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Spotlight on: CPCE Pilot Grants

CPCE recently awarded three pilot grants for the fall 2016 cycle:

Sheila Quinn, DO
Fellow, Division of Adolescent Medicine
Resilience as a Mediator in Healthcare Transitions Among Adolescent and Young Adult Kidney Transplant Recipients

Ruth Abaya, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine
Determining the optimal frequency of dexamethasone therapy in the treatment of young children with intermittent asthma discharged from the Emergency Department

Yeh-Chung (Daniel) Chang, MD
Fellow, Division of Infectious Diseases
The effect of a clinical pathway and rapid influenza polymerase chain reaction testing on rates of readmission to the pediatric emergency department and subsequent hospitalizations

CPCE offers pilot grants twice per year to support CHOP investigators in clinical effectiveness studies. Investigators from all CHOP departments and divisions, including fellows in their final year of fellowship transitioning to a faculty position at CHOP, are encouraged to apply. Selected proposals are supported for up to a maximum of $10,000 for one year. 

To see the full list of previous awardees, please visit our web site.
Upcoming Events

PCORI Online Training
Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm
PCORI is launching a new version of PCORI Online to enhance users’ experience throughout the Letter of Intent (LOI) and application submission process. The new PCORI Online will open to applicants on January 17, the first day that LOIs can be submitted for the Cycle 1 2017 funding Opportunities. All PCORI funding opportunities for Cycle 1 2017 onward will utilize the new PCORI Online. This includes submitting LOIs and applications, as well as responding to PCORI Information Requests. Applicants are invited to participate in an online training session to learn the details of how to use the new platform. Register online. 

R01 Grant Writing Seminar

Date: February 3, 2017
Time: 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
Location: 1100A, Colket  Translational Research Building
Dr. John Robertson from Grant Writers' Seminars and Workshops, LLC, will present a grant writing seminar, hosted by the CHOP Office of Faculty Development. Tuition is covered by the Research Institute. Workbooks will be available for purchase ($75) on day of seminar. Register online.

CHOP Research Poster Day and Expo
Date: February 22, 2017
Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Location: Lobby and first floor of the Colket Translational Research Building
2017 marks the 27th anniversary of CHOP Research Poster Day, an annual celebration of groundbreaking research happening through out Children's Hospital. 

CPCE/PolicyLab Works in Progress 
Dates are still available for the winter/spring 2017 Works in Progress series. These sessions, co-hosted by CPCE and PolicyLab, are held on Fridays at noon from September through June. Works-in-Progress sessions bring together health services researchers from across the hospital to discuss research projects that are in various stages of development: from protocol development all the way to data analysis, interpretation, and publication. Faculty and fellows interested in receiving feedback on their research are welcome to present. E-mail Casey Frazier for more information or to sign up. 

CPCE in
the News!
Recent Publications
The association between institutional volume and outcomes has been demonstrated for cardiac catheterization among adults, but less is known about this relationship for patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) undergoing cardiac catheterization.

Resuscitation with balanced fluids (lactated Ringer [LR]) was not associated with improved outcomes compared with normal saline (NS) in pediatric sepsis. Although the current practice of NS resuscitation is justified, selective LR use necessitates a prospective trial to definitively determine comparative effectiveness among crystalloids.

Parents of children with serious illness may have different perspectives regarding major problems and hopes, and these perspectives change over time. Parents of sicker children are more likely to be in either complete agreement or disagreement regarding the problems and hopes they identify.

A majority of parents of children with advanced cancer report discussing both good and bad news in the preceding 3 months. While news related primarily to cancer control, parents also describe good news discussions related to their child's well-being. Understanding how parents of children with advanced cancer classify and describe the news they receive may enhance efforts to promote family-centered communication.

Although patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is an effective pain control modality, there is a lack of large studies on PCA safety in pediatric patients. This study compared the delivery of morphine either via intravenous route (morphine IV) or via PCA device (morphine PCA) on risk of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and mechanical ventilation (MV) using a large administrative database.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and exposure to tobacco smoke harms children from conception forward. There is no safe level of tobacco exposure. While overall smoking rates have declined, the advent of new products, such as electronic cigarettes, threatens to perpetuate nicotine addiction without clear health benefits.


Funding Opportunities

The mission of the PennCHOP Microbiome Program is to facilitate research across campus focused on understanding the microbiome and altering its composition and activity to improve health. Pilot/Feasibility Grants are designed to bring together microbiome investigators and to stimulate other researchers to enter the field and investigate the influence of the microbiome in their subject areas. Up to eight projects will be funded for one year up to $40,000. Proposals are due by 5 pm January 27, 2017. For eligibility and other details, read the announcement [https://www.med.upenn.edu/penn-chop-microbiome/2017-pilot-announcement.pdf]

St. Baldrick’s Foundation Grants (LOI due Jan 31)
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation (SBF) is a volunteer-powered charity committed to funding the most promising childhood cancer research. For the spring grant cycle, letters of intent are due January 31, 2017 and full applications are due March 31, 2017. SBF accepts applications for several different funding types: Fellows, Scholars (post-fellowship career development award), International Scholars, Research Grants, Supportive Care Research Grants, Consortium Research Grants, and Summer Fellows (for students, one per institution). Information for researchers is available online. [https://www.stbaldricks.org/for-researchers]  

The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood (LOI due January 31)
The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood is intended to be an incubator of promising research and development projects that may ultimately enhance the development, health, safety, education or quality of life of children from infancy through seven years of age across the country. Each of its grants is made with the expectation that a successful project outcome will be of significant interest to other investigators or developers, within the grantee’s field of endeavor, and will be amenable to beneficial application or adaptation elsewhere. In essence, the foundation’s goal is to provide seed money for those imaginative endeavors, addressed to the needs of young children, which appear most likely to bear fruit on a national scale.

