Flaura Winston NAM Election, Philadelphia Pediatric Medical Device Consortium, SeeIV, Boyle Scientific Achievement Award

At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, our investigators are continuously helping to develop evidence-based technology that will improve the way we care for and protect children’s health. And in this week’s headlines, we’re seeing that happen in more ways than one. From the creation of devices that will make the lives of clinicians and patients easier, to providing seed grants for novel innovations through the Philadelphia Pediatric Medical Device Consortium, to informing safe practices for technology through renowned organizations like the National Academy of Medicine, we invite you to keep reading to learn what our researchers are up to!

Flaura Winston Joins National Academy of Medicine

After decades of impactful work in the field of pediatric injury research, Flaura K. Winston, MD, PhD, is bringing her expertise to the National Academy of Medicine as one of 80 new physician members elected this year. Dr. Winston is the founder and scientific director of the Center for Injury Research Prevention (CIRP) at CHOP as well as an inspirational pediatrician, engineer, and public health advocate whose research-action-impact approach to improving teen driving and child passenger safety has led to numerous breakthroughs and innovations. In 1997, Dr. Winston founded the Partners for Child Passenger Safety Program, a decade-long partnership with State Farm Insurance that reduced the number of car crash injuries in children. With her team of researchers, Dr. Winston developed Diagnostic Driving, a startup company that provides a virtual driving assessment to universities, corporate fleets, and driver licensing centers – a program already in use at centers in Ohio. Dr. Winston’s expertise extends to her work as a professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, an associate editor of Injury Prevention, the director of the National Science Foundation’s Center for Child Injury Prevention Studies, and more outlets that include U.S. federal advisory panels.

Philadelphia Pediatric Medical Device Consortium Funds Two Pediatric Devices

Headquartered at CHOP and funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Philadelphia Pediatric Medical Device Consortium (PPDC) is a collaboration between CHOP, Drexel University, and the University of Pennsylvania that provides support and seed funding to innovators with promising new technologies. Earlier this month, the PPDC announced its fourth and latest round of seed grants, selecting two companies from eight finalists with awards of $50,000 each. With the support of the PPDC, Voxello will be able to further develop and conduct clinical trials on the noddle™: a speech generating system that gives hospitalized children the ability to better communicate with clinicians. As well, InfraScan will be able to conduct clinical trials for the pediatric FDA clearance of its own technology, the Infrascanner™ Model 2000: a handheld scanner that can detect intracranial bleeding in children without using radiology.

“We are very excited to once again provide these awards to innovators of medical devices for kids, and grateful to our partners at the Childress Institute for their matching funds,” stated Matthew Maltese, PhD, engineer at CHOP and the Consortium’s executive director and principal investigator.

CHOP Collaborates With Medline to Reduce IV Insertion Pain

A partnership between CHOP and Medline, a global manufacturer of medical products, is bringing forward a novel tool to help clinicians minimize the pain that young patients feel during IV insertions, as well as improve their rest and healing. SeeIV is the brainchild of two nurses and a clinical safety manager at CHOP who wanted to find a better way to prevent tinkering, accidental bumping, or discomfort for the estimated 44 percent of pediatric patients who are given IV lines. With the help of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at CHOP, the team developed a flexible cover for the site of the IV insertion with a see-through window and noiseless closure. With Medline, the CHOP team scaled up development of SeeIV so that it could be delivered to the bedside of more children. The product debuted last week at the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) National Magnet Conference, where the CHOP team presented the story behind SeeIV. The collaborators are currently developing a pilot to further understand how SeeIV can improve the lives of pediatric patients, clinicians, and families.

Learn more in the press release, or watch this video explaining the development of SeeIV.

Dr. Kathleen Sullivan Wins Boyle Scientific Achievement Award 

Every year, the Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF) recognizes members of the scientific medical community for their contributions toward diagnosis and care of patients with immunodeficiency diseases through the Boyle Scientific Achievement Award. Immunodeficiency diseases include over 300 rare chronic disorders in which an individual’s immune system does not function properly. This year, we are thrilled to share that Kathleen E. Sullivan, MD, PhD, chief of the division of Allergy and Immunology (center) at CHOP, was one recipient of the 2017 Boyle Award. Dr. Sullivan, who also holds the Frank R. Wallace Endowed Chair in Infectious Diseases, has made strides in immunodeficiency research with her investigations into common variable immunodeficiency, chromosome 22a11.2 deletion syndrome, and defining the role of epigenetics in inflammation.

“The Boyle Award is the highest honor in the field of primary immune deficiency, and I was thrilled to be recognized,” said Dr. Sullivan in a press release.

ICYMI

Recently on Cornerstone, we introduced our latest CHOP Research Hero, Nick Pautler, who hopes to inspire fellow individuals with leukemia with his story. We also sat down with Andrea Knight, MD, physician in the division of Rheumatology to learn about her current research on the neuropsychiatric symptoms of lupus. And we published an insightful new guest blog post from Amy Kratchman, a family consultant at CHOP on the new Research Family Partners program. We also attended the Translational Research Workshop for Basic Scientists, hosted by the Office of Academic Training and Outreach Programs, to learn how our experienced investigators are sharing their translational research methods and approaches to support junior faculty, postdocs, and grad students from CHOP and other institutions across the U.S.

Catch up on our headlines from our Oct. 6 edition of In the News:

• CHOP Researchers Identify Gene Variants Linked to Neuroblastoma Risk
• $5 Million Gift Will Expand Lustgarten Center for GI Motility
• Dr. Levy Supports Universal ASD Screening in Contemporary Pediatrics Post
• CHOP Researchers Describe Linguistic Challenges in ASD Diagnoses
• Study Finds Re-Interventions Common in Fontan Procedure Survivors
• CHOP Researchers Conduct Largest-Ever Study of Child Maltreatment in the U.S. Military

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