FY26 Faculty Spotlight: Q&A with Elizabeth Sanseau, MD

Editor’s Note: Meet the dedicated and distinctive faculty who are discovering and developing pediatric life-changing solutions at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, in our monthly Faculty Spotlight Q&A series. This year, we’re diving into how our faculty have navigated funding challenges throughout their careers. For October, we connected with Elizabeth Sanseau, MD, a faculty member in the Division of Emergency Medicine and Medical Director of the Indigenous Health Unit (IHU).

Can you tell us a little about your research specialty?

My research focuses on ensuring that hospitals and clinics serving American Indian and Alaska Native children are prepared for emergencies. I partner closely with Native communities, healthcare teams, and federal and Tribal organizations to design and test training programs that are both effective and culturally relevant.

Why did you choose to focus on that specialty?

I came to CHOP in 2019 for fellowship training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Global Health. Before that, I worked as a pediatrician in rural Alaska at a hospital serving Alaska Native communities. There, I saw how difficult it can be to care for sick and injured children in remote places with limited resources, but I also saw how strong and resourceful those communities are. That experience motivated me to come to CHOP to sharpen my emergency medicine skills and learn how to build programs that can make a difference in those settings.

Describe a current or recent research project that you are excited about.

One project I’m especially excited about is our Pediatric Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness in the U.S. Indigenous Healthcare System study, which focuses on community-defined disaster readiness in Northwest Alaska. In this partnership with the Maniilaq Association, we’re engaging directly with community health aides/practitioners, nurses, and first responders to understand what “disaster” means in their communities, how they prepare, and how pediatric and family health can be better supported in emergencies.

In parallel, I co-founded and serve as principal investigator for the Indian Health Service (IHS) Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Hybrid Simulation Program, a national initiative designed to strengthen pediatric emergency readiness across IHS and Tribal health systems. The program helps hospitals and clinics serving American Indian and Alaska Native children improve their capacity to deliver high-quality emergency care through hybrid in-person and virtual simulation training, mentorship, and systems-level implementation strategies.

At CHOP, I serve as Medical Director of the IHU, which anchors this work institutionally. CHOP contributes through infrastructure support, research mentorship, and dissemination expertise. I leverage our partnerships in implementation science, simulation-based education, and community-engaged research to help ensure that these programs are sustainable, effective, and Indigenous-led.

The IHS EMSC Hybrid Simulation Program involves a partnership with the Indian Health Service Headquarters, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Emergency Medical Services for Children Program, the Pediatric Pandemic Network, and the Improving Pediatric Acute Care Through Simulation Collaborative, which includes leading academic institutions such as Yale University, Indiana University, and the University of Washington-Seattle Children’s Hospital.

What are the long-term research questions that you hope to answer?

In the long run, my goal is simple: that every child — no matter where they live — receives the best care possible in an emergency.

Many investigators face research funding challenges at some point in their careers. How have you overcome those challenges?

Research funding can be tough to secure, but I’ve found that the best way forward is through partnership and connecting with national leaders in pediatric emergency readiness, while working hand-in-hand with Native-led organizations.

What advice would you give other investigators going through this?

My advice to other investigators is to learn the landscape, listen to partners, and focus on filling the gaps that matter most to the communities you serve.