Society of Family Planning Grants (LOI due January 31)
The Society of Family Planning (SFP) funds several types of grants: community-based participatory research, interdisciplinary innovation, junior investigator, large research, midcareer mentor, small research, and trainee grants. Applicants must be SFP full or junior fellows to be eligible, except for trainee grants. All potential applicants are first required to submit an Intent to Apply form. The information provided will be used to assist in planning for the review process. Please be aware that proposals will not be accepted from applicants who do not submit the form. Grant sizes range from $7,500 for trainee awards up to $250,00 for junior investigator awards.

Community Access to Child Health Program (CATCH) (due Jan 31)
The CATCH Program is a national program of the American Academy of Pediatrics that increases children's access to medical homes or specific health services supporting pediatricians and communities who are involved in community-based efforts for children. The CATCH program offers a variety of funding opportunities for pediatricians. 

Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award program (LOI due February 1) 
The Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards, named in honor of the first chair of PCORI’s Board of Governors, encourage active integration of patients, caregivers, clinicians/providers, industry, payers/purchasers, researchers, and other stakeholders as members of the research process. The institute will award grants of up to $250,000 over two years. Letters of Inquiry (LOI) should be submitted by February 1, 2017. Full proposal submissions are by invitation only, after review and approval of the LOI.

Health Effects Institute Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award (Preliminary Application due February 15)
This award supports creative junior investigators, at Assistant Professor or equivalent level, with outstanding promise who are interested in the health effects of air pollution. This solicitation will fund one or two studies with a funding cap of $450,000 each. All applicants are required to verify their eligibility with HEI before applying. HEI may contact the applicant if there are questions about eligibility and/or the topic of the proposal. The HEI Research Committee will review the Preliminary Applications and invite selected candidates to submit a Full Application by the end of March, 2017. Full applications should be submitted no later than May 15, 2017.

National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation Research Award (due Feb 15)
The NIHCM Foundation Health Care Research Award recognizes outstanding published work from researchers furthering innovation in health care financing, delivery and organization or the implementation of health care policy. The 23-year-old award carries a $10,000 prize and is judged by an independent panel of experts.

The  Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation supports projects that broaden and improve health professional education. Macy Scholars are expected to implement new educational innovations at their home institutions and participate in career-development activities. Scholars will receive salary support of up to $100,000 per year for two years; at least 50 percent protected time for two years to pursue educational projects; active mentorship by a senior faculty member at their institution; access to the program's national advisory committee; and opportunities to participate in Macy conferences and other national meetings. Applicants must have been a faculty member for more than five years; be nominated by the dean of their school; and have a faculty mentor who will advise him/her on the educational innovation project and on his/her career development. In addition, all applicants must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its territories.

When Everyone Survives Foundation 2017 RFP in Leukemia Research (due March 1)
This request for proposals is offered by the When Everyone Survives Foundation to solicit innovative research in leukemia. Grants of $50,000 for one year are offered to new and established investigators who are requesting support for laboratory, translational, or clinical research related to acute leukemia.

The Clinical Scholars program aims to provide health care providers with the opportunity to build and develop the unique skills they need to lead communities and organizations toward a Culture of Health. The total award to the grantee organization will be up to $105,000 per team member for a three-year fellowship program. Teams may be between two and five individuals. 

Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Awards (concept due March 14)
The Fund is open to a variety of research topics important to children's health. Both incidence and severity are considered when determining the significance of a problem being studied. In the Early Career Award Program, the Fund is particularly interested in applicants that show great potential to impact that field of children's health through medical research. Both an applicant's aptitude and inclination toward research are considered. The quality of the mentor and the mentoring relationship are also considered to be important predictors of success. The grant amount is based on the actual budgetary needs of the project, with a maximum of $25,000 in direct costs for the entire grant. The duration of the project can be up to two years.

The Damon Runyon Fellowship Award is designed to provide early-career scientists with resources to hone their cancer research skills and explore their own ideas while working with mentors in top universities and cancer research centers. Candidates must apply for the fellowship under the guidance of a sponsor. The award provides a stipend of $223,000 over four years.

Organization for Autism Research 2017 Applied Research Competition (pre-proposals due March 27)
The annual program aims to promote innovative research that directly supports the autism community by expanding the body of knowledge related to autism intervention and treatment, producing practical and objective results, and providing outcomes that enhance the quality of life for persons with autism and their families. In 2017, OAR will award grants of up to $30,000. Studies can range from one to two years. Pre-proposals must be received no later than March 27, 2017. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by August 7, 2017.

Grants of up to $20,000 are available to help support the research of faculty members or post-doctoral researchers affiliated with non-profit human service organizations in the United States and Canada. Areas of interest to the Fund are: studies to develop, refine, evaluate, or disseminate innovative interventions designed to prevent or ameliorate major social, psychological, behavioral or public health problems affecting children, adults, couples, families, or communities, or studies that have the potential for adding significantly to knowledge about such problems.

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.

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.

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: