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Spotlight on: Move to the Roberts Center for Pediatric Research

Over the next week, CPCE, PolicyLab, and HAU are moving to the Roberts Center for Pediatric Research at 2716 South Street.  

We will return in two weeks with a spotlight on our research. In the meantime, be sure to check out updates below and via our social media, or contact us.
Upcoming Events

Taking Action to Increase Physical Activity: Community-Academic Partnerships
Date: Wednesday April 19, 2017
Time: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Location: 14th floor lounge, Biomedical Research Bldg., 421 Curie Blvd.
The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Netter Center for Community Partnerships, the School District of Philadelphia, and Community Organizations are working together to promote intergenerational physical activity in West Philadelphia. This event will bring together a variety of people and organizations working to increase physical activity in order to learn from one another and foster partnerships to advance this work. Click here for more information and to register.

CHOP Research Safety Day
Date: Friday April 21, 2017
Time: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Location: Colket Translational Research Building lobby 
Our goal is to promote Research Safety initiatives and highlight fundamental safety practices and products relating to areas such as: biological, chemical and lab safety, ergonomics, environmentally friendly “green” products, non-toxic chemical alternatives, reduced volume (micro) processes and many other related products. There will be an Administrative Department Expo to showcase your related programs. Contact Research Safety with any questions.

Accelerating Policies and Research on Food Access, Diet, and Obesity Prevention
Date: Friday April 28, 2017
Time: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location: Inn at Penn, 3600 Sansom Street
This one-day interdisciplinary event will highlight the most current research on food access, diet and obesity. Join us for an exciting event which will foster an exchange of ideas led by distinguished scholars and leaders to bridge the gap between research and practice. Click here for more information and to register.

2017 CHOP Research Institute Scientific Symposium
Date: Tuesday May 2, 2017
Time: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
Location: Colket Translational Research Building (CTRB)
Presentations from research faculty will focus on “Significant Pediatric Research Themes for the Future” and align thematically with the research strategic plan working group areas:
 *   Understanding the Causes and Developing Therapies for Rare and Complex Diseases
 *   Innovating in Research Along the Fetal -> Adult Lifespan
 *   Advancing CHOP’s Leadership in Novel Therapeutics and Device Development
 *   Developing Breakthrough Precision Health Research
Click here for more information and to register.

iHealth 2017 Clinical Informatics Conference
Dates: May 2-4, 2017
Location: Loews Philadelphia Hotel
iHealth is where clinicians, informatics professionals and other interested parties convene, share, and learn about improving team-based, integrated health care driven by data and evidence to impact outcomes for patients, families, and communities. Click here for more information and to register.

CPCE in
the News!
Recent Publications

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Pericardial Effusions Requiring Readmission After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery. 
Pericardial effusion (PE) may require readmission after cardiac surgery and has been associated with postoperative morbidity and mortality. This research sought to identify the prevalence and risk factors for postoperative PE requiring readmission in children. The risk factors identified for readmissions and interventions may allow for improved risk stratification, family counseling, and earlier recognition of PE for children undergoing cardiac surgery.

The illness experience of youth with lupus/mixed connective tissue disease: a mixed methods analysis of patient and parent perspectives.
Dr. Andrea Knight and colleagues aimed to develop a model of the illness experience for youth with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)/mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). Further testing of this model of illness experience may help guide comprehensive and personalized care of youth with SLE/MCTD, with targeted supports for youth at risk for negative adaptation to illness and poor outcomes.

The Effect of Radiation Shields on Operator Exposure During Congenital Cardiac Catheterisation.
Cardiac catheterisation personnel are exposed to occupational radiation and its health risks. Little data exist regarding the efficacy of radiation-protective equipment from congenital catheterisation laboratories (CLs). The authors retrospectively reviewed data in which CL operators wore a radiation dosemeter during catheterizations on patients of >20 kg and found that radiation barrier combinations that included the ceiling shield had the lowest indexed operator dose (OpD).

