CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AND HEALTH SYSTEM INC

CHHS IS THE PARENT ORGANIZATION OF AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM OF ENTITIES PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL CARE AND SOCIAL SERVICES TO CHILDREN FROM WISCONSIN AND THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. THE SYSTEM INCLUDES WISCONSIN'S ONLY FREESTANDING HOSPITAL DEDICATED SOLELY TO THE CARE AND TREATMENT OF CHILDREN, AS WELL AS VARIOUS OTHER FACILITIES PROVIDING INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT CARE FOR CHILDREN WITH ALL TYPES OF ILLNESSES, INJURIES, BIRTH DEFECTS AND OTHER DISORDERS. THE SYSTEM ALSO INCLUDES EXTENSIVE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS. ON AN AGGREGATE BASIS, THE ENTITIES WITHIN THE SYSTEM PROVIDED COMMUNITY BENEFITS OF NEARLY $190 MILLION.CHHS OVERSEES AND COORDINATES THE ACTIVITIES OF THE VARIOUS OPERATING ENTITIES WITHIN THE INTEGRATED SYSTEM, THROUGH THE PROVISION OF SUPPORTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ON A CONSOLIDATED, CENTRALIZED BASIS.

AS A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IN AN ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER, RESEARCH IS INTERWOVEN INTO THE CARE WE PROVIDE EVERY DAY. CHILDREN'S ALLOCATES A PORTION OF ITS ANNUAL BUDGET TO PEDIATRIC RESEARCH IN ORDER TO STIMULATE RESEARCH ACTIVITY WHICH IS FOCUSED SOLELY ON IMPROVING CHILD HEALTH OUTCOMES. THIS RESEARCH IS FOCUSED ON IMPROVING DIAGNOSTICS, DISCOVERING AND TESTING NEW THERAPIES, AND IMPROVING THE WAY WE PREVENT AND MANAGE SOME OF THE MOST COMPLEX MEDICAL CONDITIONS. PHYSICIAN-SCIENTISTS, NURSE-SCIENTISTS, RESEARCHERS AND TECHNICIANS AT THE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH INSTITUTE (CRI) SEEK ANSWERS TO THE TOUGHEST QUESTIONS IN PEDIATRIC MEDICINE. THIS INNOVATIVE CULTURE HELPS TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST MINDS TO OUR ORGANIZATION. SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2003, CRI HAS GROWN TO INCLUDE MORE THAN 150 RESEARCHERS SPANNING ALL DIAGNOSTIC, MEDICAL, AND SURGICAL SPECIALTIES. TOGETHER THEY FORM THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF 100% PEDIATRIC RESEARCH IN WISCONSIN. CHILDREN'S RESEARCH INSTITUTE PROVIDES INFRASTRUCTURE AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR PEDIATRIC RESEARCHERS CONDUCTING CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH. CRI'S ACADEMIC PARTNERS INCLUDE THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN, UW-MILWAUKEE, AND MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY. TYPES OF SUPPORT INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:- SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT SUPPORT FOR EARLY STAGE INVESTIGATORS- COMPETITIVE PILOT GRANTS TO HELP INVESTIGATORS TEST NEW IDEAS- SHARED SERVICES, INCLUDING A PEDIATRIC TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH UNIT STAFFED BY PEDIATRIC NURSES TRAINED ON THE COMPLEXITIES OF REGULATED CLINICAL RESEARCH- DEDICATED LABORATORY SPACE FOR PEDIATRIC RESEARCHERSA FEW EXAMPLES OF ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS ARE DESCRIBED BELOW.CHILDREN'S HAS SIGNIFICANT EFFORTS IN CHILDHOOD CANCER RESEARCH, INCLUDING IMPROVING SURVIVORSHIP AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CHILDREN BATTLING SOME OF THE TOUGHEST FORMS OF THE DISEASE. ONGOING LABORATORY RESEARCH EFFORTS INCLUDE CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY PROJECTS, WHERE OUR LABS ENGINEER NOVEL ANTIBODIES AND INCORPORATE THEM INTO ANTIBODY-BASED PRODUCTS FOR THERAPY SUCH AS BISPECIFIC ANTIBODIES AND CHIMERIC ANTIGEN RECEPTORS THAT FUNCTION TO REDIRECT POTENT IMMUNE EFFECTOR CELLS TOWARD ELIMINATION OF TUMOR CELLS. IN ADDITION, OUR RESEARCHERS ARE ACTIVE WITH THE THERAPEUTIC ADVANCES IN CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA (TACL) CONSORTIUM. THIS NATIONAL CONSORTIUM WAS ESTABLISHED TO DEVELOP AND CONDUCT PHASE I /II CLINICAL TRIALS OF NEW DRUGS AND NOVEL DRUG COMBINATIONS FOR RECURRENT CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA OR LYMPHOMA. OUR RESEARCHERS ALSO CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COG (CHILDREN'S ONCOLOGY GROUP) CONSORTIUM FOR CLINICAL TRIALS OF NOVEL PEDIATRIC CANCER THERAPIES.RESEARCH IN IMPROVING NURSING CARE IS ALSO PART OF OUR RESEARCH PORTFOLIO, INCLUDING ONE PROJECT STUDYING AN INTERVENTION, TO HELP PARENTS ENGAGE WITH THEIR INFANTS IN THE NICU AND THE TRANSITION TO HOME. THIS INTERVENTION, H-HOPE (HOSPITAL TO HOME: OPTIMIZING THE PRETERM INFANT'S ENVIRONMENT), HAS ESTABLISHED EFFICACY, AND HAS A STANDARDIZED PROTOCOL, MAKING IT READY FOR WIDESPREAD IMPLEMENTATION. THE INFANT-DIRECTED COMPONENT OF H-HOPE PROVIDES AUDITORY (VOICE), TACTILE (MODERATE TOUCH MASSAGE), VISUAL (EYE TO EYE), AND VESTIBULAR (ROCKING) STIMULATION STARTING WHEN INFANTS ARE READY FOR SOCIAL INTERACTION. THIS INTERVENTION CAN HELP TO SUPPORT EARLY BRAIN MATURATION, HEALTH, AND DEVELOPMENT FOR BABIES IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT. IN THIS NIH-FUNDED RESEARCH, H-HOPE IMPROVED GROWTH, DEVELOPMENTAL MATURITY AND MOTHER-INFANT INTERACTION, AND REDUCED INITIAL HOSPITALIZATION COSTS AND ACUTE CARE VISITS THROUGH 6-WEEKS CORRECTED AGE. THIS RESEARCH IS NOW TESTING WHETHER H- HOPE CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AND SUSTAINED IN FIVE DIVERSE NICUS. ADDITIONAL RESEARCHERS IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT CONTINUE TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF PERSISTENT PULMONARY HYPERTENSION OF THE NEWBORN (PPHN), A LIFE-THREATENING CONDITION WHICH RESULTS FROM FAILURE OF PULMONARY VASCULAR RESISTANCE TO DECREASE AT BIRTH. IMPAIRED ANGIOGENESIS IN THE LUNG IS A KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO THE FAILED ADAPTATION. ENDOTHELIAL NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE (ENOS) PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE REGULATION OF ANGIOGENESIS AND PULMONARY VASODILATION AT BIRTH. ONGOING STUDIES ARE INVESTIGATING THE CONTRIBUTION OF ENOS DYSFUNCTION TO IMPAIRED MITOCHONDRIAL BIOGENESIS AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS IN ENOS GENE EXPRESSION IN PPHN, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO NOVEL THERAPY DEVELOPMENT TO RESTORE MITOCHONDRIAL BIOGENESIS AND ANGIOGENESIS IN INFANTS WITH PPHN.RESEARCHERS AT CRI ARE INVESTIGATING WAYS TO IMPROVE CARE FOR CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE PATIENTS. ONE PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF PULMONARY ARTERIOVENOUS MALFORMATIONS (PAVMS), WHICH ARE COMMON SEQUELAE OF SURGICAL PALLIATION FOR UNIVENTRICULAR CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE. THEY ARE STUDYING A CIRCULATING PROTEIN (SOLUBLE VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR 1; SVEGFR1), WHICH THEY RECENTLY IDENTIFIED AS A CANDIDATE FACTOR THAT MAY PREVENT PAVMS. BY STUDYING THE ROLE OF SVEGFR1 IN VASCULAR REMODELING AND PAVM PREVENTION, THEY ANTICIPATE THAT THIS NEW KNOWLEDGE WILL IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF PULMONARY MICROVASCULAR BIOLOGY AND MAY LEAD TO DEVELOPMENT OF TARGETED MEDICAL THERAPIES FOR PATIENTS WITH UNIVENTRICULAR CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE AND PAVMS.RESEARCHERS IN OUR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT ARE STUDYING WAYS TO IMPROVE THE TREATMENT OF PEDIATRIC PAIN FOR INJURED CHILDREN. FRACTURE PAIN TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN IS INCONSISTENT AND OFTEN INADEQUATE. THERE IS NO CLEAR EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATING WHICH OF THE COMMONLY USED MEDICATIONS ARE MOST CLINICALLY EFFECTIVE. CRI RESEARCHERS ARE LEADING A PROSPECTIVE MULTI-CENTER, LONGITUDINAL COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS STUDY THAT CAPITALIZES ON THE KNOWN VARIABILITY IN PAIN TREATMENT TO DETERMINE THE MOST EFFECTIVE RECOMMENDED ANALGESIC REGIMEN FOR CHILDREN WITH FRACTURE PAIN IN THE ED AND AT HOME. IN THIS STUDY, THEY ARE COMPARING PATIENT-SPECIFIC PAIN EXPERIENCE DATA OVER THE CONTINUUM OF CARE FROM THE HOSPITAL TO THE HOME TO DETERMINE BEST PRACTICE. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE AND PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR BOTH ED AND POST-ED PAIN TREATMENT FOR ALL CHILDREN WITH ACUTE FRACTURE-RELATED PAIN.