In calendar year 2023, the Department of Pediatrics provided department members with through its Research and Development (R&D) Awards. The purpose of the R&D Awards fund is to support research and scholarly activities, including quality improvement (QI) projects. Funds are awarded with the expectation that they will support activities leading to scholarly output, such as presentations, publications, and grant applications. Faculty members are eligible for awards up to $20,000 while residents and fellows can apply for up to $2,500 and $5,000 respectively. Grantees are selected twice annually after a competitive internal review process. Applications are due each fall and spring, and awards are announced each winter and summer.
The department members who received R&D Awards in 2023 are listed below.
Awards presented in winter 2023
Faculty awardees
- Amy Peterson, MD, MS, professor, Division of Cardiology, “Universal Pediatric Cholesterol Screening to Identify Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Insight into Differences in Practices and Barriers via an International Survey”
- Sarah Webber, MD, associate professor, Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care, “A Pilot Study to Investigate the Feasibility of Collaborative Workflow Transformation Intervention”
- Brian Williams, MD, assistant professor, Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care, “Treating Nicotine Addiction in Caregivers of Children at American Family Children’s Hospital”
Resident and fellow awardees
- Kelsi Alexander, DO, resident (graduated in summer 2023), “Incidence and Outcomes of Vesicoureteral Reflux on Pediatric Renal Transplant”
- Najla Ba Sharahil, MD, pulmonology fellow, “Sleep Disordered Breathing among Young Children with Trisomy 21: A Retrospective Review of Sleep Study Data”
- Daniel Murphy, MD, resident, “Healthy Parks, Healthy Communities”
Awards presented in summer 2023
Faculty Awardees
- Doug Dean III, PhD, assistant professor, Division of Neonatology and Newborn Nursery, “Examination of Brain Structure and Language Development in Infants with Down Syndrome”
- Heidi Kloster, MD, associate professor, Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care, “Caregiver Stories: Families of Children with Medical Complexity Navigate the Intersection of Health Care, Parenting, and Advocacy”
- Carter Ralphe, MD, professor and chief, Division of Cardiology, “Leveraging CRISPR Modified Human iPS Cells to Probe Genotype Specificity in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy”
- Xiangqiang Shao, PhD, MS, assistant professor, Division of Genetics and Metabolism, “Molecular Testing for Polygenic Hypercholesterolemia in Pediatric Patients Clinically Diagnosed with Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) but Negative for Monogenic FH”
- Judith Smith, MD, PhD, associate professor, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, “Investigating UPR-immune Links in Infectious Spondyloarthritis”
Resident and fellow awardees
- Joseph Presson, DO, hematology and oncology fellow, “Barriers to Utilizing Palliative Care in Care of Pediatric and Young Adult Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: A Qualitative Study”
- Morteza Seifi, PhD, laboratory genetics and genomics fellow, “Investigating the Relationship Between GATA2 Mutations and Chromosomal Instability in Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukemia”
- Tyler Sternhagen, MD, chief resident, “Improving Pediatric Resident Trauma Resuscitation Attendance, Comfort, and Competencies through Standardized Curriculum Development”
- Bryan Vonasek, MD, infectious diseases fellow, “Neglected Tropical Enteric Diseases in Malawian Children Hospitalized with Severe Acute Malnutrition”