Khanh Vu and Lindsey Poole are members of the Public Relations committee
While the work of CFTK as a service club that helps to raise and donate money for families that have children in the UNC hospitals is widely known, we also participate in a variety of other efforts to help children. We further prioritize the health of patients through intensive research by supporting a Research Grant Program. Like CFTK, the research grant focuses on children and projects tend to be based at UNC. Research funded can be conducted by a wide range of professionals from those early in their career to very established investigators.
For the 2019 research grants, 3 have been awarded:
1. “Novel RNA Sequencing Based Diagnostic Testing for Leukemia,”
- Dr. Alexander
- Evaluate a novel technology that can be used to subtype certain types of cancers, helping to guide therapeutic decisions. This new technology may drastically improve diagnostic capabilities in resource-poor areas
For the 2019 research grants, 3 have been awarded:
1. “Novel RNA Sequencing Based Diagnostic Testing for Leukemia,”
- Dr. Alexander
- Evaluate a novel technology that can be used to subtype certain types of cancers, helping to guide therapeutic decisions. This new technology may drastically improve diagnostic capabilities in resource-poor areas
2. “Identifying the Genetic Basis of Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorders,”
- Dr. Pandya
- Seeks to uncover possible genetic causes of a certain form of hearing loss affecting loss. Data from this project will empower larger research projects to better characterize patients and explore genetic etiologies of this disease – a critical first step in research involving rare diseases
3. “Trends in the initiation & continuation of long-acting reversible contraception among adolescent females in North Carolina.”
- Dr. Bianca
- Despite huge strides at addressing teen pregnancy across the US, rates of adolescent pregnancy are higher in the US, particularly in NC, when compared to most other developed nations. This project aims to uncover socioeconomic factors affecting the use of long-acting birth control options in populations across the state.
Faculty are encouraged to apply for the grants and two investigators may be awarded forty-thousand dollars to fund their research. In the past, this grant has helped fund a wide variety of projects based on children's health like improving the process of prescribing antibiotics to children in North Carolina and procedural competency in the placement of neonatal chest tubes. The research grants provide further assistance to upcoming health professionals by offering two CFTK Fellows Awards that fund up to five thousand dollars to fellows in a pediatric training program with a focus on children's health.
These innovative and ground-breaking research efforts are possible through donations from supporters of CFTK like you. Generally, our annual dance marathon and other events are the biggest contributors. This year, it is especially important to remember past successes for patients and their families through generous contributions from sponsors. Despite this year’s unpredictability, CFTK is thrilled to continue to be able to support research grants and the application is still open. We cannot thank supporters and encouragers enough for allowing us to continue to make the lives of patients and families easier during this uncertain time.