720-777-0123
The Colorado Child Health Research Institute (CCHRI) announced the recipients of the Research and Innovation Scholar Awards (RISA) which support early-stage child health investigators who have demonstrated outstanding potential for an academic research career. The CCHRI also recognized recipients of CCHRI Pilot Grant Awards, made possible by generous funding from the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation.
Research and Innovation Scholar Awards
The Fall 2024 RISA awards went to one first-year awardee and two second-year awardees to continue their work.
Ryan Kammeyer, MD, MSE: First-year RISA recipient
“Early Identification and Mechanisms of Cognitive Dysfunction in Pediatric-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus”
Adolescents with systemic lupus erythematosus often experience difficulties with thinking and cognition, which can impact their quality of life, social engagement and success in school and work. By identifying cognitive difficulties earlier in a patient’s course, patients can start treatment or interventions earlier, leading to improved outcomes. At present, the methodologies used for assessing cognitive impairment are complex and not easily accessible to clinicians caring for these patients. In this study, Dr. Kammeyer and his team will recruit adolescents with lupus, perform detailed cognitive testing and obtain a blood sample. They will evaluate brief, easy-to-perform tests of cognition and blood markers related to brain injury or inflammation and assess their relationship with presence of cognitive difficulties. This will help the team identify simpler and more readily available methods for identifying patients with cognitive difficulties, allowing for earlier interventions and supporting future research into the causes of lupus-related cognitive difficulties.
Melisa Tanverdi, MD: Second-year RISA recipient
“Digital Health-Enhanced Post-Emergency Department (ED) Care to Improve Asthma Exacerbation Outcomes in High-Risk Children”
Dr. Tanverdi will be continuing her work with Children’s Colorado’s Breathing Institute in an effort to stay connected with patients after ED visits for asthma to help monitor and manage medications and to strive for optimal outpatient asthma care. Her RISA-funded research project is looking at patients between 4 and 12 years of age who seek asthma care in the ED in a trial that uses a sensor attached to the patient’s inhaler. This allows the team to monitor symptoms and medication use post-visit to gain insights into how these factors might impact the need for follow-up care.
Rachel Cafferty, MD: Second-year RISA recipient
“Examining Environmental and Individual Factors Associated with Suicide Risk and Mental Health Service Use”
Through her RISA award, Dr. Cafferty will continue her work that aims to link kids who have visited the emergency department (ED) for mental health needs with resources and outpatient care once they leave. Her first step is to better understand these children and their access to mental health services. To do this, she’s linking records from 13 different EDs across the country to the Childhood Opportunity Index (COI), which looks at factors such as education, crime, pollution, health and more to paint a picture of an individual child’s opportunities and disadvantages.
CCHRI Pilot Grant Awards
The Colorado Child Health Research Pilot Grant Awards support investigators in conducting preliminary research that lays the foundation for comprehensive, hypothesis-driven investigations. With current rapid advances in our understanding of human disease and availability of new technologies, it is essential that we have funding mechanisms to facilitate our ability to quickly test new ideas.
Kentaro Yomogida, MD
“Pilot Study for the Comprehensive Analysis of Synovial Membranes in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis”
Dr. Yomogida is a pediatric rheumatologist focused on autoimmune mechanisms. In this research, he aims to investigate the roles of tertiary lymphoid structures and stem-like T cells in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) pathogenesis. JIA is the most common chronic arthritis in children, affecting approximately 30,000 children in the United States. This study will conduct a comprehensive analysis on synovial membranes in JIA patients, examining the transcriptional and cellular composition to identify pathological features critical to clinical courses and treatment responses. The objectives of the research proposal are to profile these features to better understand JIA’s progression, improve therapeutic strategies and advance knowledge of the pathogenesis of the most common form of arthritis in children. Dr. Yomogida’s CCHRI Pilot Grant Award is made possible by generous funding from the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation.
Christina Sul, MD
“Mnte-2-Pyp SOD Mimetic as a Therapeutic Option in Acute Lung Injury”
Dr. Sul is a pediatric critical care physician-scientist who aims to advance understanding of the development of lung injuries and to improve outcomes in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A lack of pharmaceutical therapies underscores the need for novel approaches in the search for pharmacologic treatment interventions in acute lung injury, ARDS, and especially pediatric ARDS. This study focuses on testing the efficacy of a drug called MnTE-2-PyP SOD mimetic in two distinct and clinically relevant mice models of lung injury. This research will explore the potential of MnTE-2-PyP SOD mimetic as a novel therapeutic option for ARDS. The data collected from this pilot study will be used to guide further testing of the drug’s efficacy and its toxicity in injury models, and if successful, the development of clinical therapeutic trials in ARDS. Dr. Sul’s CCHRI Pilot Grant Award is made possible by generous funding by way of The Bobrow-Tanabe Family Pilot Award from the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation.
CCHRI Bridge Funding Supplement Award
The Bridge funding program is designed to support full-time faculty members as they seek additional financial assistance. Following the review of eligible applications from child health investigators who receive bridge funding through the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Bridge Funding for Grant Lapses program, they may also qualify for the Child Health Bridge Funding supplement.
Erica Mandell, DO
“Vitamin D Role in Lung Development and Disease”
Preterm infants born before 28 weeks are at high risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease linked to antenatal factors that increase inflammation. Data shows maternal vitamin D deficiency (M-VDD), affecting 50 to 90% of pregnancies worldwide, is a strong and modifiable risk factor for BPD, leading to prolonged respiratory support, childhood asthma and wheezing. Dr. Mandell’s research shows that M-VDD impairs airway and lung development in newborn rats, increasing susceptibility to lung injury, but the mechanism remains unclear. Her team hypothesizes that M-VDD disrupts fetal lung development by impairing pulmonary endothelial cell function in utero, which they will investigate through translational studies combining in vivo and in vitro models. Understanding this process could inform new therapeutics to improve lung development in preterm infants and reduce long-term respiratory complications
