Student Research Awards
The Student Research Award are presented annually by the Society for Pediatric Research® (SPR) to honor exceptional research conducted by students at various educational stages. This award encourages pediatricians-in-training to pursue careers in academic pediatrics. Recipients are selected based on the quality of work presented in abstracts submitted to the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting.
This award must be applied for at the time of PAS abstract submission.
Award
Eligibility Criteria
Applications that do not meet the conditions stated above will not be considered for the awards. The accuracy of the abstract and application is the applicants’ responsibility. Please proofread carefully before submitting. After submission, no corrections will be permitted. By submitting, you approve the accuracy of your abstract and application.
Current Recipients
Marwa Ramsie is a PhD candidate in the Centre for the Studies of Asphyxia and Resuscitation. Under the guidance of Dr. Georg Schmölzer and Dr. Po-yin Cheung, she has been examining various vasopressors and routes of administration during neonatal hypoxia-reoxygenation and asphyxia-induced asystolic cardiac arrest. Marwa is being recognized for her work in examining the systemic and cerebral hemodynamic effects of norepinephrine in neonatal piglets with hypoxia-reoxygenation. This study was established to address the limited information available on the use of norepinephrine in neonates with hypoxia-reoxygenation induced hypotension and cardiogenic shock.
Marwa is passionate about neonatal health and hopes to continue to work on reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality through the investigation of vasopressor therapies.
Marwa Ramsie, BSc
University of Alberta
Paige Riddington is a PhD student in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University, Australia and a researcher within the Fetal and Neonatal Health group at The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research. Her work focuses on improving health outcomes for infants born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) by optimising early respiratory support strategies to enhance lung aeration and cardiopulmonary function at birth.
Paige’s research employs preclinical newborn sheep and rabbit models of CDH to investigate cardiopulmonary haemodynamics and gas exchange efficiency. As part of a multidisciplinary team of leading perinatal physiologists and physicists, she utilises advanced imaging techniques, including phase contrast X-ray imaging, to study lung aeration in the immediate newborn period.
Her research demonstrates how a small external negative pressure applied during conventional mechanical ventilation improves lung aeration while reducing airway pressures in newborn rabbits with a diaphragmatic hernia.
Paige Riddington, BSc (Hons)
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University. The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research.
I am honored to receive the SPR Medical Student Research Award for my abstract, “Deletion of Gasdermin D Attenuates Cardiovascular Remodeling in Adult Mice Exposed to Neonatal Hyperoxia.” This project aims to expand our understanding of the long-term sequelae of prematurity. Adults born prematurely face an increased risk of cardiovascular complications, yet the mechanisms underlying this dysfunction, particularly in the context of neonatal hyperoxia, remain unclear. Previous research has identified Gasdermin D as a key mediator in inflammasome activation and pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death. Our findings demonstrate that global Gasdermin D knock-out reduces cardiovascular dysfunction, vascular stiffness, and fibrosis associated with neonatal hyperoxia exposure. These results suggest a potential strategy for preventing the long-term cardiovascular consequences of neonatal hyperoxia in adults born preterm.
I began contributing to this research as an undergraduate student at the University of Miami Division of Neonatology, where I developed a strong foundation in neonatal research under the mentorship of Dr. Merline Benny. Now, as a medical student in Ohio, I remain dedicated to this project and to advancing our understanding of the pathophysiology of prematurity.
Sydne Ballengee, BS
Medical Student at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine; Presenting research out of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Carolyn Cafro is being recognized for her contributions to neonatal pulmonary hemodynamics research as part of the larger Comprehensive Real-Time Assisted Deep Learning in ELGANs (CRADLE) study. Under the mentorship of Dr. Irina Prelipcean and in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, Carolyn’s work focuses on identifying early pulmonary hemodynamic patterns in extremely low gestational age newborns (ELGANs) and defining clinical trajectories that predispose them to later pulmonary hypertension (PH). By leveraging data from a retrospective cohort, she has helped characterize two distinct early PH phenotypes—pressure-mediated and flow-mediated PH—shedding light on critical perinatal risk factors influencing neonatal cardiopulmonary outcomes.
Her research contributes to the broader CRADLE study, which aims to develop real-time clinical decision support (CDS) tools for neonatal clinicians using machine learning. By identifying key predictors—such as maternal hypertensive disorders and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) for pressure-mediated PH, and prolonged PDA exposure for flow-mediated PH—her work informs the development of data-driven interventions to improve neonatal outcomes. This research not only enhances the understanding of pulmonary hemodynamics in ELGANs but also supports CRADLE’s mission to integrate machine learning into neonatal care to optimize clinical decision-making.
Carolyn Cafro, BS
University of Rochester
Kate DiNucci is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Washington, studying Neuroscience and Bioethics with the goal of pursuing an MD-PhD. For the past three years, she has conducted research in the Neonatal Neuroscience Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Tommy Wood, focusing on neuroprotective therapies for neonates.
As a primary author, Kate conducted a secondary analysis of the Preterm Erythropoietin for Neuroprotection Trial (PENUT) to investigate sex-dependent associations of magnesium sulfate on neurodevelopmental outcomes. Her findings indicate no significant sex-specific differences in response to magnesium sulfate across all outcome measures, reaffirming its safety while also highlighting a lack of neuroprotective benefit.
Kate aspires to advance neonatology and pediatric neurology through her research and future work as a physician, aiming to improve long-term patient outcomes and identify effective and accessible neonatal neuroprotectants.
Kate DiNucci
University of Washington
I am an undergraduate in the Schuh lab at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. I am involved in a project that aims to examine the effects of the timing of nephrotoxic medication administration on levels of AKI and nephron loss seen during postnatal nephrogenesis. During this project, I performed Immunofluorescence staining and imaging on rabbit kidney samples to visualize and compare injury in epithelium, and tubular regions of the kidney. I conducted a blinded analysis of samples after Periodic Acid Shift (PAS) staining to quantify injury and performed and assisted with molecular techniques such as qPCR, RNA extractions, and cDNA synthesis. Under the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Meredith P. Schuh I attended lab meetings, assisted and conducted various lab protocols, and had the honor to present at the International Neonatal Nephrology Symposium and won the Best Oral Abstract of 2024. I am extremely excited to be a part of this project and hope to continue to contribute to neonatal research.
Shalini Indugula
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center