Pediatric Research in the CTSA: The Importance of Integrating Child Health into Lifecourse Research

Monday, April 28, 2025

2:00pm – 3:30pm HST

Location: Convention Center: 310

CE: 1.5

Selected By: CHTRC
Co-sponsored By: SPR

Chair(s)

Mark Schleiss, MD (he/him/his)

American Legion and Auxiliary Heart Research Foundation Professor
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology
UMN Medical School
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
KW

Karen Wilson, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Professor
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York, United States

Disclosure(s):

Mark R. Schleiss, MD: Moderna Vaccines (Ongoing) (Products/Services: Research Support including clinical trials & the principal or named investigator)

Karen Wilson, MD, MPH: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

The impact of childhood experience on adult health is a hot topic in Pediatrics. There is an ever-increasing need to consider studies of child health in the broader context of lifecourse research. This concept is key component of the NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science (CTSA) network. Collaborative lifecourse research conducted within the CTSA networks is, in particular, embodied by the "Integration Across the Lifecourse" committee. This committee is one of the CTSA "Enterprise Committees (ECs)", which are instrumental in advancing the field of translational science by providing opportunities for CTSA members to collaborate, plan projects, develop metrics to gauge impact, and collaborate on white papers and workshops, ultimately leading to new advances in translational science. The PAS Child Health Translational Research Committee has a similar mission, making this topic symposium an important potential session for the PAS meeting. In this symposium, the co-chairs of the Lifecourse EC, Drs. Mark Schleiss and Karen Wilson, will present updates and overviews of the key roles that the CTSAs play in child health research. An overview of how the CTSAs promote child health research will be provided by Dr. Jessica Kahn. Speakers from two working groups from the Lifecourse Committee - one focusing on optimization of pediatric practice networks (Dr. Wilson) and the other empaneled to engage individuals disabilities as research collaborators (Drs. Armstrong and Meinzen-Derr) - will present work on these topics. Participants will have an enhanced understanding of how the CTSAs contribute to pediatric research and, ultimately, improved cared for children.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion, participants will understand how they can get engaged with and take advantage of the resources in their CTSAs to do pediatric->adult lifecourse research.
Upon completion, participants will be able to discuss NCATS’ and other national initiatives that identify opportunities, build infrastructure, and foster innovation supporting pediatric clinical trials.
Upon completion, participants will become aware of toolkits for investigators, disabled patients, journal editorial staff, and administrators supporting engagement of these patients as research collaborators.

Presentations:

2:00pm – 2:10pm HST

The CTSA Enterprise Committees: Structure, Mission, and Deliverables
Speaker: Mark R. Schleiss, MD (he/him/his) – UMN Medical School
2:10pm – 2:35pm HST

Navigating Clinical and Translational Science Awards to Foster Lifespan Research: A Guide for Pediatric Researchers
Speaker: Jessica Kahn, MD MPH (she/her/hers) – Albert Einstein College of Medicine
2:35pm – 3:00pm HST

Supporting Infrastructure and Innovation to Increase Pediatric Clinical Trials
Speaker: Karen Wilson, MD, MPH (she/her/hers) – University of Rochester
3:00pm – 3:25pm HST

Engaging Individuals with Lived Disability Experience as Research Collaborators: Building an Infrastructure for Success
Speaker: Jareen Meinzen-Derr, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers) – Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
3:25pm – 3:30pm HST

Q & A