The Pediatric Pandemic Network, supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recently presented the Pilot and Emerging Issues Project Award to Erica Popovsky, MD, Medical Director of Emergency Preparedness and Attending Physician in Emergency Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and Sara Huston, MS, Principal Investigator of the Genetics and Justice Laboratory at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute. The $74,487 award (award period June–August 2025) will support their pilot study, Post-Disaster Family Reunification Drills Using Rapid DNA.
When disasters strike, children can become separated from their caregivers for hours, days, or even weeks. Every moment of separation can worsen a child’s physical and emotional well-being. Fast and safe reunifications are critical, but ensuring children are reunited with the right caregivers is also essential to avoid further harm. DNA testing is often used after disasters to identify victims, but it has not been widely used to help reunite living family members—until now. A recent initial pilot study at Lurie Children’s revealed that most caregivers and healthcare providers in Chicago are open to using DNA to help reunite families. The study highlighted the potential of rapid DNA, a technology that can analyze DNA samples and provide results in less than two hours. This could be a game-changer in speeding up family reunification efforts after a disaster, the researchers said.
This second pilot study builds on this work and will use simulated mass casualty incidents with children requiring reunification with their caregivers to test the feasibility of using rapid DNA in a disaster response. Following these small-scale simulations, the researchers will conduct an exercise to test the deployment of rapid DNA technology and trial swabbing actors to evaluate the process of obtaining and tracking samples. The goal of these exercises is to gather data on processes and from participants that will inform guidelines and training materials for using rapid DNA in real-world disaster situations. The project will explore key questions including optimal staffing, storage, and tracking of DNA samples during mass casualty incidents and how to deploy the technology quickly and safely in a disaster response. Ultimately, this project will help children reunite with their families more quickly, while working to ensure reunification occurs in the safest and most ethical way possible.
Dr. Popovsky’s research focuses on improving disaster preparedness and response among the pediatric workforce. Prof. Huston’s Genetics and Justice Laboratory explores the policy, science, and ethics of genomic information for identifications. She discusses more about this research in a Manne Research Institute In Pursuit podcast.
Pediatric research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute.
