Clinical Trials

Novel Treatments for Pediatric Cardiac Care

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's involvement in research is fundamental to our mission. Research is the only way we learn about disease origins and mechanisms, and the only way to develop new therapies that advance patient care. The Heart Institute structure underscores Cincinnati Children’s commitment to fully integrate outstanding clinical care and groundbreaking research capabilities into a partnership that allows us to more rapidly develop new and increasingly effective treatments for children with heart disease.

Cincinnati Children's mission is to be the leader in improving child health. As part of that mission, doctors and scientists at the medical center conduct research that improves the quality of pediatric care in the community, the nation and the world. In the past, research at Cincinnati Children's has led to medical developments such as the Sabin oral polio vaccine, surfactant therapy for premature infants and the first heart-lung machine.

Merging Research and Clinical Care

The Heart Institute structure brings physicians, nurses and other clinical staff together with basic and translational research teams to change the way we think about and treat pediatric heart disease. Our pioneering approach merges the diverse missions of clinical care, research, education, process improvement / outcomes, and operations, bringing each of these critical components into full strategic alignment. Interacting on a daily basis and sharing one another’s unique perspectives within the Heart Institute structure results in the development of novel treatments for pediatric cardiovascular disease.

Cincinnati Children’s has world-class efforts underway in basic science and clinical practice in pediatric heart disease. Our group of basic scientists is unique in the world of academic pediatric cardiology. Our clinical and basic research groups already work closely together. Led by D. Woodrow Benson, MD, PhD, they competed successfully in a national competition for one of the five Specialized Center for Clinically Oriented Research (SCCOR) grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Read about these and other uniquely talented investigators who work within the Heart Institute by reading about their laboratory sites.

Current Pediatric Heart Care Studies

Robert H. Beekman, III, MD, Professor of Cardiology:

National Collaborative for Quality Improvement in Pediatric Cardiology – Joint Council on Congenital Heart Disease (JCCHD)
Coarctation of the Aorta Platinum Stent Trial (COAST) – Johns Hopkins University
Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Outcomes Project (C3PO) – Children’s Hospital Boston

D. Woodrow Benson, MD, PhD, Director, Cardiovascular Genetics:

SCCOR in Pediatric Heart Development and Disease – National Institutes of Health
Genetic Mechanisms of Cardiac Disease in the Young – National Institutes of Health
Preoperative Therapy for Prevention of Postoperative Low Cardiac Output Syndrome – National Institutes of Health

Robert B. Hinton Jr., MD, Physician and Researcher:

Genetic and Developmental Basis of Pediatric Aortic Valve Disease Pathogenesis – National Institutes of Health

Jane Khoury, PhD, Assistant Professor:

Influence of Pregnancy on Risk Factors for CVD and Type 2 Diabetes – National Institutes of Health (Kaiser Foundation Research Institute)

Thomas R. Kimball, MD, Director of Echocardiography:

Chronic Renal Insufficiency in NAPRTCS Patients – National Institutes of Health (Children’s Mercy Hospital of Kansas City)
CV Disease in Adolescents with Type 2 Diabetes – National Institutes of Health

Kristen Lipscomb:

Regulation of EVC and LBN (EVC2) in Heart Development and Disease – American Heart Association of Ohio

Bradley S. Marino, MD, Attending Physician in the Division of Cardiology:

Testing the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory – National Institutes of Health

Michael-Alice Moga, MD, Fellow:

Ventricular Myosin Isoforms – Pressure Overloaded Heart – American Academy of Pediatrics

Marcia Schmidt, MS, RD:

CALERIE Phase II Study – National Institutes of Health

Elaine M. Urbina, MD, Director, Preventive Cardiology and Associate Professor of Pediatrics:

Vascular Dysfunction in Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome – National Institutes of Health
Modifying Dietary Behavior in Adolescents with Elevated Blood Pressure – National Institutes of Health