A Future of Strength Through Discovery and Care

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  From the Interim Chief Research Officer

  Welcome to the 2020-2021 Children’s National Research Institute Annual Report

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  COVID-19 Spotlight

  Children’s National Hospital and NIAID launch large study on long-term impacts of COVID-19 and MIS-C on kids

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  Innovation Spotlight

  Mobile rare disease diagnostic platform will come to global market

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  Research Funding

  Research primarily supported via external sources including the NIH

Spotlights

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  Faculty Spotlight

  Mark L. Batshaw, M.D., a world-class leader and clinician-scientist, retires as Chief Academic Officer

  This year, Mark L. Batshaw, M.D., retires as chief academic officer and director of the Children’s National Research Institute after more than 23 years. Several long-time colleagues and collaborators offered their reflections on his career.

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  Center Spotlight

  Research in sub-Saharan Africa uses genomics and AI to diagnose non-communicable diseases and conditions

  Innovative research projects in sub-Saharan Africa combine state-of-the-art technology, science and diplomacy to diagnose non-communicable diseases at a low cost, shedding light on the association between an irreversible motor neuron disease and diet staple.

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  Center Spotlight

  Muller Fabbri, M.D., Ph.D., expert in microRNAs in cancer biology, becomes associate director of the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research

  Children’s National Hospital welcomes Muller Fabbri, M.D., Ph.D., as associate director for the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research. He will build and lead the Cancer Biology Program within the center while developing and conducting basic and translational research.

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  Center Spotlight

  Writing the next chapter for the DC Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (DC-IDDRC)

  For 20 years, the DC-IDDRC has been a home for researchers from different specialties and different institutions to discover new therapies and treatments for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

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  Faculty Spotlight

  Neurobiologist Tarik F. Haydar, Ph.D., takes the helm of Center for Neuroscience Research

  Tarik F. Haydar, Ph.D., whose research teases out how brain development differs in people with typical cognitive function compared with people who have developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome, became director of the Center for Neuroscience Research.

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  Center Spotlight

  NIH-funded large-scale study to understand long-term impacts of COVID-19 and MIS-C on kids

  A study with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will examine the long-term effects of COVID-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) after these patients have recovered from a COVID-19 infection.

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  Center Spotlight

  Agreement brings mobile rare disease diagnostic platform to global market, with an emphasis on positive social impact

  Children’s National Hospital has entered into a licensing agreement with Breakthrough BioAssets for a patented pediatric medical device technology using objective digital facial analysis software for the early and non-invasive screening of dysmorphic genetic diseases.

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  Center Spotlight

  Clinician scientist sheds new light on an ancient, still-deadly disease

  Douglas Postels, M.D., is widely considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts in retinopathy-negative cerebral malaria. He earned this recognition by employing skills as both a clinician and a researcher to re-examine what is known about cerebral malaria and how it affects young patients.