News in Brief
Boat Awarded Geme Leadership Award
Thomas Boat, MD, director of the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, was awarded the Joseph W. St. Geme Leadership Award at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in May. The highest award given by the Federation of Pediatric Organizations, it recognizes individuals who have contributed to the advancement of pediatric medicine over many years. A pediatric pulmonologist by training, Dr. Boat has worked throughout his career to develop more effective therapies for chronic lung diseases. Dr. Boat is also physician-in-chief and a member of the board of trustees at Cincinnati Children's, and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Gene Therapist Wins Young Investigator Award
The American Society of Gene Therapy has awarded Christof von Kalle, MD, PhD, of the Division of Experimental Hematology, with its Young Investigator Award. Dr. Kalle is one of only three scientists in the United States to win the award this year. The award is recognition for research that uncovered the cause of a leukemia-like illness that afflicted two boys involved in gene therapy for severe combined immune deficiency. This breakthrough research will help guide future gene therapy research.
Breast Milk Research Gains National Attention
Ardythe Morrow, PhD, of the Center for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, has recently gained national attention for her studies of the qualities of human milk. The studies are part of the human milk research initiative at Cincinnati Children's. Dr. Morrow is investigating the genetic and chemical properties that give breast milk its nutritional and anti-infection qualities. Her study of oligosaccharides in human milk is the first of its kind, and could be used to protect both babies and adults from infectious diseases.
Physician-Scientists Elected to ASCI
Christopher Baum, MD, Experimental Hematology/Oncology, and Christopher Karp, MD, Molecular Immunology, were elected into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Election to the ASCI is highly competitive and represents the highest honor a physician-scientist can attain. Dr. Baum was elected in recognition for his work in developing retrovirus vectors for use in gene therapy. Dr. Karp's election honors his work in understanding inflammatory cytokines and their roles in diseases. Founded in 1908, the ASCI recognizes physician-scientists whose outstanding achievements advancebiomedical science.
Cincinnati Children's Again Ranked Among Top Pediatric Hospitals
In its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey, U.S.News & World Report has named Cincinnati Children's one of the 10 best pediatric hospitals in the United States. The medical center was ranked eighth in pediatric care. This represents an improvement in the U.S. News survey for the third consecutive year. Cincinnati Children's ranked ninth in 2002 and 10th in 2001. U.S. News established the survey to be a starting point to help consumers find quality care. The publication ranks 203 top medical centers in 17 specialties.
Home Dialysis Technology Nears Production
Cincinnati Children's has entered into an agreement with British Technology Group (BTG) to begin producing the intelligent continuous venovenous hemofiltration machine developed by John Bissler, MD, of the Cincinnati Children's Division of Nephrology. The device, which automatically measures and adjusts fluid extraction and transfer from a patient's body, is the result of more than 10 years of research and development by Dr. Bissler. Successful tests in the lab and on dialysis patients at Cincinnati Children's have cleared the way for large scale testing. Dr. Bissler estimates the equipment may be available for home and ICU use in four to five years.
Grant Funding: An Integral Component of Research Foundation
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has a renowned research staff that attracts millions of dollars in research funding and private and corporate donations annually. These funds are reinvested into research supplies, equipment and salaries so our researchers have the resources to continually "raise the bar" in the pediatric health care field. We are ranked third in funding among comprehensive pediatric centers receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants. Recent grants obtained include the following:
| Bernstein, D.: VLP Vaccine in Preadolescents and Adolescents; Merck & Co. Inc.; 05/02/03 - 05/01/04; $102,862 |
| Choi, A.: Development of an Intranasal Rotavirus Subunit Vaccine; National Institutes of Health; 07/01/02 - 03/31/03; $27,272 |
| Grabowski, G.: Studies of Fabrazyme; Genzyme Corporation; 12/06/02 - 12/05/03; $158,022 |
| Grupp-Phelan, J.: Screening Services in the Pediatric Emergency Department; National Institutes of Health; 06/15/03 - 03/31/08; $828,165 |
| Huppert, J.: Urinary Symptoms in Adolescent Females; STI or UTI?; National Institutes of Health; 04/01/03 - 03/31/05; $100,000 |
| Robbins, J.: Transgenic Remodeling of the Rabbit Heart; National Institutes of Health; 02/01/2003 - 01/30/2007; $1,106,442 |
| Wong, H.: Genomic Analysis of Pediatric SIRS; National Institutes of Health; 08/01/2003 - 07/31/2006; $607,077 |
