# Summers in Children's Research for Diverse High School Students

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 2020 · $98,999

## Abstract

“Summers in Children's Research” (SCR) at The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Steele Children's
Research Center, and Diamond Children's Medical Center offers annually in this 5-year renewal grant proposal 12
diverse disadvantaged junior/senior high school students and 5 continuing undergraduates from Arizona an immersive
educational 8- and 12- week summer experience respectively in “hands on, brain on” basic, translational, and clinical
research broadly targeting childhood and human development and associated disorders. The multidisciplinary project
leadership duo includes an internationally renowned pediatrician specialized in children's gastrointestinal disorders
(molecular mechanisms and clinical management) and an international expert in childhood and developmental lymphatic
disorders and genotype-phenotype correlations, diversity pipeline research training, and inquiry curriculum innovation.
They will together interact with vibrant research programs impacting children's and maternal health. Based on the
College of Medicine's highly successful longstanding federally funded multidisciplinary disadvantaged multilevel
student research programs and diversity/URM pipeline continuum drawing large numbers of qualified applicants from
around Arizona and also a locally supported Dept. of Pediatrics high school student summer program, SCR for the past 5
years has been stepwise developing a distinctive core curriculum including online components and expanded research
experiences in NICHD mission areas. Full-time summer research experiences range from molecular mechanisms of
calcium/phosphate absorption in inflammatory bowel disease, microbiomics, and infant diarrheal disorders to genomics-
proteomics of Niemann-Pick C disease and lymphedema-angiodysplasia syndromes; congenital heart disease –
mechanisms, complications, and management; autism, disabilities and rehabilitation; next generation multimodal
imaging; epidemiology of pediatric head trauma and substance abuse, and field work in maternal health and sexually
transmitted diseases. SCR involves experienced, enthusiastic faculty and near-peer mentors primarily in Pediatrics but
broadly representing basic and clinical research impacting children in NICHD mission areas. The specialized SCR
curriculum is incorporated into an innovative face-to-face and online inquiry-based Summer Institute on Medical
Ignorance (highlighting Unanswered Questions and Unquestioned Answers and reinforcing core content) for high school
students and undergraduates and paralleling our medical student researcher offering. Included are highly interactive
features such as our unique Virtual Clinical Research Center/Questionarium, a web-based platform designed to link NIH,
CTSAs/GCRCs to the K-12 community, using advanced multimedia technology familiar to teenagers. Peer and near-peer
mentoring and communication/surviving/thriving skill sessions are used to develop attitudes, skills, and behaviors of
fruitful, curiou...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9869017
- **Project number:** 5R25HD070811-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **Principal Investigator:** Fayez Khalaf Ghishan
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $98,999
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-05-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9869017

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9869017, Summers in Children's Research for Diverse High School Students (5R25HD070811-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9869017. Licensed CC0.

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