CHKD and Clinical Research Trials

CHKD is home to Eastern Virginia Medical School's pediatric residency program, where new physicians become specialists in the field of pediatrics. Many of them stay in this community or in the state to practice pediatrics after they complete their residencies. CHKD also serves as the exclusive pediatric teaching site for residents in family medicine practice, emergency practice, ENT and physician assistants, as well as the exclusive site for some 120 third-year medical school students for their eight-week pediatric rotation.

CHKD provides a setting for many clinical research trials. Highlights of the basic science research include protection of the newborn brain from the effects of hypoxic injury, new innovations to combat serious invasive infection, management of autism, and emergency interventions for asthma. In addition, research includes new medications and other therapies, clinical outcomes analyses and epidemiological studies sanctioned by the Eastern Virginia Medical School Institutional Review Board.

There were 225 IRB-approved active funded studies in FY17. Topics of study included hematology/oncology, allergy/asthma, infectious disease, neurology, pediatric surgery, cardiology, otolaryngology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, child abuse, endocrinology, dermatology, neonatology and mental health. Many of these studies are stage-three clinical trials that bring cutting-edge treatments to CHKD patients years before they are available to the public. In addition, there is an increased focus on registry studies across all disciplines. Data collected in these registries is intended to standardize optimal levels of care and lead to improved patient outcomes.

Our Division of Community Health and Research has focused on conditions and issues impacting children’s health with an emphasis on health disparities in the cities of the Hampton Roads region, western Tidewater, and the rural Eastern Shore. Current areas of emphasis include childhood obesity, asthma, immunization, e-cigarette use by adolescents and young adults, teen pregnancy, infant and child passenger safety and teen alcohol and substance abuse. 

CHKD and COG 

CHKD is also a member of Children's Oncology Group (COG), an international research group that conducts clinical trials for children with cancer. 

As a member, CHKD has access to the latest protocols for treatment of childhood cancer, providing the community and region with the best practices and treatment results from more than 240 COG-member hospitals in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.

In FY17, CHKD had 104 COG studies including LTF studies open to enrollment or undergoing data analysis. Several of these studies were included in COG’s long-term follow-up study, which collects data on patients who have participated in studies that are no longer open to enrollment.

In all, approximately 224 CHKD patients participated in either open or follow-up COG studies in FY17. The Hematology/Oncology division also had 20 research studies open that were not COG studies.