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Principal Investigator: David Chu
Organization: LURIE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF CHICAGO
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $190,080
Funding agency: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
PROJECT SUMMARY
This Career Development Award will help David I. Chu, MD, MSCE, become an independent surgeon-scientist
who will develop the evidence to improve kidney, bladder, and overall health in young patients with spina
bifida. Dr. Chu will use this award to build on his existing foundation in clinical epidemiology to achieve five
career development goals: 1) Develop expertise in patient-oriented research (POR); 2) Acquire experience in
qualitative research; 3) Gain knowledge in creating and implementing consensus strategies; 4) Strengthen
research portfolio and grantsmanship skills; and 5) Build inter-disciplinary, multi-institutional research
collaborations. These skills will allow him to translate research into clinical practice to improve outcomes in
patients with spina bifida. Dr. Chu will achieve these career objectives through a career development plan that
consists of intensive experiential training, structured didactics and workshops, and a comprehensive mentoring
program. His Primary Mentor is Dr. Tamara Isakova, an expert in POR in chronic kidney disease with an
outstanding record of extramural funding and mentorship. His Co-Mentor is Dr. Earl Cheng, a national leader in
pediatric urologic reconstructive surgery and spina bifida care. His Advisory Committee includes
interdisciplinary experts in kidney function equations (Dr. Susan Furth, MD, PhD), qualitative research (Dr.
Elisa Gordon, PhD, MPH), consensus-building and implementation in surgery (Dr. Mehul Raval, MD, MS), and
advanced implementation science methodology (Dr. Justin Smith, PhD). Dr. Chu’s career development plan
will be supported by the exceptional institutional environment of Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern
University, including the 1) Dedicated resources and research infrastructure within Lurie Children’s Hospital’s
Division of Urology and Department of Surgery; 2) Robust, high-volume, and multi-disciplinary Lurie Children’s
Hospital Spina Bifida Clinic; and 3) Strong research support from Northwestern University’s Clinical and
Translation Sciences Institute and the Institute for Public Health and Medicine. The overall objective of this
scientific proposal is to improve kidney health assessment tools and approaches in young patients with spina
bifida. Various guidelines prioritize preserving kidney health in these patients, but preliminary evidence
suggests that current tools and approaches for assessing kidney health are inaccurate, not patient-centered,
and not uniformly implemented by providers. The Aims of this proposal are to: 1) Compare current kidney
function estimating equations to gold-standard iohexol plasma clearance tests and develop novel, spina-bifida-
specific equations; 2) Assess patient knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs towards kidney health and evaluation,
guided by the revised Health Belief Model; and 3) Assess provider preferences, barriers, and facilitators
towards kidney health surveillance methods and strategies to create consensus implementation practices. The
combination of advanced quantitative, qualitative, and implementation research methods and mentored
training will ensure Dr. Chu emerges as a highly successful, independent investigator in spina bifida care.
Terms: <21+ years old><Address><Adolescent and Young Adult><Adult><Adult Human><Advisory Committees><Affect><Assessment instrument><Assessment tool><Attitude><Award><Belief><Birth Defects><Bladder><Bladder Urinary System><Blood Plasma><Cardiovascular Diseases><Care Givers><Career Development Awards><Career Development Awards and Programs><Career Development Programs K-Series><Caregivers><Caring><Catheterization><Centers for Disease Control><Centers for Disease Control and Prevention><Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)><Cessation of life><Childhood><Children's Hospital><Chronic Kidney Failure><Chronic Renal Disease><Chronic Renal Failure><Clinic><Clinical Sciences><Collaborations><Congenital Abnormality><Congenital Anatomical Abnormality><Congenital Defects><Congenital Deformity><Congenital Malformation><Consensus><Data><Death><Dedications><Detection><Development><Development Plans><Disabling><Disease Progression><Disease Surveillance><Doctor of Philosophy><ESRD><EXTMR><Early Diagnosis><Education for Intervention><Educational Intervention><Educational workshop><End stage renal failure><End-Stage Kidney Disease><End-Stage Renal Disease><Ensure><Environment><Equation><Evaluation><Extramural><Extramural Activities><Feasibility Studies><Fostering><Foundations><Funding><Future><Glomerular Filtration Rate><Goals><Guidelines><Health><Healthcare><Impairment><Infant><Institution><Instruction Intervention><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Interview><Investigators><Iohexol><Iohexol 350><K-Awards><K-Series Research Career Programs><Kidney><Kidney Diseases><Kidney Urinary System><Knowledge><Measures><Medicine><Mentors><Mentorship><Methodology><Modeling><Nephropathy><Neurogenic Bladder><Neurogenic Bladder Disorder><Neurogenic Urinary Bladder Disorder><Neuropathic Bladder><Operative Procedures><Operative Surgical Procedures><Patients><Pediatric Hospitals><Ph.D.><PhD><Plasma><Plasma Serum><Population><Position><Positioning Attribute><Predisposition><Process><Prospective, cohort study><Protocol><Protocols documentation><Provider><Public Health><Qualitative Research><Reconstructive Surgical Procedures><Registries><Renal Disease><Renal function><Reporting><Research><Research Career Program><Research Infrastructure><Research Methodology><Research Methods><Research Personnel><Research Resources><Research Support><Researchers><Resources><Reticuloendothelial System, Serum, Plasma><Review Literature><Schistorrhachis><Scientist><Self Care><Severities><Spina Bifida><Spinal Dysraphia><Spinal Dysraphism><Structure><Surgeon><Surgical><Surgical Interventions><Surgical Procedure><Surveillance Methods><Susceptibility><Task Forces><Testing><Theoretic Models><Theoretical model><Training><Training Intervention><Translating><Translational Research><Translational Science><Uncertainty><United States><United States Centers for Disease Control><United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention><Universities><Urinary Bladder Neurogenic Dysfunction><Urology><Validation><Workshop><adulthood><advisory team><cardiovascular disorder><career><career development><chronic kidney disease><cleft spine><clinical epidemiology><clinical practice><clinician factors><clinician-level factors><cohort><computer based prediction><cost><decreased muscle mass><developmental><diagnostic approach><diagnostic strategy><diagnostic tool><doubt><early detection><experience><facilitators to implementation><future implementation><health assessment><health belief><health care><health literacy><health-related belief><high risk group><high risk individual><high risk people><high risk population><hydrocele spinalis><implementation facilitators><implementation intervention><implementation research><implementation science><implementation study><improved><improved outcome><informant><insight><instructional intervention><instrument><interventional strategy><kidney disorder><kidney function><kidney preservation><low muscle mass><multidisciplinary><novel><participant engagement><patient centered><patient engagement><patient oriented><patient oriented research><patient oriented study><pediatric><personal care><physician factors><physician-level factors><predictive modeling><preference><pressure><prevent><preventing><programs><provider factors><provider-level factors><rachischisis posterior><reconstruction surgery><reconstructive surgery><reduced muscle mass><renal><renal disorder><research and methods><skills><standard measure><surgery><surveillance strategy><systematic review><tool><translation research><translational investigation><urinary bladder><urologic><urological><validation studies><validations>