Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program (CMH-Pilot)
Past Awards
The Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) is pleased to announce the CCTSI Pilot Grant Awardees for the Child and Maternal Health Pilot (CMH-Pilot) program. Congratulations to the awardees of the grants in these programs.
2023 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Robert Dietz, MD, PhD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Functional Outcomes of Novel Neonatal Rodent Model of Global Cerebral Ischemia |
| Christiana Smith-Anderson, MD, MSCS | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | In Utero Drivers of Immune Dysfunction in HIV Exposed Uninfected Infants |
| Alicia White, MD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Investigating Fetal Pancreatic β-cell NFκB Signaling as a Novel Pathway Linking Early Metabolic Dysfunction to Type 2 Diabetes Later in Life |
2022 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Swati Ghosh, PhD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Use of FXR agonists as pharmacological intervention to treat pediatric cholestasis through activation of STAT3 pathway |
| Jordana Hoppe, MD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Home collection of airway specimens in children with cystic fibrosis |
| David Howell, PhD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Understanding How Sleep Health Affects Recovery from Adolescent Concussion |
| Katherine Barrett, PhD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Understanding Maternal Stress and Responsive Feeding among Mothers of Infants Transitioning to Solid Foods |
| Jerad Dumolt, PhD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Establishing the role of placental adiponectin receptor 2 in regulating fetal growth |
| Matthew Leroue, MD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus Children’s Hospital Colorado CU School of Medicine | The effect of tobacco smoke exposure on the upper respiratory microbiome and host transcriptome in critically ill children with severe lower respiratory tract infection |
| Meghan Ruebel, PhD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Impacts of maternal malnutrition and ambient heat during pregnancy on offspring health |
| Melisa Tanverdi, MD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus Children’s Hospital Colorado CU School of Medicine | Development of Bispecific CAR T-cells for the Prevention of Lineage Switch in KMT2A-rearranged Leukemia |
2021 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Erica Mandell, DO | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Quantifying the impact of antenatal and immediate postnatal exposures on early lung development and function and increasing the risk for late respiratory outcomes |
| Michelle Clementi, PhD | Children’s Hospital Colorado CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Sleep in Adolescent Girls with Migraine: Objective Measurement and Temporal Daily Associations |
| Andrew Haynes, MD | Children’s Hospital Colorado CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Oral Amoxicillin and Cephalexin Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit |
| Lyndsey DuBose, PhD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine | Premature Vascular Aging in Women following an In Vitro Fertilization Pregnancy |
| Denise Smith, PhD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU College of Nursing | Health system factors and disparities: Examining complex interrelations and effects on birth outcomes |
| Zachary Graff, MD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus Children’s Hospital Colorado Center for Cancer Blood Disorders | Development of Bispecific CAR T-cells for the Prevention of Lineage Switch in KMT2A-rearranged Leukemia |
2020 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Katja Gist, DO | Children’s Hospital Colorado CU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics Division of Cardiology | Evaluation of microRNA's and metabolome in acute kidney injury after congenital heart surgery |
| Anastacia Garcia, PhD | Children’s Hospital Colorado CU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics Section of Cardiology | Peripheral Mononuclear Cells as Biomarkers for Myocardial Mitochondrial Function in Single Ventricle Congenital Heart Disease Patients |
| Maya Haasz, MD | Children’s Hospital Colorado CU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics Section of Pediatric of Emergency Medicine | Safe storage of firearms: what do parents know? |
| Amy C. Kelly, PhD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Division of Reproductive Sciences | Regulation of O-GlcNAc transferase and serotonin release in the human placenta by mTOR signaling |
| Julie Pires da Silva, PhD | CU Anschutz Medical Campus CU School of Medicine Department of Medicine Division of Cardiology | Branched Chain Amino Acids in Pediatric Dilated Cardiomyopathy |
2018 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Anastacia Garcia, PhD | Division of Cardiology Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Myocardial Effects of Phosphodiesterase-5 in Single Ventricle Congenital Heart Disease |
| Laurie Sherlock, MD | Division of Neonatology Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | The impact of SOD3 distribution on alveolar and pulmonary vascular development |
