Advancing Child Health: Preparing the Next Generation of Pediatric Researchers

/Abstract The objective of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Research Institute Summer Scholars Program (CRISSP) is to provide undergraduates with advanced training and skill development required for future leaders in basic, translational, clinical, and behavioral child health research. We will identify and nurture the next generation of innovators in pediatric research. Undergraduate scholars are often at a professional inflection point where the targeted efforts of CRISSP are ideally timed to provide skills, knowledge of scientific career options, and mentors dedicated to pioneering advances that ensure children lead healthy and productive lives, free from disease or disability, from birth to adulthood. The proposed research education program is designed to improve on an existing outstanding 10-week summer pediatric research internship with the ultimate goal of creating uniquely qualified students who are primed to both succeed in and foster the biomedical research workforce path. The annual program, which provides mentored research training to 25-30 competitively chosen undergraduate interns, will achieve this goal through three synergistic strategies: 1) scientific mastery through completion of an independent research project, 2) career exploration through shadowing and active mentorship, and 3) academic skill development through tailored curriculum. A dedicated team of mentors and program staff support CRISSP scholars both during and after the program, engaging alumni to both contribute to the experiences of current CRISSP scholars and to serve as peer and professional networks to help advance career development. CRISSP is creating an exceptional cadre of young scientist- leaders, gifted with an appreciation aligned with the mission of the National Institute of Health to transform discoveries into more healthy lives. Project Number: 2R25HD101365-06 | Fiscal Year: 2026 | NIH Institute/Center: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) | Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Lowenthal (+1 co-PI) | Institution: CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA, PHILADELPHIA, PA | Award Amount: $162,000 | Activity Code: R25 | Study Section: Interdisciplinary Clinical Care in Specialty Care Settings Study Section[ICSC] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11334524