Child Health Excellence in Research and Innovative Outcomes

Connecticut Children’s Scientific Center for Child Health Excellence in Research and Innovative Outcomes advances our understanding of population health through research, education, interventions, policy, and community partnerships. The Center has a multi-disciplinary group of researchers, clinicians, community members, and patient families who are invested in improving health status and quality of life for children in the communities we serve. Research is supported by numerous organizations including the National Institutes of Health, the State of Connecticut, the Environmental Protection Agency, and local foundations. Scientists at the Center partner with Connecticut Children’s Office of Community Child Health, national and international collaborators, state agencies, and state and local non-profits.

The Child Health Excellence in Research and Innovative Outcomes Scientific Center will be a national leader in improving outcomes for the whole child through interdisciplinary clinical and community-engaged research focused on equitable transformations in care and the environments in which children live, learn, and play. Our vision and mission are fueled by our center’s core values: Partnership, Collaboration, Mentorship, Inclusion, Equity, Diversity, Excellence

Research Focuses

Behavioral Health

Led by Dr. Melissa Santos, Behavioral Health research at Connecticut Children’s Research Institute seeks to reduce the impact and stigma of behavioral health disorders and improve quality of life for children and adolescents. Dr. Santos’ research focuses on children with comorbid medical and psychological conditions with a focus on treating and understanding the whole child. Her major areas of research expertise are pediatric obesity, transgender youth, and community participatory research methods. Dr. Kevin Borrup’s research focuses on applying a public health approach to contemporary challenges that effect the health and safety of children and families, including behavioral health needs, community violence, and other preventable injuries.

Sexual and Gender Minority Health

Research in sexual and gender minority health, led by Dr. Santos in collaboration with community partners, seeks to advance evidence-based guidelines to improve the care and wellbeing of sexual and gender minority teenagers and young adults in the places where they live, work, and play. With funding from the Tow Foundation, Beaqen (www.beaqen.org) serves as the resource hub for this line of research. With funding from the American Diabetes Association, work is underway to create the first evidence-based guidelines for managing obesity and gender affirming care. The Center recently launched a real time data collection tool to analyze the physical and emotional wellbeing of transgender youth and health care providers.

Social Drivers of Health

For more than 30 years, research at the Injury Prevention Center has contributed to reductions in fatal and non-fatal injury rates for young people in Connecticut and beyond. Injury Prevention Center studies have guided the implementation and enhancement of public safety measures that keep children safe from preventable injuries. The Center’s scientific approach to injury prevention calls for interventions to be designed, evaluated, and implemented based on a research-driven process of surveillance, hazard identification, risk assessment and analysis, and the transfer of successful interventions into widespread adoption and practice. Researchers at the Injury Prevention Center have expertise in three priority areas: violence in all its forms, child and adolescent suicide prevention, and road safety related issues.

The Center for Child Health Excellence in Research and Innovative Outcomes is bolstered by several early career investigators, including Dr. Alex Hogan, who has spearheaded research assessing social drivers of health through studies in geographic clustering of bronchiolitis acute care and risk factors for pediatric asthma readmissions, and Dr. Leonela Villegas, who is examining factors that lead to a high readmission rate for children with chronic kidney disease.

Pain and Palliative Medicine

The Division of Pain & Palliative Medicine at Connecticut Children’s is at the forefront of pediatric pain research. Our top physicians and researchers are dedicated to easing children’s pain with clinical advances and are supported by commercial, private, and federal grants from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. William Zempsky has dedicated his research career to the assessment and treatment of pain in youth and young adults. A major goal of Dr. Zempsky’s research team is to develop cutting-edge pain research techniques that advance the evaluation and management of pain in this population. Dr. Emily Wakefield investigates the role and impact of psychosocial factors on health outcomes for children and adolescents with chronic pain, and seeks to develop clinical interventions that will improve quality of life for these young patients.

Community Research Advisory Board

Connecticut Children’s Research Institute sponsors a Community Research Advisory Board led by Dr. Melissa Santos. The Board brings together stakeholders from the Research Institute and the community to advise researchers at all stages of a project, including idea generation, study design, implementation, and dissemination of results. This collaborative model fosters an environment where scientist and community member perspectives are incorporated throughout the course of a research study.

Leadership

Dr. Melissa Santos (she/her)

The Division Chief of Pediatric Psychology and the Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Connecticut Children’s, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Dr. Santos’ research career has been focused on partnerships with marginalized groups to improve health trajectories.

Dr. Kevin Borrup (he/him)

The Executive Director of the Injury Prevention Center at Connecticut Children’s, and an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Since 2004, Dr. Borrup has focused on injury and violence prevention, with expertise in suicide prevention and community violence intervention and prevention.