Science, Research, Breakthroughs at KUMC

Each year, donations raised by Children’s Miracle Network partners are spent in a variety of ways to help ensure the families served by KU Medical Center receive the best care possible.  While funding patient care services, educational programs and providing direct family assistance continue to be a priority for the Department of Pediatrics, this year CMN is proud to be helping support the following research projects that will be taking place at KU Medical Center. 

Research & Clinical Project:  Pediatric Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes & Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Pediatric Patients – by Dr. Nicola Santoro:  Funding two projects, the first aims at assessing the role of the gut bacteria in the development of early onset obesity and whether nutritional changes can lead to beneficial changes in the intestinal bacteria leading to the resolution of the disease. The second study focuses on fatty liver disease and insulin resistance in Hispanic youth. This study is designed to understand why Hispanic children develop fatty liver disease very early in life and why the progression towards liver fibrosis and cirrhosis is so fast in this group.

Pilot & Other Projects:

• Hearing Tests as Management for OME in Children with Down Syndrome – by Mackenzie O’Donnell
• Relationship Between Parent Stress & Adherence to a Program Transitioning Children from Tube to Oral Feedings – by Janae Pauley
• Post Covid-19 Descriptive Study – by Clara Bing
• Language Diversity: Understanding & Improving the Availability of Written Spanish Materials in the TUKHS Department of Pediatrics – by Chandra Gordon
• Capacity Building for Home Language Environment Data Analysis: LENA Devices – by Dr. Brenda Salley
• A Consensus Method to Establish Best Practice Recommendations for Telehealth Equity – by Dr. Ryan Smith
• Analysis of the Quality of Life on Parents with Children Transitioning from Tube to Oral Eating: IKanEat – by Temi Akinwuntan

CMN is proud to be a part of these projects and we look forward to sharing outcomes in the future!