Kennedy Krieger Institute to Lead Multi-Million Dollar National NIH-Funded Research Training Program

Newswise — BALTIMORE, MD – (August 10, 2016) Kennedy Krieger Institute will administer a new pediatric neurology research career development program sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and designed to train doctors to conduct research aimed at learning how to treat childhood brain disorders. With a $15.9 million grant (#1K12NS098482) from the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the new Child Neurologist Career Development K-12 Award Program (CNCDP) will train a national group of 30 physicians over the next five years.

While clinicians can diagnose many children’s brain disorders, the treatments available are often limited or non-existent. By providing intensive, mentored research training to neurologists who are early in their careers and funding them to do research for 75 percent of their time, the CNCDP will help accelerate and advance the pace of discovery to benefit these children.

To ensure maximum impact, pediatric neurologists in any neurology/child neurology program in the country can apply. Teams at both the trainees’ home institutions and from the national CNCDP leadership will mentor participants. For additional specifics on the program, please visit cncdp-k12.org/.

The CNCDP-K12 program will be administratively based at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland under principal investigator and program director Dr. Michael Johnston, Chief Medical Officer of the Institute and Professor of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Drs. Amy Brooks-Kayal (University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Colorado) and Barry Kosofsky (Weill-Cornell Medical College) will serve as Co-Directors. Dr. Erika Augustine (University of Rochester Medical Center) is the Diversity Officer. A distinguished National Advisory Committee of child and adult neurology clinician-scientists has been chosen to review applications, provide mentorship and select applications for funding.

Individuals interested in applying for the award beginning July 1, 2017 should submit a non-binding letter of intent by August 15, 2016. For more information on the application process and the requirements, please visit kennedykrieger.org/CNCDP-K12.

ABOUT THE KENNEDY KRIEGER INSTITUTEInternationally recognized for improving the lives of children and adolescents with disorders and injuries of the brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal system, the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD, serves more than 20,000 individuals each year through inpatient and outpatient clinics, home and community services and school-based programs. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children with developmental concerns mild to severe, and is home to a team of investigators who are contributing to the understanding of how disorders develop while pioneering new interventions and earlier diagnosis. For more information on the Kennedy Krieger Institute, visit www.kennedykrieger.org.

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