for expectant mothers in Watsonville, CA; her late husband loved community and gardens; and her son began his life at Packard Children’s Hospital.
4. Give with Vision—and Flexibility
“We needed the nimbleness to direct these resources in a very strategic and fluid way across an array of challenges. That is the power of this gift—it embraces the totality of maternal, fetal, and neonatal care.”
— Dr. Yasser El-Sayed
Susan’s gift was deeply strategic: providing strength across generations with an endowment and flexible funds to power innovation for mothers and babies today.
5. Just Get Started
“To a fellow philanthropist or a budding philanthropist, I would say: just get started. Get to know the hospital. Fall in love with one or more parts of it.”
— Susan Ford Dorsey
Philanthropy begins with curiosity and grows into impact. Susan’s invitation is simple but powerful: find what moves you, and join in.
Dr. Yasser El-Sayed is the Ford Family Endowed Obstetrician-in-Chief at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford; the director of the Dunlevie Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center for Discovery, Innovation, and Clinical Impact at Stanford University; and the co-director of the Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services at Packard Children’s Hospital.
