September 13, 2023

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UPDATES FROM RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

The Powerful Reach of Mentoring

Manne Research Institute's latest President's Message from Dr. Patrick Seed

Mentorship opportunities in medical research for college students spark their sense of discovery, inspiring them to take on new challenges and positioning them on pathways to lifelong careers in the sciences. Matching students and faculty mentors through our Katz and Manne Research Institute Summer Scholars Program is one way we have a direct and positive impact. In the latest President’s Message, President and Chief Research Officer Patrick Seed, MD, PhD, introduces us to a student-faculty mentor pair from this year’s summer scholars program and a past summer scholar who works as a social epidemiologist studying childhood obesity, and explains how the mentorship experience has inspired them. 

Health@Home Research Initiative Kickoff

Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute is excited to launch Health@Home, a strategic research initiative to catalyze science that transforms digital healthcare outside of hospital walls. Our goal is to support faculty and staff interested in expanding the science of how digital tools—such as remote monitoring, apps, virtual visits, sensors, texting, and novel device-interventions—can improve the health of children and the wellbeing of their families at home and in the community.

This multi-year initiative will include a variety of events and tools to help expand the knowledge, experience, and resources for your successful digital healthcare-related research endeavors.

The Health@Home initiative team has created a Microsoft Teams site to house helpful resources and tools and to create a digital health research community at Lurie Children’s. The Teams site will house a variety of resources, including a list of grant and program funding opportunities, a calendar of upcoming events, and a list of other potential collaborators within our community. Through the Teams site, we will be sending out reminders for application deadlines, events and talks, or additional announcements about the initiative.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Teams site or learning more information about planned events, use the link below or visit the initiative calendar.

Single IRB Resources

Are you interested in requesting that Lurie Children’s rely on an external Institutional Review Board (IRB) or are you considering having Lurie Children’s serve as the IRB of Record for an upcoming multi-site study? The Office of Research Integrity and Compliance maintains a dedicated webpage with information about the steps to take, as well as answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about using a single IRB.

To initiate the process to rely on an external IRB or Lurie Children's serving as the IRB of Record for a multi-site study, contact IRBreliance@luriechildrens.org as early in the process as possible. 

Research Communications Survey: Internal Communications

The Office of Research Development Communications team is soliciting feedback from the research community to further improve communications within Manne Research Institute. The short survey below focuses on the internal communications of the research institute. All responses collected will be confidential and results will only be shared in aggregate form. Please submit responses by September 22.

Jenn Black, MS

Senior Sponsored Programs Administrator, Office of Sponsored Programs 

The Office of Sponsored Programs recently welcomed Jenn Black to the team as Senior Sponsored Programs Administrator. Jenn has been working at Lurie Children’s since February 2022 and is excited to begin a new chapter. Since 2013, she has worked with Dr. Thomas Inge, Surgeon-in-Chief, on the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)-funded multicenter consortium, Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS). This prospective, observational study documented durability of weight loss, comorbidity resolution, quality of life, and micronutrient status to identify long-term adverse events, risks, and benefits of adolescent bariatric surgery. As Central Study Coordinator, Jenn was responsible for overseeing Teen-LABS, including collaborative coordination with principal investigators, research coordinators, study staff, the data coordinating center, and the NIDDK to ensure policies and procedures were being followed and objectives were met. Prior to joining Lurie Children’s, Jenn worked for University of Colorado and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She earned an MS in Social Administration (accredited Master of Social Work) from Case Western Reserve University and a BS in Social Work from Xavier University. 

Emily Cheng, MBA, MS 

Director, Sponsored Research Finance Office 

Emily Cheng has been named Director of the Sponsored Research Finance Office. She will be responsible for overseeing central post-award functions at Lurie Children’s, including research finance, accounts receivable and management, financial compliance, and sponsored award audits. Emily possesses more than 15 years of research administration experience, serving in roles throughout the sponsored award lifecycle, in both departmental and central capacities, with increasing levels of responsibility. Most recently, Emily was the Director of Research Compliance and Training for the University of Chicago’s central research office. She earned an MBA and MS in Organizational Behavior and Management from Benedictine University and a BS in Biology and Psychology from Augsburg College. 

Mike DiBiccaro, MA 

Senior Sponsored Programs Administrator, Office of Sponsored Programs 

The Office of Sponsored Programs welcomes Mike DiBiccaro to the team as Senior Sponsored Programs Administrator. Mike brings eight years of experience in sponsored programs administration and award management from Northwestern University’s Sponsored Research central office where he served as an Associate Sponsored Research Officer. Over the course of his time at Northwestern University, he worked closely with departments on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses (including, most recently, Feinberg School of Medicine) across various stages of the award life cycle. Mike earned a BA from New York University and an MA from Northwestern University. 