| Claire Stokes, MD, MPH | Division of Hematology-Oncology Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Utilizing Urinary Biomarkers of Kidney Injury to Predict Acute Kidney Injury and Delayed Clearance of High Dose Methotrexate in Children with Leukemia |
| Owen Vaughan, PhD | Division of Reproductive Sciences Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | The role of myocardial lipid metabolism in developmental programming of cardiac hypertrophy by maternal obesity |
| Gretchen Domek, MD, MPhil | Division of General Academic Pediatrics Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Promoting language development through a primary care-based intervention in infancy |
2017 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Stephanie Chassen, MD | Division of Neonatology Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Placental Transport of Fatty Acids in Intrauterine Growth Restriction |
| Andra Dingman, MD | Division of Child Neurology Department of Pediatrics Children’s Hospital Colorado | Advanced Imaging of Brain White Matter After Perinatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy |
| Rachel Rodel, MD | Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Fasting and Postprandial Breast Milk Composition in Mothers with Type 2 Diabetes as a Function of Glycemic Control and the Effect on the Infant Microbiome |
| Sara Saporta-Keating, MD | Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Humoral immune development in the first year of life: Paradigms to enhance early vaccine-induced protection against infection |
| Michael Swanson, PhD | Division of Genetics Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Development of Effective Treatments for NKH Based on the Stabilization of the Glycine Cleavage Enzyme System P-Protein |
2016 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Sarah Borengasser, PhD | Section of Nutrition Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Role of maternal obesity and preconception micronutrient supplementation on DNA methylation in umbilical cord blood and infant outcomes |
| Shanlee Davis, MD | Division of Endocrinology Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Cardiometabolic profiles of pubertal boys with Klinefelter syndrome with or without one year of exogenous testosterone treatment |
| Vanessa Sherk, PhD | Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Diabetes Department of Medicine School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Metabolic phenotype, insulin signaling and lipotoxicity in osteoblasts from lean and overweight adolescent girls |
| Curtis Coughlin III, MS, MBe | Section of Clinical Genetics and Metabolism Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | Dried Blood Spot Screening For Pyridoxine Dependent Epilepsy |
| Torri Metz, MD, MS | Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Colorado School of Medicine Denver Health and Hospital Authority | Detection of Prenatal Marijuana Use in a Legalized Environment: Comparison of Self-Report and Umbilical Cord Homogenate Sampling |
| Amanda N’zi, PhD | Department of Pediatrics Kempe Center CU Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus | An innovative approach to enhancing positive parenting practices in caregivers of young children at-risk for the negative impact of toxic stress on health outcomes using mobile application technology: An end-user study design |
2015 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| James Feinstein, MD, MPH | School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, General Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | The Degree and Duration of Outpatient Pediatric Polypharmacy |
| Marisa Friederich, PhD | School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Genetics and Metabolism, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Cellular transdifferentiation of fibroblasts for functional analysis of newly identified genetic causes in mitochondrial diseases |
| Silvia Giugliano, MSc, PhD | School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Human Trophoblasts: Active Immunological Barrier that Prevents Transmission of Hepatitis C virus at the Maternal-Fetal interface |
| Peter Russell, MD | School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Clinical Genetics and Metabolism, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Mechanisms of Developmental Programming in Stem Cells from Offspring of Obese Mothers |
| Clyde Wright, MD | School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Neonatology, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | The implication of attenuated systemic inflammatory stress-induced ET1 expression in pathogenesis of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn |
2014 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Colleen G. Julian, PhD | School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Biomedical Informatics and Personalized Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Hypoxia-associated impairment of fetal growth: epigenomic perspectives |
| Austin Larson, MD | School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetics and Metabolism, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Use of whole exome sequencing of parent-child trios to detect novel mutations in patients with septo-optic dysplasia |
