Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute announces the recipients of the spring 2025 internal funding opportunities. Manne Research Institute provides internal grant and award opportunities to a faculty member or other person who has principal investigator-eligible status to develop projects that will lead to a highly competitive extramural application for sustained research support within 18 months of receiving the award. Funding opportunities vary depending on the year and cycle. Pediatric research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute.

Andi A. Beaudouin, BS
MS-RSM Trainee Principal Investigator, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Award type: Mary J.C. Hendrix Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Amount funded: $5,000
Mentor: Laura Torchen, MD, Attending Physician, Endocrinology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Title: Got Milk? Exploring Developmental Origins of PCOS Through Breastmilk Biology
Project summary: The early origins of polycystic ovary syndrome, a common endocrine disorder affecting 7–10 percent of women of reproductive age, are not well understood. Evidence shows that dietary interventions in adults may function as a modifiable factor in polycystic ovary syndrome; however, the potential influence of early-life nutrition, especially through breastfeeding, has not been explored. Andi Beaudouin is a student investigator on research that aims to address this gap by studying breastmilk composition in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and its potential role in transmitting metabolic risk to daughters. The research is an ancillary study to an R01-funded project led by principal investigator Laura Torchen, MD.

Monica Bianco, MD
Attending Physician, Endocrinology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Award type: Division of Endocrinology Endocrine Pilot Project Launch Award
Amount funded: $20,000
Title: Role of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in the Diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes
Project summary: Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes is one of the most common comorbidity in cystic fibrosis. While current guidelines back the use of oral glucose tolerance tests for diagnosis of this complication, there is growing interest in using data from continuous glucose monitors—which are widely used to monitor glycemic control in other forms of diabetes—to indicate glycemic patterns in cystic fibrosis-related diabetes. With support from the Division of Endocrinology Endocrine Pilot Project Launch Award, Dr. Bianco will compare laboratory data from oral glucose tolerance tests with concurrent data from continuous glucose monitors in people with cystic fibrosis to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the data from the monitors for cystic fibrosis-related diabetes and other glycemic abnormalities. The glucose data she collects will provide insights into how glycemic patterns correlate with pulmonary and nutritional outcomes. After this study concludes, Dr. Bianco plans to validate the analysis on a larger scale with data from multiple cystic fibrosis centers.

Amy K. Johnson, PhD
Research Associate Professor, Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; Research Associate Professor, Pediatrics (Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Award type: Health@Home for Tomorrow Grant
Amount funded: $50,000
Title: StartNow: From Stakeholder Needs to a Functional Prototype Chatbot to Support Adolescents and Young Adults Who Use Substances
Project summary: Substance use disorder is a significant public health concern among youth and young adults, with around 1.5 million adolescents impacted by the disorder in 2022. Many adolescents who use substances do not see the need for treatment or recovery support. This low perceived need and other barriers to treatment, such as access and cost, stress the need for targeted outreach and tools like mobile health solutions that can educate, foster self-awareness, and reduce stigma to recognize and address substance use, according to Dr. Johnson. The Health@Home for Tomorrow Grant will support Dr. Johnson’s project to design a functional prototype large language model AI-assisted chatbot—in partnership with digital solutions enterprise Dimagi—to engage adolescent and young adults who use substances. The chatbot will provide personalized real-time support, goal setting, and linkage to treatment services.