Cat Durkiewicz 

Operations Manager, Quantitative Science 

Cat Durkiewicz has been promoted to Operations Manager for the Quantitative Science pillar. In this new role, Cat will work alongside the pillar’s chief research informatics officer and operational leads to coordinate, organize, and manage multiple strategic initiatives and establish operating policies that align with the scaling of the pillar. Cat has worked for several departments at Lurie Children’s for almost 7 years. Prior to joining the Quantitative Science pillar, Cat spent almost 10 years gaining clinical experience as a patient care technician within the home health care, nursing home care, and inpatient care fields, including four years as an anesthesia technician in the operating room at Lurie Children’s. She is the chair of the Manne Research Advisory Board and co-chair of the First-Generation Professionals Empowerment Resource Group. She recently graduated with a BS in Health Policy and Administration from Penn State University. After she earns her graduate degree, Cat plans to run for office or work for a grassroots organization where she could apply her knowledge of policy implementation to the areas of health care accessibility and equity. 

Jonathan (Jack) Hoover, MS

Research Educator, Office of Research Development 

Jonathan (Jack) Hoover recently joined the Office of Research Development as the team’s Research Educator for the Basic and Preclinical Sciences pillar. Jack will have major roles in facilitating the training and orientating of Manne Research Institute research professionals. Prior to joining Lurie Children’s, Jack worked at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine where he held several positions, including graduate student fellow in the lab of Dr. John Parant in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and aquatics specialist in the Zebrafish Research Facility. He earned an MS in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Sciences from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a BS in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern Mississippi. 

Candace Jarzombek, MPH 

Behavioral Research Coordinator II, Family and Child Health Innovations Program  

The Family and Child Health Innovations Program (FCHIP) has named Candace Jarzombek as Behavioral Research Coordinator II. Prior to joining Lurie Children’s, she supported state maternal and child health agencies through program planning, evaluation, and technical assistance. In her new role, Candace will use her passion for advancing child health and family well-being through trauma-informed and equity-centered approaches to collaborate with the FCHIP team and state maternal and child health leaders to learn more about the role fathers play in their children’s health. She earned a Master of Public Health with certificates in Community Health and Maternal and Child Health from Boston University. 

Kate Jones 

Research Grants Specialist, Research Support Office

Kate Jones recently joined the Research Support Office as a Research Grants Specialist. Kate previously worked for the Knoxville, Tennessee, city planning office, where she focused on sustainable transportation and community outreach. She earned a BA in Sociology and Human Rights from the University of Dayton. 

Kyle Rodriguez 

Research Administrative Manager, Research Support Office 

The Research Support Office welcomes Kyle Rodriguez to the role of Research Administrative Manager. Prior to joining Lurie Children’s, Kyle worked at Northwestern University for five years, most recently serving as an operations manager responsible for overseeing the undergraduate mail and package centers. His work involved improving processes, solving complex problems, and leading a large team. Kyle received a BS in Sociology from the University of Arizona. 

SCIENCE SHOWCASE

Suresh Recognized With Anesthesiology Excellence in Education Award

From Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine—Santhanam Suresh, MD, MBA, Professor of Anesthesiology in the Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, has been named the recipient of this year’s Excellence in Education Award, given by the American Society of Anesthesiologists. 

The award recognizes society members who have made outstanding contributions through demonstrated excellence in teaching, development of new teaching methods, and/or implementation of innovative educational programs in their field.

Dr. Suresh is Senior Vice-President and Chief of Provider Integration at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and holds the Arthur C. King Board Designated Professorship in Anesthesiology.

NEWS FROM THE RESEARCH PILLARS

Survey: Adults Say Stress Is #1 Problem for Youth Health

Stress, drug abuse, and gun violence top the list of big problems for youth in Chicago

Stress emerged as the highest concern for youth health this year, with 78% of respondents considering it a “big problem” in a recent Voices of Child Health in Chicago Parent Panel Survey by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Chicago Department of Public Health. Adults from all 77 community areas in Chicago were asked about the top health and social issues facing children and adolescents in the city.

“In our surveys, stress has been among the top concerns since 2018, but this year it surpassed all the other health and social challenges for youth,” said Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, Chair of the Department of Medicine at Lurie Children’s, Executive Vice President and Chief Community Health Transformation Officer at the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities at Lurie Children’s, and Chair of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “The ongoing youth mental health crisis from the COVID-19 pandemic may have increased Chicagoans’ concern about child and adolescent stress levels.”

The top 10 health and social concerns for youth this year are listed below.

• Stress (78%)
• Drug Abuse by Youth (71%)
• Gun Violence (70%)
• Violence in Schools (68%)
• Lack of Adult Supervision and Involvement (67%)
• Depression (66%)
• Health Inequity (66%)
• Social Media (65%)
• Child Abuse and Neglect (62%)
• Suicide (62%)

MANNE RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN THE MEDIA

• A Wake-up Call for Kids Poor Heart Health - Reach MD
• Understanding Lead Poisoning in Children: Risks, Symptoms and Solutions - Racine County Eye
• Youth Mental Health Crisis Is Overwhelming ERs - Axios
• Lawsuit to Block Texas’ Ban on Care for Transgender Youth Has Its First Day in Court - Texas Public Radio
• Using Biomarkers to Determine Etiology, Predict Disease Course, and Target Therapy in Pediatric Pneumonia - Medscape In Discussion Podcast
• What Pfizer’s Maternal Rsv Vaccine Means for the Infant Population - Contemporary Pediatrics
• Lurie Children’s Hospital Receives $350K Boost for Pediatric Cancer Research - Fox 32 Chicago