TY - JOUR
T1 - Pediatric Neurology Research in the Twenty-First Century
T2 - Status, Challenges, and Future Directions Post–COVID-19
AU - Bonkowsky, Joshua L.
AU - deVeber, Gabrielle
AU - Kosofsky, Barry E.
AU - Augustine, Erika F.
AU - Bassuk, Alexander
AU - Brooks-Kayal, Amy R.
AU - Felling, Ryan J.
AU - Fullerton, Heather J.
AU - Glass, Hannah C.
AU - Grinspan, Zachary M.
AU - Guerriero, Réjean M.
AU - Johnston, Michael V
AU - Lyons-Warren, Ariel
AU - Maricich, Steven
AU - Musolino, Patricia L.
AU - Pomeroy, Scott
AU - Porter, Brenda E.
AU - Rho, Jong M.
AU - Rotenberg, Alexander
AU - Schlaggar, Bradley L.
AU - Shellhaas, Renée A.
AU - Sherr, Elliott H.
AU - Soul, Janet S.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Background: The year 2020 marked a fundamental shift in the pediatric neurology field. An impressive positive trajectory of advances in patient care and research faced sudden global disruptions by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and by an international movement protesting racial, socioeconomic, and health disparities. The disruptions revealed obstacles and fragility within the pediatric neurology research mission. However, renewed commitment offers unique opportunities for the pediatric neurology research community to enhance and prioritize research directions for the coming decades. Methods: The Research Committee of the Child Neurology Society evaluated the challenges and opportunities facing the pediatric neurology research field, including reviewing published literature, synthesizing publically available data, and conducting a survey of pediatric neurologists. Results: We identified three priority domains for the research mission: funding levels, active guidance, and reducing disparities. Funding levels: to increase funding to match the burden of pediatric neurological disease; to tailor funding mechanisms and strategies to support clinical trial efforts unique to pediatric neurology; and to support investigators across their career trajectory. Active guidance: to optimize infrastructure and strategies, to leverage novel therapeutics, enhance data collection, and improve inclusion of children in clinical trials. Reducing disparities: to reduce health disparities in children with neurological disease, to develop proactive measures to enhance workforce diversity and inclusion, and increase avenues to balance work-life obligations for investigators. Conclusions: In this uniquely challenging epoch, the pediatric neurology research community has a timely and important mission to re-engage the public and government, advancing the health of children with neurological conditions.
AB - Background: The year 2020 marked a fundamental shift in the pediatric neurology field. An impressive positive trajectory of advances in patient care and research faced sudden global disruptions by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and by an international movement protesting racial, socioeconomic, and health disparities. The disruptions revealed obstacles and fragility within the pediatric neurology research mission. However, renewed commitment offers unique opportunities for the pediatric neurology research community to enhance and prioritize research directions for the coming decades. Methods: The Research Committee of the Child Neurology Society evaluated the challenges and opportunities facing the pediatric neurology research field, including reviewing published literature, synthesizing publically available data, and conducting a survey of pediatric neurologists. Results: We identified three priority domains for the research mission: funding levels, active guidance, and reducing disparities. Funding levels: to increase funding to match the burden of pediatric neurological disease; to tailor funding mechanisms and strategies to support clinical trial efforts unique to pediatric neurology; and to support investigators across their career trajectory. Active guidance: to optimize infrastructure and strategies, to leverage novel therapeutics, enhance data collection, and improve inclusion of children in clinical trials. Reducing disparities: to reduce health disparities in children with neurological disease, to develop proactive measures to enhance workforce diversity and inclusion, and increase avenues to balance work-life obligations for investigators. Conclusions: In this uniquely challenging epoch, the pediatric neurology research community has a timely and important mission to re-engage the public and government, advancing the health of children with neurological conditions.
KW - Career
KW - Disparities
KW - Funding
KW - NIH
KW - Neuroscience
KW - Pediatric
KW - Research
KW - Training
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U2 - 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2020.08.012
DO - 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2020.08.012
M3 - Article
C2 - 32979654
AN - SCOPUS:85091494488
SN - 0887-8994
VL - 113
SP - 2
EP - 12
JO - Pediatric Neurology
JF - Pediatric Neurology
ER -