Tag Archive for: grants

Kristina Hardy

Kristina Hardy awarded St. Baldrick’s Foundation research grant for supportive care

Kristina Hardy

Kristina Hardy, Ph.D., pediatric neuropsychologist within the Division of Neuropsychology at Children’s National Hospital, was a recipient of a $60,000 grant for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood, from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charitable funder of childhood cancer research grants. .

Dr. Hardy along with her co-principal investigator in this project, Dr. Sarah Alexander, an oncologist from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, study neurocognitive difficulties in survivors of pediatric cancer. Through their research, both doctors will examine the potential connections between specific anesthesia medications, their doses, the amount of time they’re given and the chances of patients having learning problems later on in life. This critical research will be important for patients, families and clinical teams in helping to make the best choices for anesthesia use.

“About 20-40% of children who are diagnosed with ALL develop problems with thinking and learning after treatment,” said Dr. Hardy. “This research is exciting because if certain types or amounts of anesthesia are shown to increase risk for cognitive changes in survivors, we may be able to quickly change the way that we use anesthesia to lessen the risk.”

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is on a mission to defy childhood cancers by supporting the most promising research to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. As a leader in the pediatric cancer community, St. Baldrick’s works tirelessly to ensure that current and future children diagnosed with cancer will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment from the best leaders in the pediatric oncology field.

Yanxin Pei awarded St. Baldrick’s Foundation Research Grant for Childhood Cancer

Yanxin Pei, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Children’s Research Institute, was a recipient of a $100,000 grant that is being named the “Benicio Martinez Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research Grant” from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants in the United States.

Dr. Pei studies medulloblastoma – one of the most common malignant brain tumors in children – and has identified a subpopulation of tumor cells that contribute to metastasis after radiotherapy. Her lab is now determining whether targeting these cells can eliminate or prevent the spread of medulloblastoma, thereby improving the outcome of patients with this disease.

In their latest round of funding, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation awarded 76 grants totaling more than $19.1 million to support physician-scientists studying innovative treatment options in the pediatric cancer space. The grants from St. Baldrick’s deliver on its commitment to support the most promising childhood cancer research and work to provide the best solutions possible for kids. The next St. Baldrick’s grant cycle will be announced in fall 2018.

“At St. Baldrick’s, we focus on funding research that has the best potential of giving kids the healthy childhoods they deserve,” said Kathleen Ruddy, CEO of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.  “I’m proud to say that we have now funded more than a quarter billion dollars since 2005 to support lifesaving childhood cancer research.

POSNA awards clinical trials planning grant to Children’s National

Children’s National Health System has received a prestigious grant from the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) to investigate pediatric femur fractures. The Clinical Trials Planning Grant in the amount of $30,000 will propel work to develop a clinical trial focused on femur fractures, with the ultimate goal of designing a multicenter trial for surgical treatment of pediatric femur fractures.