Akron Children’s Hospital highlights advances at first Research Day

05-21-2019 (Akron, Ohio )

Akron Children’s Hospital will shine a spotlight on the importance of medical research taking place there during its first Research Day event on May 31.

Hosted by the Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute, Research Day will highlight impactful research performed by physicians, scientists and trainees at Akron Children’s. Events will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Considine Professional Building, 215 W. Bowery St.

“Research Day will provide a glimpse into our vision to build a research program that makes a powerful impact on our patients, our hospital and our community,” said Akron Children’s Chief Research Officer Dr. Michael Kelly. “It’s a great opportunity to connect with scientists engaged in pediatric research locally, regionally and nationally, and interact with leading researchers in their fields that have made Akron Children’s their home.”

Research Day will begin at 7:30 a.m. with Postgraduate Day scientific poster presentations by residents and fellows in the first and second floor lobbies of the Considine Professional Building. A student program will round out the morning, including a presentation about medical simulation by Dr. Wendy Van Ittersum, which will be followed by an interactive “Lunch with Scientists.”

The afternoon will begin with keynote speaker Dr. Christopher Forrest, a professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the director of CHOP’s Applied Clinical Research Center. Dr. Forrest will discuss his experiences working in collaborative pediatric research through PEDSnet: a national pediatric learning health system.

Those who attend in the afternoon will also get to hear from some of Akron Children’s leading researchers:

• Dr. Richard Hertle will talk about his 25 years of experience in vision research and how professional, patient and community cooperation has resulted in new treatments of eye disease in children.
• Dr. Bruce Cohen will present on his involvement in the clinical research of mitochondrial diseases.
• Dr. Anita Jeyakumar will discuss her work delineating possible genetic etiologies of hearing loss in minority populations.
• Dr. Kirsten Kusumi will present her clinical and translational data about kidney stone-associated bone disease.

All afternoon sessions will take place in the Considine Auditorium and will be moderated by Teresa Volsko, director of respiratory care, transport and communication center.

Research Day is free to attend and open to all community members regardless of research involvement. Registration is requested whether attending one or multiple sessions. Networking opportunities and refreshments will be provided to all who attend throughout the day. Continuing Medical Education (CME) will be available for those who qualify.

For more information, email researchconcierge@akronchildrens.org.