The Department of Surgery at Texas Children's Hospital awards more than $270,000 in grants to launch new research investigations

HOUSTON - (Jan. 29, 2014) - The Department of Surgery at Texas Children's Hospital is excited to announce the 2014 Surgical Seed Grant Award recipients. These grants, of up to $50,000 per project, will allow surgery researchers to generate the preliminary data necessary for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications and other extramural funding. For more information please visit: texaschildrens.org/surgery.


Established in 2011, these awards were designed primarily to support researchers in the early stages of their data collection necessary to submit successful grant applications to the NIH. The Surgical Seed Grant Committee, chaired by Dr. Jed Nuchtern, chief of pediatric surgery at Texas Children's, and Matt Girotto, assistant vice president in the Department of Surgery at Texas Children's, encourages both junior and senior faculty to submit applications for new areas of research.


In total, more than $270,000 in grants will be awarded to eight researches representing various surgical subspecialties including: general surgery, otolaryngology, pediatric and adolescent gynecology, plastic surgery and urology. The recipients, along with the titles of their projects are:

• Dr. Jennifer Dietrich: The Relationship Between Paratubal Cysts, Hyperandrogenism and Obesity
• Dr. David Khechoyan: Evaluation of Outcomes in Craniosynostosis Surgery
• Dr. Bindi Naik-Mathuria: Utility of Near Infrared Spectroscopy in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury
• Dr. Julina Ongkasuwan: Evaluation of Pediatric Vocal Fold Nodules Using Ultrasound
• Dr. Abhishek Seth: Identification of Urinary Inflammation-Specific DNA Methylation Markers to Aid in Early Prediction of Severe Hemorrhagic Cystitis
• Dr. Sanjeev Vasudevan: MDM4- A Potential Therapeutic Target for Hepatoblastoma
• Dr. Ashley Wenaas: Utility of Accelerometers in Cochlear Implant Surgery
• Dr. Nicolette Janzen: Minimizing VCUG Discomfort with Neuromodulation

"This was a banner year for seed grant applicants as we not only had a record number of requests but we also saw a distinctive increase in outcomes related research desires," says Nuchtern, who is also professor of surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. "In recognition and support of the clinical outcomes related submissions, we are working closely with Texas Children's Outcomes and Impact Service to develop a mechanism to provide support to those important and worthy submissions."

About Texas Children’s Hospital

Texas Children’s Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children’s hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children’s has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women’s health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Center for pediatric research; Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, a second community hospital planned to open in 2017. The organization also created the nation’s first HMO for children, has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country and a global health program that’s channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.