Jami L. Josefson, MD
Attending Physician, Pediatric Endocrinology, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; Children’s Research Fund Junior Board Research Scholar, Lurie Children’s; Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Award type: Division of Endocrinology Endocrine Pilot Project Preparatory Award
Amount funded: $5,000
Title: Maternal Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia Associations with Cord Blood DNA Methylation and Pre-adolescent Blood Pressure
Project summary: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and preeclampsia are among the most common pregnancy complications worldwide, and they can lead to high blood pressure, the potential to cause damage to the kidneys or liver, and a risk of mortality for both mothers and neonates. The lasting effects on children’s health have not been determined. It is thought that children exposed to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy may have higher blood pressure and increased risk for heart disease later in life, but the biological pathways linking pregnancy blood pressure to long-term health outcomes of offspring are not well understood. One possible mechanism is that hypertensive disorders of pregnancy may induce differential DNA methylation to the DNA of the developing fetus, which can alter gene activity without changing the DNA itself. The Division of Endocrinology Endocrine Pilot Project Preparatory Award will support Dr. Josefson’s project exploring associations between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and preeclampsia and cord blood DNA methylation and pre-adolescent blood pressure to better understand how early life exposures affect future disease risk. This includes using data from the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Follow-up Study and methylation data in the cohort to carry out an epigenome-wide association study to investigate specific DNA changes and childhood blood pressure at age 11 in response to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Jennifer Kurian, PhD
Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow, Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Award type: Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Trainee Pilot Research Award
Amount funded: $5,000
Title: Self-Care Practices Among Early Childhood Teachers: Associations with Teacher Stress and Behavior Management Self-Efficacy
Project summary: Early childhood teachers face systemic difficulties and stress that can affect their well-being and how they provide emotional support to and manage challenging behaviors of the children in their care. To address the unique needs of early childhood teachers’ well-being, Dr. Kurian’s study will identify early childhood teachers’ current practices related to self-care to manage stress and how this relates to their interactions with children. The information learned from that work will be used to help her team develop feasible and acceptable self-care interventions for early childhood teachers with the goal of improving child outcomes. Dr. Kurian will conduct her study under the mentorship of Courtney Zulauf-McCurdy, PhD, Clinical Community Psychologist in the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Lurie Children’s and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Caroline Kerns, PhD, Clinical Community Psychologist in the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Lurie Children’s and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine.

Lisa Mash, PhD
Pediatric Neuropsychologist, Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Child Psychology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Award type: Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Early Career Faculty Pilot Research Award
Amount funded: $20,000
Title: Executive and Adaptive Functioning in Adults with Perinatally Acquired HIV
Project summary: While children born with perinatally acquired HIV are surviving into adulthood thanks to improved access to antiretroviral therapy, scientists know little about their long-term cognitive and functional outcomes. Dr. Mash is interested in supporting these youth during and after the transition to adulthood. The Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Early Career Faculty Pilot Research Award will provide initial funding and mentorship to allow her to develop an independently funded research program examining the contributions to long-term cognitive development, functional independence, and quality of life in individuals living with perinatally acquired HIV. The results from this pilot study will support Dr. Mash’s submission of a K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award in 2026. Her mentor supporting her work is Sahera Dirajlal-Fargo, DO, Attending Physician in Infectious Diseases at Lurie Children’s and Co-Director of the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health Center for Global Pediatric Health and Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) at Feinberg School of Medicine.

Mayra S. Ramos, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Award type: Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Trainee Pilot Research Award
Amount funded: $5,000
Title: Development and Evaluation of Culturally Adapted Psychoeducation for Spanish-Speaking Caregivers of Children with Somatic Symptom Concerns
Project summary: A primary treatment strategy for somatic symptom concerns (e.g., functional neurological disorder; muscle, nerve, or joint pain; and abdominal pain) involves psychoeducation, including metaphors around the mind-body connection. However, using metaphors in psychoeducation can be challenging when providers and patient families do not speak a shared language or do not have a shared culture and therefore rely on medical interpreters. The Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Trainee Pilot Research Award will support Dr. Ramos’s pilot study to develop and explore the feasibility and accessibility of a culturally adapted psychoeducational guide for Spanish-speaking caregivers of youth admitted to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago for medical evaluation of somatic symptom concerns to facilitate family engagement with their child’s care plan and treatment. Her co-mentors are Alison Chavez, PhD, Pediatric Psychologist in the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Lurie Children’s and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Laurie Thompson, PhD, Pediatric Psychologist in the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Lurie Children’s and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine.

Clarissa Simon, PhD, MPH
Senior Research Scientist, Family and Child Health Innovations Program, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Award type: Schreiber Family Center GROW to 5 Flourish Award
Amount funded: $70,000
Title: The PRAMS for Dads Guidebook: Creation and Distribution of a Standardized, Interactive Implementation Instrument for Perinatal Public Health Monitoring of Fathers and Non-Birthing Parents
Project summary: The team with the Family & Child Health Innovations Program at Lurie Children’s and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018 created the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) for Dads to address the lack of population-based public health data about the health and behavior of fathers during the perinatal period, giving a voice to fathers’ experiences. The Schreiber Family Center GROW to 5 Flourish Award will support Dr. Simon’s project to create an interactive guidebook for implementing PRAMS for Dads that can be distributed to state-level maternal and child health teams, funders, legislators, and community-based organizations, furthering the enhancement of the program. The research team will collect and analyze qualitative data and feedback from experts in family health, maternal and child health, public health, public service, and community engagement of fathers to be used for both guidebook development and for advancing systems change in family and early childhood health. 