| Minghua Tang, PhD | School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Nutrition, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | High protein consumption from meat vs. dairy as complementary foods on infant growth, body composition and gut microbiome: a controlled feeding study |
| Douglas J. Kominsky, PhD | School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Epithelial IL-10 signaling in mucosal homeostasis and inflammation resolution |
| Tamara Terzian, PhD | School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Identifying the genetic determinants of Giant Congenital Nevi |
2013 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Michelle Brock, MD | Fellow, Pediatrics/Pulmonary, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Risk Reduction for Sudden Unexpected Infant Death in Children of Teenage Parents |
| James Gaensbauer, MD | Fellow, Pediatrics/ Infectious Disease, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | The impact of parasitic infection in infancy on Haemophilus influezae type b vaccine response |
| Kevin Messacar, MD | Fellow, Pediatrics/Infectious Disease, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Clinical Characteristics, Etiology, Epidemiology, and Outcomes of Pediatric Patients with Aseptic Meningitis and Encephalitis |
| Stephanie Nakano, MD | Fellow, Pediatrics/ Cardiology, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Chronic Phosphodiesterase 3 Inhibitor Treatment in Pediatric Heart Failure |
| Uyen Truong, MD | Assistant Professor, Pediatrics/ Cardiology, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Wall shear stress measured by MRI determines outcomes in children and adolescents with pulmonary arterial hypertension |
| Bridgett Young, PhD | Fellow, Pediatrics/ Nutrition, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Impact of Maternal Obesity and Diabetes on Breast Milk Composition and Infant Adiposity |
| Scott Auerbach, MD | Assistant Professor, Pediatrics/ Cardiology, Children's Hospital Colorado | Genetics Modifiers of Disease in Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy: Association of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone-System (RAAS) and Innate Immune System Polymorphisms with Inflammatory Cytokine Levels |
| Xueni Chen, MD | Instructor, Allergy & Clinical Immunology, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Elucidation of Conformational epitopes of peanut allergens essential for allergic reactions |
| Lisa Meltzer, PhD | Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, National Jewish Health; Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Pediatrics/ Behavioral Health, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Sleep, Lung Function, and Markers of Inflammation in Adolescents with Asthma |
2012 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Peter Baker, MD | Fellow, Pediatrics, Clinical Genetics & Metabolism, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Atypical non-ketotic hyperglycinemia: a heterogeneous condition caused by disorders of iron-sulfur cluster biogenesis |
| Edward Garrido | Senior Instructor, Pediatrics/Kempe Center, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Violence Exposure and its Impact on Executive Functions and Violence Perpetration |
| Patricia Huguelet, MD | Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Validation of the “My Mood” (M3) Mental Screen Among Perinatal Adolescents |
| Taizo Nakano, MD | Fellow, Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | The development of patient specific mimotope vaccines to enhance the endogenous T-cell response against Neuroblastoma |
| Shelley Miyamoto, MD | Assistant Professor, Pediatrics/ Cardiology, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Impact of Phosphodiesterase inhibition on cAMP Expression in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome |
| Kenneth Hurt, MD, PhD | Obstetrics & Gynecology/Basic Reproductive Sciences, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | A novel signaling pathway in preterm labor: uterine tocolysis and transplacental fetal |
| David Brumbaugh, MD | Pediatrics/Gastroenterology, Hematology, and Nutrition, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Identification of a clinically useful measure of nutritional status in children with SMA |
| Angela Czaja, MD, MSc | Assistant Professor, Pediatrics/Critical Care, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Physician Decision Making in Medication Prescribing |
| Meghan Donnelly, MD | Fellow, Obstetrics & Gynecology/Maternal Fetal Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Cervical Ultrasound Elastography for the Prediction of Preterm Birth |
2011 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Colm Collins, PhD | Pediatrics Department, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | HSP 90 in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Role of Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Target |
| Kimberly D'Anna, PhD | Psychiatry Department, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Maternal Hair Cortisol and Fetal Adrenal as Markers of Perinatal Stress Leading to Adverse Perinatal Outcomes |
