# Addressing the research-practice gap in the implementation of rapid whole genome sequencing in the NICU

> **NIH NIH K08** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2024 · $269,246

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Current recommendations indicate that rapid whole genome sequencing should be the standard of care for
critically ill newborns. The disconnect between these guidelines and the adoption of whole genome sequencing
in the neonatal intensive care unit delays diagnoses and life-saving therapies. The effects are greater in rural
Level 3 settings where healthcare inequities exist. Translational science strategies to implement genomic
medicine into clinical care are sorely needed, but currently lacking. This proposal is a dissemination and
implementation science project addressing the lack of use of rapid whole genome sequencing in Level 4
(tertiary, metropolitan, higher resourced) and Level 3 (non-tertiary, rural, lower resourced) neonatal intensive
care units by developing Level-specific logic models outlining specific barriers and facilitators, developing and
leveraging strategies that address these barriers, and test these strategies in a small-scale demonstration
project.
The overall goal of the integrated career development plan is to prepare the candidate to become an expert in
dissemination and implementation science and improve the clinical application of personalized medicine in
neonatal critical care settings. The training and research will be conducted at an institution with a strong record
of providing excellent support and robust training and educational resources. The candidate’s department is
committed to the success of this early career physician-scientist, providing protected research time, resources,
and support needed to complete the proposed research and training aims. The career development aims focus
on needed skills in dissemination and implementation science providing the candidate with the necessary tools
as an independent investigator to integrate technology into the neonatal intensive care unit that will aid in
better diagnosis and improve human health. These aims will be overseen by an experienced multidisciplinary
mentoring team who ensure the candidate’s success.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10918215
- **Project number:** 5K08HG013111-02
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** Sabrina Malone Jenkins
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $269,246
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10918215

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10918215, Addressing the research-practice gap in the implementation of rapid whole genome sequencing in the NICU (5K08HG013111-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10918215. Licensed CC0.

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