Violence Prevention Research, Award Highlights, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Violence Prevention Research, Award Highlights, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

In this week's research news, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia researchers partner with Beyond the Bars, a community organization using music as a strengths-based approach to violence prevention. The Burroughs Wellcome Fund awarded two CHOP scientists with early-career project support, and the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy honors Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, MD, PhD, for her contributions to the field of cell and gene therapy. We round out this edition with new findings on long-term survival and quality of life following staged reconstructive surgery for a complex pediatric heart condition.

Community-based Research Highlights Strengths-based Violence Prevention Programming

Hillary Kapa, MPH

A study from researchers in the Center for Violence Prevention (CVP) at CHOP and community leaders from Philadelphia-based organization Beyond the Bars evaluated the impact of a strengths-based approach to violence prevention. With a mission to interrupt cycles of violence and combat disinvestment, Beyond the Bars provides music enrichment programming to middle- and high-school aged youth at more than 60 sites across Philadelphia.

“Our study demonstrates how positive youth development can co-occur with risk prevention,” said Beyond the Bars Co-executive Director Christopher Thornton who was a study Co-principal Investigator. “In investing in young people proactively, we are not only fostering their positive individual development but also galvanizing the next generation of community leaders.”

The community-academic research team conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with program participants, instructors, and community partners. The study team described Beyond the Bars’ outcomes as “progressive, with students’ gaining musical, social, and creative skills and access to a safe and supportive community being foundational to enhancements in self-efficacy and future orientation and budding efforts to advocate within their communities.”

“Our community-engaged methodology further exemplifies the power of community-academic partnerships to bridge the gap between the desire for evidence-based practices and community-relevant solutions to longstanding public health challenges, such as violence prevention,” said Hillary Kapa, MPH, lead author and study Co-principal Investigator from CVP.

BioMed Central Public Health published the findings.

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Announces 2025 Career Awards for Medical Scientists

Anand Bhagwat, MD, PhD

Two CHOP researchers are among 13 recipients of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2025 Career Awards for Medical Scientists. This award supports early-career scientists as they transition from mentored trainees to independent researchers.

Congratulations to Anand Bhagwat, MD, PhD, Attending Physician in the Cancer Center at CHOP, who will receive support for his project, “Novel Mechanisms of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Resistance to Cell Therapy,” and Kei Katsura, DDS, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Pediatrics, who will receive support for her project, “Macrophages in Tooth Development.”

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is an independent private foundation that aims to serve and strengthen society by nurturing a diverse group of leaders in biomedical sciences to improve human health through education and powering discovery in frontiers of greatest need.

Visit the Burroughs Wellcome Fund website to meet the award recipients who will receive $700,000 over five years.

ASGCT Honors Dr. Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas With Outstanding New Investigator Award

The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) honored Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, MD, PhD, Co-director of the Gene Therapy for Inherited Metabolic Disorders Program at CHOP, with an Outstanding New Investigator Award.

In headline news, Dr. Ahrens-Nicklas is the senior author of a landmark study in which a team from CHOP and Penn Medicine treated the world’s first patient with a personalized gene-editing therapy. She developed the personalized therapy alongside Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, of Penn Medicine. The results were published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Ahrens Nicklas, who is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, accepted her award in May at the ASGCT Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

CHOP Researchers Report Long-term Data Following Staged Reconstructive Surgery for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

J. William Gaynor, MD

CHOP researchers reported long-term clinical outcomes for the largest single center cohort of individuals who underwent complex reconstructive surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome as newborns. More than 30% of the patients survived without a transplant to at least 35 years of age. Among these individuals, there was a significant group of adults who reported good to excellent clinical outcomes and quality-of-life.

“Our study highlights the impact of CHOP’s pioneering surgical approaches to pediatric heart disease,” said J. William Gaynor, MD, a lead study author and Attending Surgeon in the Cardiac Center at CHOP. “While more research is needed, our findings offer hope for a future where high-functioning adult patients with congenital heart disease are the norm.”

The researchers plan to conduct ongoing follow-up with the adults in the study cohort to gain additional insights, including health and wellness, approach to exercise, emotional and cognitive abilities, as well as careers and relationships.

The Journal of the American College of Cardiology published the findings. Learn more in this CHOP news release.

ICYMI

Catch up on our headlines from our June 13 In The News:

• 2025 Pitcher of Hope Award Emphasizes Commitment to Care
• Expert Nurse-Scientist Promotes Nurse-led Research in The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Researchers Identify Rare, Inherited SYNGAP1 Variants

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