Research Opportunities

The Division faculty, consisting of pediatric and cardiac intensivists and a basic scientist, interact with fellows in patient care, seminars and research projects. Research endeavors in the Division include basic, translational, and clinical projects.

Protected Time for Research  

  • Fellows have 15-18 months of protected time, excluding vacation.
  • The amount of time increases from the first to the third year, and is clustered to enhance productivity.
  • In order to optimize research activities, calls are limited during research blocks: 4 calls per block in the first year, 3 calls per block during the second and third years.

Basic Science Projects

  • The role of stem cells in neurogenesis after trauma
  • The impact of hypoxia on brain development and function
  • The interaction between endothelial and alveolar cells in various mechanisms of lung injury
  • Signal transduction pathways in the pathogenesis of sepsis and burn injury
  • Metabolic effects of sepsis in the pig model

Division Clinical Studies

  • Collaborative projects with the NIH funded Therapeutic Hypothermia for Cardiac Arrest Research Network, consisting of six other institutions in North America
  • Collaborative participation on the NIH funded RESTORE study on the use of a sedation protocol for critically ill children, involving 21 institutions in North America
  • Collaborative studies with PALISI pediatric critical care network
  • Effect of gentamicin on hypocalcemia in the newborn

 Translational Studies

  • Insulin resistance and parenteral nutritional support of critically ill children
  • Immunological phenotype of severe sepsis, SIRS, MODS, and HLH
  • Circadian clock gene regulation of metabolic dysfunction in the ICU

Clinical projects in the division are facilitated by the comprehensive databases that are maintained in each area of the Division’s activities including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, VPN (Virtual PICU), ECMO, Head Trauma, Medical Emergency Team (MET), and assistance with the Perot Center for follow-up studies. UT Southwestern is also part of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Network and the Pediatric Pharmacology Research Units (PPRU) Networks.

Our program is closely integrated with the Departments of Biochemistry, Nutrition, Pulmonary Vascular Biology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Cell Biology, and Neuroscience, making research opportunities available outside of the Division.

Mentored Research Projects and Scholarship

  • Each fellow is expected to complete a research project under the guidance and with the help of a mentor and a scholarship oversight committee. 
  • Each fellow is encouraged to select the type of research that best meets her or his own interests and career plans. This project is expected to lead to presentation of one or more abstracts at national meetings and publication of a manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal. 
  • Scholarship also includes chapters, state-of-the-art reviews, and case reports. 
  • Second- and third-year fellows attend the national meeting of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Thoracic Society, and Pediatric Academy Societies (PAS).
  • Each graduate has completed and published at least one manuscript arising from their research endeavors.

Specialized Research Training Opportunities

Fellows who plan for a clinical research track may apply for training as Master in Public Health (MPH) or for one of three certificates available in the Department of Clinical Sciences: Graduate certificate (two-year program), Master’s Degree in Clinical Science (two-year program) or Masters Degree with Distinction (three-year program).  Additional information is available on our Clinical Sciences Graduate Program site.

External and Internal Funding Opportunities 

  • Fellows in the Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship are eligible for several external sources of funding from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the NIH, and several other national organizations and foundations.
  • UT Southwestern offers a Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP), which provides three years of salary and allows highly individualized research training and career development. Additional sources of funding include Children’s Medical Center Dallas and the Department of Clinical Sciences.
  • UT Southwestern offers opportunities for T-32 Grants in Genetics, Cell & Molecular Biology Training Program, Gastroenterology and Hepatology  Research,  Basic Science of Drug Abuse, Cardiovascular Research, Renal Control of Body Composition and Blood Pressure, Cellular Biophysics of Neuron, Endocrine and Metabolism, Infectious Diseases, Mechanisms of Drug Action and Disposition, Molecular Microbiology, Trauma, Inflammation and Sepsis, and Interdisciplinary Research Training (Physiology).