# Development of a novel survey to screen for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in young children

> **NIH NIH K08** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $255,769

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This application is developed to support Rozalyn Rodwin, MD, MHS, a current Assistant Professor in Pediatric
Hematology-Oncology at Yale School of Medicine, in transitioning to independence as a physician-scientist
who investigates the late effects of childhood cancer therapy. Her long-term career goal is to improve the
health and quality of life of childhood cancer survivors by developing and implementing new methods to screen
for treatment-related acute and long-term toxicities of cancer-directed therapy. Dr. Rodwin’s project will build
on her prior work that used quantitative methods to identify symptoms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral
neuropathy (CIPN) in children with cancer and measure the associated impact. With the mentorship and
support of a multidisciplinary team of experts in pediatric oncology health outcomes, childhood cancer
survivorship, treatment toxicity, qualitative research, survey development, physical therapy, and
implementation science, Dr. Rodwin will 1) acquire advanced training in qualitative research, 2) learn
techniques necessary to develop and validate surveys, and 3) train in implementation science, through a
combination of didactic and experiential training activities and mentored research. CIPN is a debilitating side
effect that occurs in up to 87% of children during cancer treatment. It particularly impacts young children by
interfering with key motor developmental milestones and can have a lifelong impact on their health. Early
detection and intervention can improve symptoms, but up to 80% of cases are missed. CIPN is challenging to
diagnose because there are no validated screening measures for children younger than five, even though
~40% of children at risk for CIPN are under five. Proxy-report surveys completed by a parent or guardian have
been used to screen for other health conditions in young children but have not been developed for CIPN. This
project's overarching goal is to improve CIPN screening in young children ages 1-5 years by developing a
novel proxy-report instrument that a parent or guardian can complete. We aim to 1) develop items for a novel
proxy-report symptom-based survey to screen for CIPN using qualitative methods, 2) prospectively evaluate
the survey’s psychometric properties, and 3) collect preliminary data to inform survey implementation. This
instrument will enable the identification of patients with CIPN who can benefit from interventions to promote
childhood cancer survivors’ long-term health. Along with the proposed coursework, this research will provide
Dr. Rodwin with the training and experience to independently conduct future studies aimed at further validation
and implementation of this instrument. She will apply the knowledge gained through this project to other
studies aimed at screening and early intervention for treatment-related toxicities in childhood cancer survivors.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10981754
- **Project number:** 1K08CA286835-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Rozalyn Rodwin
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $255,769
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2029-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10981754

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10981754, Development of a novel survey to screen for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in young children (1K08CA286835-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-02 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10981754. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*