Population Health Programs and Laboratories

Allergy Research Program

The Division of Allergy and Immunology conducts research into asthma, food allergies (such as peanut or milk allergies), atopic dermatitis, and immune deficiencies to improve treatment options for children with these conditions.

One way to understand how to treat severe asthma is through precision medicine, an approach that targets treatments to subgroups of patients who share similar characteristics and that is used in the clinical study Precision Interventions for Severe and/or Exacerbation-Prone Asthma Network (PrecISE). The division is also one of seven centers in the newly formed CAUSE network, which will conduct observational studies and clinical trials to improve understanding of asthma and develop treatment and prevention approaches tailored to children of low-income families living in urban communities. As part of this network, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago will be spearheading an effort to evaluate whether a precision medicine approach can decrease wheezing in infancy, and decrease the development of asthmatic inflammation in the first year of life.

Food allergy research investigates how food allergies and tolerances to food allergies develop. The division has an active clinical trials program in food allergies, was a participant in studies leading to oral immunotherapy, and continues to be involved in cutting-edge food allergy clinical trials. Learn more about the Allergy Research Program.

ARISE Health Laboratory

ARISE Health Lab investigates the role of Adversity, Racism, Inequities, Structures (and) Empowerment on health. We combine biomedical, social science, public health, clinical, and health services research approaches to interrogate our society’s most pressing issues.

Center for Allergy and Asthma Research

The Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research (CFAAR), part of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, aims to find answers and shape policies surrounding food allergy, asthma and other allergic conditions.

Led by Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, CFAAR is comprised of three interdisciplinary and collaborative research cores:

1. Public Health Data Repository Core
2. Clinical Research Core
3. Community/School Outreach Core

These cores are led by experts in the fields of epidemiology, health services research, health behavior, patient care, and advocacy seeking to make meaningful improvements in the health of children, adults, and families living with allergic disease.

The CFAAR team is internationally recognized for research in these areas. They have published the prevalence of pediatric and adult food allergy in the United States, characterized the economic impact of food allergy, and identified disparities in access to care and outcomes among food allergy and asthma patients. To reduce the burden of these diseases and improve health equity, they develop, evaluate, and disseminate interventions and conduct work to inform local, national, and international health policy.

With the continued partnership from their advisory boards, clinical partners, advocacy groups, patients, and their families, CFAAR is excited to continue developing more effective and impactful methods to investigate and improve the health of those living with allergic conditions.

Endocrinology Research Program

Faculty within the Division of Endocrinology conduct research to improve care for children with endocrine disorders. Our investigators support and lead local and national patient registries, industry-sponsored studies, and NIH-sponsored foundational, translational, and clinical research. Our research interests include diabetes (type 1 and type 2), fetal origins of future metabolic disorders, obesity, Prader-Willi syndrome, thyroid and adrenal disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome, bone health, sex development, and fertility preservation, and cover the lifespan from fetal development to adult care to their future children. Our collaborative team supports discoveries from bench to bedside and back. Learn more about the Endocrinology Research Program.

Foster Health Laboratory

The Foster Health Lab’s mission is to improve the health and participation of children with medical complexity and disability in a family-centered manner.

The lab’s methods span traditional health services research, health care policy analysis, quality measurement development, and health service innovation and implementation.

In particular, the lab focuses on improving how home and community-based services benefit patients and their families. To achieve this, the lab partners with families from project design through implementation.

Genetics and Justice Laboratory

The Genetics & Justice Laboratory (GxJ Lab) is a “dry” policy laboratory designed to investigate human rights and humanitarian applications of genetic information in non-medical contexts including immigration, missing persons, human trafficking, law enforcement, displacement, mass disasters, and post-war investigations. How the public views and interacts with these applications directly affects their perspectives on participation in genetic and genomic research in the medical realm.

DNA technologies are powerful tools to prevent human trafficking, identify missing persons, and link genetic families. While use of DNA for criminal law enforcement purposes is widely accepted, emerging tools and approaches in law enforcement and applications in many nonmedical contexts are fraught with challenges regarding data security, privacy, respect for persons, abuse of power, beneficence, and resource allocation.

At Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University, we are exploring the policy, science, and ethics of genomic information for identification purposes. We seek to develop a sophisticated understanding of the key challenges for applying scientific technologies and biometrics in support of and in line with human rights, with an initial focus on DNA identification and an emerging focus on facial images as a biometric.

The research team is led by Sara H. Katsanis and encompasses aspects of how genomics is integrated into law enforcement, immigration processes, and humanitarian efforts.

Implementation Science + Health Equity Advancement Laboratory (I+HEAL)

I+HEAL's mission is the promotion of health equity and justice to center the values and needs of historically marginalized communities. Health justice is achieved through dismantling the effects of oppression in the form of 'isms and phobias to achieve sustainable and equitable policies so that everyone has access to quality healthcare and social services such as education, housing, and food.

I-HEAL uses implementation and dissemination science frameworks to examine current health inequities in relation to structural disenfranchisement and intersectionality. We take these frameworks a step further by integrating equity frameworks, produced by communities on the periphery, into mainstream healthcare frameworks.

Macy Laboratory

Michelle L. Macy, MD, MS, is a pediatric emergency physician who applies her health services research training to identify and address disparities in access to high-value care and prevent unintentional injuries in children. Her academic focus is on improving care delivery and healthcare decisions made by families and providers at the intersection of the emergency department, clinic, and hospital. Dr. Macy has expertise in analysis of administrative datasets, survey methodology, emergency department-based trials to change health behavior, digital health, and the development, testing, and implementation of pediatric measures for quality improvement. She serves as the Scientific Director for Community, Population Health and Outcomes at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute. She is also the Director of the Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research and Evaluation Center, where a diverse team of investigators and research professionals use innovative social, behavioral, and applied research approaches to improve the well-being, health, and healthcare of diverse populations of children. Dr. Macy leads the Smith Child Health Catalyst in the support of investigators across the institution and community members who seek expertise in health services research, research ethics, survey science, qualitative methods, community and practice-based participatory research, and program evaluation.

Neurosurgery Research Program

Research conducted by the Division of Neurosurgery team is dedicated to improving the care for children with neurological conditions. The team elevates pediatric care through public health and policy initiatives and focuses on quality improvement and outcomes research. Basic and translational research and clinical trials center on building the scientific knowledge base and developing treatments. Many clinical trials involve collaborations between the neurosurgery team and the neuro-oncology, epilepsy, genetics, and surgery teams as well as with multicenter initiatives. Learn more about the Neurosurgery Research Program. 

Pediatric Practice Research Group

The Pediatric Practice Research Group (PPRG) is a well-established, regional practice-based research network founded in 1984. Through our network of over 380 medical providers in the metro Chicago area, PPRG fosters partnerships between primary care providers and investigators to determine best practices and evaluate outcomes relevant to diverse populations. Involved practices benefit from opportunities for ongoing continuing education and practice-based learning.

PPRG is also part of the Practice Based Research Program (PBRP) in the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) Center for Community Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Getting Involved with the PPRG

Community-based pediatricians who are interested in learning about getting involved as a PPRG practice site should contact Adolfo Ariza, MD.

Interested investigators should complete a Smith Child Health Catalyst Request Form.

TRICAM

The Teamwork to Reduce Infant, Child, and Adolescent Mortality (TRICAM) program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago was launched in 2018 to address pediatric mortality from the leading causes of death. TRICAM aims to crosscut the healthcare delivery, research, education, advocacy, and quality missions of Lurie Children’s. The program is housed in the Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research and Evaluation Center. Kim Kaczor serves as the Director of Operations for TRICAM.

TRICAM is currently supported in part by the generosity of the Children’s Research Fund.

Urology Research Program

The Division of Urology performs basic science and clinical research in area such as robotic urological surgery, prenatal hydronephrosis, vesicoureteral reflux, urinary tract infections, neurogenic bladder in spina bifida, bladder tissue engineering, outcomes of hypospadias repair, and pathologic bladder degeneration. Specific research on the outcomes of hypospadias repair involves a multi-institutional randomized trial (PROPHY Study) to investigate if preventive antibiotics reduce infection and other problems after hypospadias repair. Other research is focused on gaining insights into the healthcare needs of adolescents and young adults with a difference in sex development. Learn more about the Urology Research Program.