| Thomas Flass, MD MS | Pediatrics Department, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Cirrhosis in Children with Cystic Fibrosis: Possible Links with Intestinal Inflammation, Permeability, and Alterations in the Intestinal Microbiome |
| Cameron Gunville, DO | Pediatrics Department, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Vitamin D Levels in Preterm Infants with Viral Lower Respiratory Tract Infection |
| Jillian Sullivan, MD | Pediatrics Department, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | The Effect of an Oral Fructose Challenge in Children with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease |
| Caroline Kulesza, PhD | Microbiology Department, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Development of a Novel HCMV Vaccine Strategy |
| Catherine Lozupone, PhD | The Effects of Diet Alteration Strategies on the Gut Microbiota of Children with Autism | |
| Regina M. Reynolds, MD | Pediatrics Department, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Correlation of Body Composition with Nutrient Intake as a Means to Determine Optimal Growth Rates in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants |
| Michael E. Yaeger, PhD | Pediatrics Department, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Role of Fibrocytes and Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells in Persistent Inflammation Associated with Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension |
2010 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Jennifer Armstrong-Wells, MD | University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus/Children's Hospital Colorado | Inflammation as a Risk Factor for Symptomatic Perinatal Stroke & Brain Ingury |
| David Brumbaugh, MD | Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Children's Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus Pediatrics | Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Quantitation of Depot-Specific Adiposity and Liver Fat in Infancy |
| Joanne Masterson, PhD | Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, School of Medicine, Children's Hospital Colorado | Eosinophils Role in Tissue Remodeling with Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Diseases |
| Samuel Dominguez, MD, PhD | Section of Infection Disease, Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Colorado | Clinical Epidemiological, and Inflammatory Response Studies of Pediatric Patients with Novel Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Infection |
| Nancy Donelan-McCall, PhD | Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health, Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Translating the DANCE (Dyadic Assessment of Naturalistic Caregiver-Child Interaction and Environment) to Clinical Practice for the Promotion of Competent Parenting |
| Carmen Sucharov, PhD | Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine | B-Adrenergic Receptor Regulation in Pediatric Heart Failure |
| Joanne Valvano, PhD | University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Manual Task Analysis Discerns Limitations in Motor Control in Children with Down Syndrome |
| Virginia Winn, MD, PhD | OB/GYN, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus | Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein 2 (PAPP-A2), A Potential Biomarker for Preeclampsia |
2009 Child and Maternal Health Pilot Program Awards
| Principal Investigator | Affiliation | Project Title |
| Neil Box, PhD | School of Medicine, Dermatology | Gene and environmental influences on melanoma risk phenotypes in Colorado Children |
| Karim El Kasmi, MD, PhD | School of Medicine, Pediatrics, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition | Role of innate immunity in the pathogenesis of parenteral nutrition associated liver injury in infants |
| Cindy Freehauf, RN, MS, CGC | School of Medicine, Pediatrics | The Oxidative stress and inflammation makers in homocysteimia due to cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency: investigation of their presence and contribution to the natural history of the disease across the life span of affected individuals and the impact of taurine on these markers |
| Karen Jonscher, PhD; Virginia Ferguson PhD | School of Medicine, Anesthesiology; College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering | Correlating Biomechanical and Biochemical Mechanisms to Predict Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) in Pregnancy |
| Jenn Leiferman, PhD | School of Public Health, Epidemiology Department | The effect of an antenatal physical activity pilot intervention on maternal stress, biomarkers, and preterm delivery |
| Ellyn Matthews, PhD; Madalynn Neu, PhD, RN | College of Nursing, Nursing | Caregiver-Child Sleep Patterns and Distress During Maintenance Therapy for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia |
| Yogendra Raol, PhD | School of Medicine, Pediatrics | Potassium channel opener for the prevention of seizures and neuronal injury following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia |
| Nancy West, PhD | School of Public Health, Epidemiology | The Environmental Factors in Early Life, DNA Methylation, and Fetal Origins of Diseases Across the Lifespan |
| Samantha Woodruff, MD | Children's Hospital Colorado, Pediatric Gastroenterology | Mechanisms of Esophageal Fibrosis |