Two years ago, I shared my first Manne Research Institute President’s Message to celebrate teamwork as our superpower. Teams comprising innovative and creative individuals from both inside and outside the research institute are the lifeblood of our collaborative community, propelling research advancements forward. I want to take this opportunity to reflect on two years of messages and celebrate how the power of our teamwork is elevating the importance of pediatric medical research and ensuring better health outcomes for children.
One area where our teams are making significant contributions is clinical trials. Our trial teams are fostering a more inclusive environment for research participants, while our Office of Clinical and Community Trials is implementing a strategic plan to increase the number of first-in-child early-phase clinical trials that we conduct, offering access to the newest therapeutics to critically ill children. Our teams continue to generate transformational pediatric research, including discoveries that show promise for preserving future fertility for children undergoing cancer treatment and findings that could lead to new therapies for newborns with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and adults with ischemic heart disease.
Encouraging a culture of innovation through our innovation program, Innovate2Impact, creates opportunities for our research and medical teams to tap into their problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills and develop inventive solutions that can make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. This dedication to boost our prominence in healthcare innovation is evident in the work of our investigators and teams from the research institute and hospital who collaborate on the Health@Home initiative, where hands-on experience and research acumen coalesce to advance the next generation of digital technology for healthcare delivery at home.
On an institutional scale, leveraging our partnership with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine allows us to accelerate pediatric biomedical research discoveries through cross-disciplinary collaborations. One example is the combined effort of research teams from both institutions to advance the understanding of underlying mechanisms of diseases, including the use of nanotechnology to find solutions to inflammation. The partnership with Feinberg School also offers our investigators additional research resources to augment their projects.
Finding solutions to pediatric health challenges takes an all-in approach. The stories presented in these messages are emblematic of your dedication, intellectual curiosity, and, yes, the teamwork it takes to reach our collective goals. I will continue to share examples of the exciting projects and important collaborative efforts our teams are pursuing. In the meantime, be sure to catch up on some inspiring teamwork in previous editions of the President’s Message.
