Upcoming Events

CHOP Research Faculty Luncheon

Date: April 16, 2019

Time: 12pm

Location: Abramson Research Center (ARC) 123-ABC

The latest installment of the Faculty Luncheon lecture series, which will feature Shana McCormack, MD, MTR. Dr. McCormack will present “Mitochondrial Metabolism and Diabetes Prevention.” All CHOP faculty are invited to attend. Lunch will be provided beginning at 11:45 am.

2019 Sixth Annual Clinical Research Coordinator Recognition Event  

Date: May 2, 2019

Time: 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Location: CTRB 1200 A&B

CHOP employees are invited to the annual celebration of the profession of Clinical Research Coordination and a tribute to the tremendous efforts of coordinators at CHOP.

RSVP for the event here.

CHOP Research Institute Poster Day and Scientific Symposium

Dates: May 21-22, 2019

In 2019, the CHOP Research Institute will bring together its largest community-building events, CHOP Research Poster Day and the Scientific Symposium, to create a two-day celebration of all-things-research. More details available online, or questions questions may be directed to the Office of Academic Training and Outreach Programs.

Recent Publications

Prenatal Maternal Antidepressants, Anxiety, and Depression and Offspring DNA Methylation: Epigenome-Wide Associations at Birth and Persistence into Early Childhood

Anxiety and depression often accompany pregnancy, and affect up to 8% and 12% of pregnant women, respectively. Prenatal anxiety and depression are associated with poor perinatal outcomes. Medications to treat mood disorders in pregnancy have been associated with risks of adverse negative consequences for children. CPCE faculty member Heather Burris joined a team of researchers to conduct a study to evaluate associations of maternal prenatal antidepressant use, anxiety, and depression, and to test for persistence of associations in early and mid-childhood blood DNA. IT was found that there is an association between maternal antidepressant use and DNA methylation of the ZNF575 gene in infant cord blood, which persists into early childhood.

Three-Dimensional Printed Models of the Rib Cage in Children with Non-Accidental injury as an Effective Visual-Aid Tool

Rib fractures, especially multiple rib fractures at different stages of healing, are suggestive of non-accidental injury (NAI) in young children. Physicians often provide testimony in court cases involving these types of rib fractures, or other injuries that may indicate NAI, but it is difficult to demonstrate imaging findings to those without the training necessary to read those types of radiographs and CT. A group of researchers, including Joanne Wood of CPCE, posited that employing 3-D printed models could improve this process by allowing the jury and judge to interact with the injuries more readily. When examples of models were brought to experts by this team, they were interacted with spontaneously, and experts expressed a willingness to use these models in their practice as well as in court.

Overcoming Language Barriers in Mental and Behavioral Health Care for Children and Adolescents- Policies and Priorities

Katherine Yun of CPCE and PolicyLab, Marsha Gerdes of PolicyLab, and Gabriela Jenicek of CHOP, provided a Viewpoints piece for JAMA this month, describing some of the barriers to mental and behavioral healthcare for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP), and the importance of this type of care for many who are considered LEP. Bilingual programs have been most readily adopted, but are not sufficient to address the needs of this community. Yun, Gerdes, and Jenicek provide avenues for more successful delivery of mental and behavioral healthcare to patients with LEP, citing a need for organizational-level change, and a multi-faceted approach to care.  

High Rate of Serotype V Carriage in Pregnant Women in Botswana

Neonatal sepsis is a major factor in early life mortality, and even nonfatal cases may lead to substantial lifelong morbidity. GBS (Group P Streptococcus) is a known major cause of neonatal sepsis, and screening for GBS at 35 to 37 weeks of gestation, along with intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis, are the primary modes of prevention of GBS in high-income countries such as the United States of America. These strategies are primarily effective for early onset GBS, and screen-and-treat programs are labor- and cost-intensive, which decreases their feasibility in low- and middle-income countries. In a cross-sectional study of GBS colonization among pregnant women at two sites in Botswana, Andrew Steenhoff and colleagues found that there is a rectovaginal colonization rate comparable to other regions, but there was a notable predominance of serotype V. These data can provide a useful baseline for understanding the potential local impact of GBS prevention strategies, including vaccines.

A Minority of Children Diagnosed with Lyme Disease Recall a Receding Tick Bite

Approximately half of all new cases of Lyme disease in the USA occur in children, and there is a need for prevention strategies to reduce the burden of tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease. Occasionally, patients will report a recognized tick bite in the past, but most children who develop Lyme disease are not aware of a preceding bite, and a lack of knowledge of such an event should not preclude the possibility that a child may have Lyme disease. CPCE faculty member Fran Balamuth worked with other researchers to report the frequency of a known tick bite in children with Lyme disease, and to compare the frequency of known tick bites between children with and without Lyme disease in a cohort of children undergoing ED evaluation for Lyme disease. The study suggests that alternative prevention strategies as well as a safe and effective Lyme disease vaccine should be studied further.

Understanding Vaccine Knowledge, Attitudes, and Decision-Making through College Student Interviews

In a study that sought to explore knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about vaccines required for college-entry and vaccine-related behaviors among college students, CPCE affiliate Kristen Feemster conducted semistructured interviews with full-time undergraduate students over 18 years old in Philadelphia. The study found that there is a lack of knowledge about and low prioritization of vaccination despite overall positive attitudes about vaccines, and suggests prematriculation education to increasing vaccine knowledge and use.

Threatened Efficiency not Autonomy: Prescriber Perceptions of an Established Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) can be difficult to implement due to prescriber resistance. Barriers to implementation have been identified, but the particular ways that prescribers perceive established programs has not been studied in depth. Understanding these barriers more fully is crucial to ensuring the sustainability of ASPs. Members of the Pediatric Ideas research group conducted a cross-sectional survey administered at a children’s hospital, in which prescribers were asked about their opinions on an ASP. Although prescribers had an overall positive impression of the ASP, some felt that the ASP threatened efficiency, and reported occasionally engaging in workarounds. ASPs were perceived as involving too many phone calls, which lead to gaps between approval and dispensing of antibiotics. Moreover, prescribers sometimes were reluctant to comply with ASP recommendations, especially if there was an existing therapy that appeared to be successful. Collecting feedback from prescribers will allow ASPs to ensure their processes are efficient for prescribers, allowing for long term sustainability of these programs.

Surgical Management of Pediatric Thyroid Disease: Complication Rates After Thyroidectomy at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia High-Volume Pediatric Thyroid Center

Pediatric thyroid disease is less common than adult thyroid disease, and pediatric surgical specialists often have less experience in managing thyroid disease, both in the operating room and in an outpatient setting. By characterizing outcomes for pediatric patients based on diagnosis, preoperative counseling for patients and their families will be improved. CPCE faculty member Sogol Mostoufi-Moab, along with a team of CHOP researchers, studied complications among pediatric thyroidectomy patients, to better understand these outcomes.  

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