Inaugural Joseph and Dorothy Giddan Child Health Medical Research Grants Accelerate Critical Research in Childhood Health and Diseases
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has established a new grant initiative to support faculty who are conducting medical research that is critical to expanding the knowledgebase in the field of child health.
The Joseph and Dorothy Giddan Child Health Medical Research Grants will be awarded annually to Feinberg faculty following a competitive process.
“This initiative provides our scientists with an incredible opportunity to continue exploring childhood health and diseases,” says Eric G. Neilson, MD, vice president for medical affairs and Lewis Landsberg Dean. “We are confident the Giddan Grants will enhance clinical and translational research discoveries designed to benefit one of the most vulnerable populations of society: children.”
Amanda Saratsis, MD, assistant professor of Neurological Surgery and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, and Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MSc, assistant professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Advanced General Pediatrics and Primary Care, have been awarded the inaugural Giddan Grants.
“My colleagues and I are honored and humbled to be chosen to receive this award,” says Saratsis. “This support from the Giddan family and the NUCATS Institute will enable us to pursue our novel project, with the aim to improve clinical outcomes for children with devastating brain tumors.”
This support from the Giddan family and the NUCATS Institute will enable us to pursue our novel project, with the aim to improve clinical outcomes for children with devastating brain tumors.”
Saratsis will investigate the potential of using low-intensity pulsed ultrasound as an adjunctive treatment for pediatric high-grade gliomas, the number one cause of cancer death in children. The deadliest forms of the disease are difficult to treat because their location often eliminates surgery, and the presence of the blood-brain barrier impedes effective distribution of systemically administered chemotherapy.
Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that ultrasound-mediated blood-brain barrier disruption is possibly an effective treatment, leading to the first clinical trial of this approach in adults. Saratsis will evaluate this as an adjunct to a biologically appropriate chemotherapeutic agent in pediatric glioma models to enhance the possibility of a clinical translation of this therapeutic approach in children. Her co-investigators include Rintaro Hashizume, MD, PhD, research assistant professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, and Adam Sonabend Worthalter, MD, assistant professor of Neurological Surgery.
This award will be a catalyst for my research, which seeks to understand the adversity adolescents are facing during these unfamiliar times. This award will help me and others that wish to foster healing and resilience for our teens and their families.”
Heard-Garris seeks to better understand the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and exposure to racial injustice on adolescent psychological distress. Determining the relationship between this “double pandemic” will allow researchers to create guidelines to enhance adolescent psychological well-being. The research team will rely on interviews and health surveys, while also examining the role of household resources and geography.
"I feel incredibly honored to have been awarded the Joseph and Dorothy Giddan Child Health Medical Research Grant. This award will be a catalyst for my research, which seeks to understand the adversity adolescents are facing during these unfamiliar times," says Heard-Garris. "This award will help me and others that wish to foster healing and resilience for our teens and their families."
By exploring the influence of COVID-19-related policies like social distancing in conjunction with exposure to news on racial injustice, Heard-Garris will determine how each influences psychological distress, health behaviors, and health conditions. Through focus groups and questionnaires, she will create a set of best practices for discussing and addressing racial injustice and health equity in pediatric clinical settings.
Written by Roger Anderson