Sharing Antimicrobial Reports for Pediatric Stewardship (SHARPS): A Quality Improvement Collaborative. 
Although many children's hospitals have established antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs), data-driven benchmarks for optimizing antimicrobial use across centers are lacking. Dr. Jeffrey Gerber and colleagues developed a multicenter quality improvement collaborative focused on sharing data reports and benchmarking antimicrobial use to improve antimicrobial prescribing among hospitalized children.

Video Analysis of Factors Associated With Response Time to Physiologic Monitor Alarms in a Children's Hospital. 
Bedside monitor alarms alert nurses to life-threatening physiologic changes among patients, but the response times of nurses are slow. Response time was associated with factors that likely represent the heuristics nurses use to assess whether an alarm represents a life-threatening condition. The nurse to patient ratio and physical and mental fatigue represent modifiable factors associated with response time. Chronic alarm fatigue resulting from long-term exposure to nonactionable alarms may be a more important determinant of response time than short-term exposure.

High fluoroquinolone MIC is associated with fluoroquinolone treatment failure in urinary tract infections caused by fluoroquinolone susceptible Escherichia coli.
Suboptimal clinical response to fluoroquinolone (FQ) therapy has been clearly documented in patients with Salmonella typhi infection with reduced FQ susceptibility. However, the clinical impact of reduced FQ susceptibility on other infections including E. coli urinary tract infections (UTIs) has never been evaluated. This study demonstrated the negative impact of reduced FQ susceptibility on the treatment response to FQ therapy in FQSEC UTIs. This negative impact may be more intensified in other serious infections.

Bystander CPR is Associated with Improved Neurologically Favourable Survival in Cardiac Arrest Following Drowning. 
Cardiac arrest associated with drowning is a major public health concern with limited research available on outcome. This investigation aims to define the population at risk, and identify factors associated with neurologically favourable survival.

The Nasopharyngeal Microbiota of Children with Respiratory Infections in Botswana.
Nearly half of child pneumonia deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Microbial communities in the nasopharynx are a reservoir for pneumonia pathogens and remain poorly described in African children. This study used multivariable logistic regression to examine whether microbiota biotypes were associated with pneumonia and upper respiratory infection symptoms.

Identification of Predictive Biomarkers for Cytokine Release Syndrome after Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells with anti-CD19 specificity are a highly effective novel immune therapy for relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is the most significant and life-threatening toxicity. To improve understanding of CRS, this study measured cytokines and clinical biomarkers in 51 CTL019-treated patients.
Funding Opportunities

CHOP Research Institute Foerderer Grants for Excellence (due April 20)
Foerderer Awards are designed to allow on-going research to move into new and productive areas, or allow investigators to apply new research techniques toward novel investigations. Projects should have the potential to develop preliminary data to support extramural applications. Proposals involving collaborative research between different groups at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia are encouraged.  Applicants may request up to $50,000 over one year. 

Elsa U. Pardee Foundation (due April 30)
The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation funds research to investigators in United States non-profit institutions proposing research directed toward identifying new treatments or cures for cancer. The Foundation particularly encourages grant applications for a one year period which will allow establishment of capabilities of new cancer researchers, or new cancer approaches by established cancer researchers.

Donaghue Foundation Greater Value Portfolio grant program (LOI due May 1)
The Donaghue Foundation announces its 2017 Greater Value Portfolio grant program that will fund research projects for three, four or five years with a maximum amount of $600,000 per award for the purpose of creating new approaches to achieving a higher value healthcare system. The goal of this program is to test new approaches and tools that organizations can readily use to improve the value of the healthcare they provide to their patients and communities.

The Bridge Grants program will provide at least thirty one-year awards annually, in the amount of $150,000 each, to ASH members who applied for an NIH R01 grant or equivalent but were denied funding due to budget cuts. Grants support projects in basic, translational, patient-oriented, and outcomes-based research.

