{"531051":{"#nid":"531051","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Children\u2019s Investing in the Future","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EModern pediatric healthcare faces a set of specific challenges, both clinical and financial. For example, there are increasing numbers of children with chronic physical conditions as well as mental health problems. And access remains an issue as the pediatric healthcare workforce shrinks and fewer dollars are available for research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EBut children\u2019s health issues remain front and center for a dedicated group Petit Undergraduate Research Scholars, thanks to the support of Children\u2019s Healthcare of Atlanta (Children\u2019s), which is working to improve the future of care for its young clientele.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EChildren\u2019s is supporting six Petit Scholars through its Children\u2019s Scholars Program this year, an initiative that is part of the Children\u2019s Pediatric Technology Center (a collaboration that includes Emory University and Georgia Tech). These students are addressing a range of issues that include cystic fibrosis, neuromuscular disease, cancer, and the economics of depression.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cBy exposing these students to pediatrics, our hope is to instill a passion in the topic and foster development of the next generation of pediatric bioengineering and bioscience researchers,\u201d says Leanne West, Georgia Tech\u2019s chief engineer of pediatric technologies, who serves as the technical liaison for the university\u2019s partnership with Children\u2019s.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cFor the students,\u201d she adds, \u201cI think the quality research experience is to their benefit.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThe six Children\u2019s Scholars (and their home schools) are Troy Kleber (Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering), Jacqueline Larouche (Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering), Jennifer Min (Department of Biochemistry, Emory), Sean Monahan (Industrial and Systems Engineering), Alex Moran (Industrial and Systems Engineering), and Megen Wittling (School of Biology).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EMonahan and Moran are the first students from the Stewart School of ISyE in the 17-year history of the Petit Scholar program. Both work in the Health Analytics group, led by Coca-Cola Associate Professor Nicoleta Serban, where students and other researchers dive deep into data science to help improve decision making in health care delivery and public health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EMonahan\u2019s research will examine the utilization of pediatric dental care, while Moran will try to determine the lifetime cost of pediatric depression. Using Medicaid claims date, the work is grounded in statistical analysis \u2013 projections, forecasting, \u201cexactly what they teach you in industrial engineering,\u201d says Moran, who also is a computer science major.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EAmong other things, they hope their research will inform more cost-effective policies, while demonstrating preventive care\u2019s positive return on investment to Medicaid systems in the U.S. For Moran, who is from Saint Simons, it was easy to steer his research toward healthcare.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cMy dad is an oncologist and hematologist, so I heard a lot of doctor-speak at home. This was a natural fit for me,\u201d says Moran, whose research focuses on the short- and long-term financial costs to patients battling pediatric depression.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s the kind of research that really interests Sheethal Reddy, psychologist with Children\u2019s Strong4Life Clinic, for a number of reasons.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cThis is timely research,\u201d says Reddy, who is assistant professor of surgery and pediatrics in the Emory School of Medicine. \u201cThere is a move in a lot of pediatric settings to screen for depression. For example, when kids come looking for help with their weight, we assess for depression, because it impacts their motivation, their confidence. It impacts so much. The costs go beyond the clinic.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EPrograms like Strong4Life, and national observances like Every Kid Healthy Week (April 25-29), focus on reversing the childhood obesity epidemic. While Every Kid Healthy Week leans toward wellness in schools, Children\u2019s Strong4Life targets obesity and its associated diseases (like depression) in Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EMeanwhile, Children\u2019s is targeting an array of other devastating diseases and chronic conditions through the work of scholars Kleber, Larouche, Min and Wittling.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EMin works in the lab of Emory professor and Petit Institute faculty member Gary Bassell, where she\u2019s working on development of a stem cell model of an incurable pediatric neuromuscular disease, distal spinal muscular atrophy (DSMA1).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EWittling works in the lab of Shuming Nie, professor in the Coulter Department, a joint department of Emory and Georgia Tech. Wittling, who is considering medical school after graduation, is studying metalloproteinases (MMPs) \u2013 when and where they are expressed in the embryo, how they function, and how cell migration and signaling are affected when MMP activity is impaired, leading to a better understanding of their role in pathological processes, like the spread of cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThe two BME students in the Children\u2019s group, Kleber and Larouche, are both focusing their research, to some degree, on fibrotic disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ELarouche, who came to Georgia Tech from Carbondale, Colorado, works in Tom Barker\u2019s lab, where her research looks at the interaction between fibroblasts (connective tissue cells) and the extracellular matrix (ECM) in a process called myofibroblastic differentiation, seeking to gain a deeper understanding of fibrotic diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EAmong the scholars, Kleber is the most local, having grown up in midtown Atlanta, a 10-minute drive from Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cFrom my house I could actually hear the famous Georgia Tech whistle that marked the changing of classes,\u201d says Kleber, who works in the lab of Nael McCarty, Petit Institute faculty member and associate professor at the Emory University School of Medicine, where the primary focus of his lab is cystic fibrosis \u2013 what causes it, and how to treat it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EKleber has taken ownership of a specific project within the lab, in which he is researching the extracellular face of CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) as a potential binding site for peptides and antibodies \u2013 a project that could identify potential treatments for cystic fibrosis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EChildren\u2019s support of Kleber could result in several outcomes. There\u2019s the potential for a cystic fibrosis treatment down the road, of course. And then there\u2019s Kleber himself who, after four semesters in the McCarty lab (with plans for a fifth and possibly sixth), feels well prepared for the next phase of his education: medical school.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EEarly on, he had no idea what he wanted to do post-graduation, \u201cbut I had the inkling of an idea that I could be a good doctor one day,\u201d he says. \u201cI was a smart, hard-working, dedicated student with a feeling that if I applied my work ethic to the field of medicine, I could do some real good in the world.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELINKS:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/petit-scholars\u0022\u003EPetit Scholars\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.choa.org\/Strong4Life\u0022\u003EStrong4Life\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECONTACT:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/node\/jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003EBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Support of Petit Scholars fosters next generation of bioengineering and bioscience researchers"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ESupport of Petit Scholars fosters next generation of bioengineering and bioscience researchers\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Support of Petit Scholars fosters next generation of bioengineering and bioscience researchers"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2016-04-29 07:04:44","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:21:32","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"530981":{"id":"530981","type":"image","title":"Children\u0027s 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Kleber","file":{"fid":"89330","name":"kleber.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kleber_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kleber_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":198445,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/kleber_0.jpg?itok=cQ4tlfDg"}},"530931":{"id":"530931","type":"image","title":"Jacqueline Larouche","body":null,"created":"1461963600","gmt_created":"2016-04-29 21:00:00","changed":"1475895310","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:10","alt":"Jacqueline Larouche","file":{"fid":"89331","name":"larouche.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/larouche_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/larouche_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":176717,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/larouche_0.jpg?itok=CrYdZhU_"}},"530941":{"id":"530941","type":"image","title":"Jennifer Min","body":null,"created":"1461963600","gmt_created":"2016-04-29 21:00:00","changed":"1475895310","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:10","alt":"Jennifer Min","file":{"fid":"89332","name":"min.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/min_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/min_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":219486,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/min_0.jpg?itok=ZDI0RRps"}},"530951":{"id":"530951","type":"image","title":"Sean Monahan","body":null,"created":"1461963600","gmt_created":"2016-04-29 21:00:00","changed":"1475895310","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:10","alt":"Sean Monahan","file":{"fid":"89333","name":"monahan.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/monahan_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/monahan_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":201941,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/monahan_0.jpg?itok=LMLpN8rh"}},"530961":{"id":"530961","type":"image","title":"Alex Moran","body":null,"created":"1461963600","gmt_created":"2016-04-29 21:00:00","changed":"1475895310","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:10","alt":"Alex Moran","file":{"fid":"89334","name":"moran.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/moran_1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/moran_1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":202663,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/moran_1.jpg?itok=4xQwp7Se"}},"530971":{"id":"530971","type":"image","title":"Megen Wittling","body":null,"created":"1461963600","gmt_created":"2016-04-29 21:00:00","changed":"1475895312","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:12","alt":"Megen Wittling","file":{"fid":"89335","name":"wittling.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/wittling_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/wittling_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":247827,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/wittling_0.jpg?itok=rFQGoAWv"}}},"media_ids":["530981","530921","530931","530941","530951","530961","530971"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/node\/jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003EBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}