2026 Department of Pediatrics Research Pilot Grant awardees named
The Department of Pediatrics Research Pilot Grant exists to stimulate wide-ranging and innovative clinical and basic research in the Department of Pediatrics and increase academic presentations, publications, and grant submissions from the Department of Pediatrics faculty. Full-time academic faculty with an appointment as instructor or assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics are eligible to serve as principal investigators. Postdoctoral or clinical fellows with a faculty co-investigator can submit applications.
There were a record number of applications this year, and the Research Committee had some difficult decisions. In the end, the committee was very pleased with the participation and excited to announce the results:
2026 Department of Pediatrics Pilot Grant Awardees
| Principal Investigator | Proposal Title | Co-Investigator | Mentor |
|---|---|---|---|
 Michael P. Mesa, PhD, Assistant Professor, Children's Learning Institute | Move to Learn: Pilot Assessing Feasibility and Promise of Pre-Instruction Movement Routines in Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms | Timothy J. Walker, PhD | Tricia A. Zucker, PhD |
 Maria del Mar Romero López, MD, MS, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine | Inflammatory Gene Expression Signatures of Vitamin D-Mediated Sepsis Protection in Extremely Pre-Term Infants: A ViDES Trial Ancillary Study | Tina O. Findley, MD; Ricardo Mosquera, MD, MS; Amir Khan, MD | Ricardo Mosquera, MD, MS; Amir Khan, MD |
 Vanja Stankic, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, MD Anderson Cancer Center/Pediatric Research Center | Airway Cartilage Heterogeneity and Epithelial Regulation During Lung Development: Mechanisms Relevant to Pediatric Airway Instability | Rachel Miller, PhD | Rachel Miller, PhD; Jichao Chen, PhD |
 Lindsay Holzapfel, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine | The LAMB Trial: Lipid Administration and Modulation of Bilirubin in Extremely Preterm Infants, A sub-study of the Lipid Infusions to Optimize Nutrition (LION) Randomized Trial | Eric Reynolds, MD, MPH; Claudia Pedroza, PhD | Charles 'Trey' Miller, III, PhD |
 Nam Van Truong, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Pediatric Research Center | Novel Epitranscriptomic Regulation of Sinoatrial Node Dysfunction | Jun Wang, PhD | Jun Wang, PhD |
The next Research Pilot Grant application cycle will begin in January 2027. For additional information on criteria, funding, terms, and application materials, visit SharePoint (external link) or contact Senior Administrative Manager Marvin Thomas, Jr.