Alex's Lemonade Stand (due May 22)
Reach Grants are designed to move hypothesis-driven research into the clinic. The $250,000, two year grant is intended to fund developmental therapeutic studies in the late stage of preclinical testing. A successful application will identify an unmet clinical need relevant to the care of pediatric patients with cancer and describe how the work performed will allow for the translation to the clinic within two years of completion. A plan and timeline for clinical testing and trial implementation is expected. This grant does not fund clinical trial expenses.  The ‘A’ Award is a four-year grant designed for the early independent career scientist who wants to establish a career in pediatric oncology research. The ideal applicant has an original project that is not currently being funded. Demonstration of a future commitment to pediatric cancer investigation as well as institutional support for the career development of the investigator are critical components of a successful application.

The mission of the Gerber Foundation is to enhance the nutrition, care, and development of infants and young children. To that end, the foundation is accepting concept papers for health and/or nutrition-related research projects with potential to have a significant impact on issues affecting infants and young children from birth to three years of age. The total requested grant size should be no more than $350,000. Concept papers must be received no later than June 1, 2017. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposals by August 15, 2017.

Grants of up to $100,000 per year for a maximum of two years will be awarded for new research in the areas of molecular genetics/biochemistry, devices/procedural research (catheterization and surgical), and long-term care of children with congenital heart defects as they become adults.

van Ameringen Foundation, Inc. (LOI due June 9)
Within its broad focus on mental health, the Foundation is interested in encouraging and attracting innovative and practical programs in areas which: 
1. increase the accessibility of the poor and needy to mental-health services;
2. offer preventive and early-intervention strategies;
3. advocate for systemic change with local or national impact.
The Foundation generally awards up to two-year grants in the range of $25,000 to $50,000 in metropolitan New York and Philadelphia. The Foundation has in the past and may continue to increase the amount of a grant based on timely or successful efforts.

Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation (LOI due June 14)
The Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation (CCF) is committed to improving outcomes and quality of life for children with all forms of cardiomyopathy. CCF's research grant program aims to advance medical knowledge on the causes and mechanism of pediatric cardiomyopathy and to develop diagnostic guidelines and targeted therapies. Funding is available in the range of US$25,000 to US$50,000 for one year of total direct costs. Following the completion of the proposed study, a second year of funding may be requested by application.

Children's Leukemia Research Association (due June 30)
CLRA was founded in 1965 to support research efforts aimed at finding the causes of and a cure for leukemia. To that end, CLRA is seeking applications from investigators for promising research on childhood leukemia. Grants of up to $30,000 will be awarded for the most promising projects with the shared goal of isolating the causes of and finding a cure for childhood leukemia. Any doctor at the Ph.D. or M.D. level involved in research on the causes of and a cure for leukemia may apply.

Rheumatology Research Foundation Investigator Award (due July 3)
This award is intended to support junior investigators during the period that they are developing a project that will be competitive for NIH funding. The purpose is to provide support for basic science, translational, and clinical investigators engaged in research relevant to the rheumatic diseases for the period between the completion of post-doctorate fellowship training and establishment as an independent investigator. The award will fund up to $375,000 for up to 3 years.

OnPAR Program for Unfunded NIH Proposals
Last year, the NIH received approximately $30 billion in federal support. In spite of this amount, about 42,500 grants were not funded. To address these unfunded proposals, the NIH has a new Pilot Program that is designed to match researchers with nonprofit disease Foundations or with investments from private companies. Through a new collaboration between the NIH and the private contractor Leidos, researchers can now upload their unfunded NIH Proposals into an online portal at the Online Partnership to Accelerate Research (OnPAR). Foundations and other potential funders can review the NIH scores, and decide whether they might be interested in funding the Projects. Currently, this Pilot Program allows researchers with priority scores better than the 30th percentile to submit their abstracts. Interested Foundations might ask that a researcher send their full NIH Application along with its scores. The consensus opinion is that there are a lot of worthy grants being submitted to the NIH, but there is only so much funding available. OnPAR is one way of trying to match researchers with private Foundations. 
About CPCE
We are a pediatric research center dedicated to discovering and sharing knowledge about best practices in pediatric care by facilitating, organizing and centralizing the performance of clinical effectiveness research -- research aimed at understanding the best ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases in children. CPCE’s multidisciplinary team conducts research on a diverse range of clinical effectiveness topics grouped within four areas of research: