2023 Department of Pediatrics Academic Annual Report

Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI)

The Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI) was created by the Board of Trustees of Children’s of Alabama in 1989 to provide internal funding for junior faculty who were just beginning their academic careers. The initial funding came from proceeds (10%) of the Children’s Miracle Network telethon, with half committed to an endowment and the other half to support grants submitted by faculty or professionals working at Children’s of Alabama. The first grants were awarded in 1993. Following the donation of an initial $5 million from the Kaul Foundation to increase the endowment, the Board of Trustees changed the name of this program to the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI). KPRI GRANT PROGRAM Multiple research awards are made each year in the amount of $35,000 each for new investigators and $50,000 each for established investigators. The program is competitive and peer-reviewed in an NIH format. Since 2008, the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute has funded 100 awards worth $7,170,000. This represents 22 Established Investigator Awards, 78 New Investigator Awards, and 81 unique individuals. Of those funded, 53 investigators continue in their research at UAB. The major goal of the KPRI grant program is to allow investigators to obtain data for additional extramural funding. This will bring new knowledge to the care of children, leverage the investment of the KPRI and allow projects to be competitive for the very best science on the national stage. A second, but important, goal is to ensure that a dedicated funding source is available to unique segments of the pediatric research and education.

2023 AWARDEES

NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARDS

Jesse Jones, M.D. Assistant Professor Department of Neurosurgery Project Title: “Endoluminal Biopsy Illuminates the Genetic Basis of Vein of Galen Aneurysmal Malformation (VGAM) in Children of African Ancestry” Emily Johnston, M.D. Assistant Professor Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Project Title: “Developing Quality Measures for End-of-¬Life Care for Children with Advanced Heart Disease”

Veronica Sanchez, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Project Title: “HCMV UL 71 Functional Interactions and Trafficking”

Lece Webb, M.D. Assistant Professor Division of Pediatric Critical Care Project Title: “Role of Neighborhood Factors in Bronchiolitis Outcomes in Pediatric Intensive Care”

James Odum, M.D. Assistant Professor Division of Pediatric Critical Care Project Title: “A Risk-Stratified Interrogation of Chemokines in Sepsis-Associated AKI”

2023 Academic Annual Report

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