Jonathon Wanta, MD
Attending Physician, Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Award type: Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Early Career Faculty Pilot Research Award
Amount funded: $20,000
Title: Patterns and Predictors of Escalation Events in Emergency Department Visits by Neurodiverse Youth
Project summary: Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders visit the emergency room at higher rates than neurotypical peers. The fast-paced and noisy environment of the emergency department can overwhelm neurodiverse patients, which may lead to emotional or behavioral dysregulation affecting the safety of both patients and staff. The Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Early Career Faculty Pilot Research Award will support Dr. Wanta’s pilot study reviewing 10 years of electronic health record data to describe trends emergency care for youth with autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders and identify risk factors for escalation events that require intramuscular medications or physical restraints. This data will inform future interventions that decrease patient escalation events and staff safety events with the hope to improve the safety and quality of care for youth with autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders at Lurie Children’s and institutions across the country. Dr. Wanta will be mentored by Jennifer Hoffmann, MD, MS, Attending Physician in Emergency Medicine at Lurie Children’s and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine) at Feinberg School of Medicine, and Andrea Spencer, MD, Vice Chair for Research and Attending Physician in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Lurie Children’s and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine. He plans to apply for a National Institutes of Health K23 grant to design, test, and implement specific interventions to reduce escalation events for patients with autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders in the acute care setting.

For the spring 2025 cycle, candidates were allowed to submit proposals for the following award categories.

·       Endocrine Pilot Project Grants are supported by the Division of Endocrinology and include two one-year grants to support collaborative project submissions that will provide preliminary data for future multidisciplinary grant applications while advancing the world of clinical or translational endocrinology.

o   Launch Award is a one-year award for up to $20,000.

o   Preparatory Award is a one-year award for up to $5,000. 

·       Health@Home Healthcare Innovation Grant Awards are part of the Health@Home strategic research initiative at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute. The goal of Health@Home is to catalyze science that equitably transforms how digital healthcare is developed and delivered outside of hospital and clinic walls.

o   Health@Home Activation Grant is a grant for up to $10,000 designed to activate new research data collection protocols and/or healthcare techniques in the home and community.

o   Health@Home Today Grant is a grant for up to $15,000 designed to assess how existing digital health interventions are impacting a healthcare process or health outcome.

o   Health@Home for Tomorrow Grant is a grant for up to $50,000 designed for a project aimed at developing a new digital healthcare intervention not yet in clinical practice or furthering an existing program that is hypothesized to improve a specific healthcare process or outcome.

·       Mary J.C. Hendrix Outstanding Graduate Student Award recognizes a Manne Research Institute graduate student for a high level of scholastic achievement, research engagement, and productivity with $5,000 to support the awardee’s research. The award is made possible through the ongoing generosity of the Children’s Research Fund. The award is for a one-year period.

·       Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Research Pilot Awards are one-year awards to support trainees and early career faculty research projects in the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.

o   Early Career Faculty Pilot Research Award is a one-year funding opportunity for up to $20,000 to support early career investigators in conducting a research project under the guidance of an experienced faculty mentor, preparing early career investigators to pursue external research funding.

o   Trainee Pilot Research Award is a one-year funding opportunity for up to $5,000 to support mental health research projects for trainees in the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health and offer clinical and post-doctoral fellows support to conduct research under the supervision of an experienced mentor.

·       Proposal Revision Award is a one-year award for up to $100,000 to support the preparation of a revision and resubmission of an application for federal research support.

·       Schreiber Family Center GROW to 5 Grants are supported by the Schreiber Family Center for Early Childhood Health and Wellness and allow for the collection of pilot data that will increase the competitiveness of extramural proposals for career development (K), R, P, and U-series awards.

o   Cultivate Award is for up to $25,000 for a one-year project period to engage family or community members to establish or enhance research partnerships.

o   Flourish Award is for up to $75,000 for a one-year project period to develop a multi-project research program or cooperative agreement proposal.

o   Nourish Award is for up to $50,000 for a one-year project to support the advancement of junior faculty pursuing mentored career development awards (K or equivalent).

o   Thrive Award is for up to $50,000 for a one-year project period to collect pilot data for an R-series proposal.