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Department of Pediatrics Heersink School of Medicine

Kaul Pediatric Research Institute

The Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI) was created by the Board of Trustees of Children’s of Alabama in 1989 to provide internal funding for junior faculty who were just beginning their academic careers. The initial funding came from proceeds (10%) of the Children’s Miracle Network telethon, with half committed to an endowment and the other half to support grants submitted by faculty or professionals working at Children’s of Alabama. The first grants were awarded in 1993. Following the donation of an initial $5 million from the Kaul Foundation to increase the endowment, the Board of Trustees changed the name of this program to the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI).

The KPRI Quality and Safety Grants 

Read the guidelines for eligibility, timeline, and application instructions.  Applications for awards must be submitted electronically to vonette.scott@childrensal.org by 4:30 PM on the 15th of April (or the Monday after in the event this falls on a weekend). Late applications will not be considered. 

KPRI Research Grant Program

The major goal of the KPRI grant program is to allow investigators to obtain preliminary data for extramural funding. This will bring new knowledge to the care of children, leverage the investment of the KPRI and allow projects to be competitive for the very best science on the national stage. A second, but important, goal is to ensure that a dedicated funding source is available to unique segments of the pediatric research community.

The KPRI program is competitive and peer-reviewed in an NIH format. Since 2008 through early 2025, over $8 million has been awarded to pediatric biomedical researchers though the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute competitive grants program. This total represents 113 research projects and 88 unique investigators.

The application cycle for 2026 funding will open in summer. The deadline is September 30.  Visit the KPRI Grant Application page to view the most recent guidelines. 

2025 Awardees

Established Investigators

Matthew Alexander, Ph.D.

Matthew Alexander, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Division of Pediatric Neurology

Project Title
"Evaluation of Oral Edaravone for the Treatment of XMEA"

Julie Wolfson, M.D.

Julie Wolfson, M.D.

Associate Professor
Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Project Title
"Delivering information about fertility preservation"

New Investigators

Ammar Saadoon Alishlash, M.D.

Ammar Saadoon Alishlash, M.D.

Associate Professor
Division of Pediatric Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine

Project Title
"Oxygen Therapy in Humanized Sickle Cell Disease Mice with Acute Chest Syndrome"

Chinenye Dike, M.D., M.S.

Chinenye Dike, M.D., M.S.

Associate Professor
Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition

Project Title
"Hydroxyurea use and response, Gut Microbiota and Pain in Sickle Cell Disease"

Amy Mackay, M.D., MPH

Amy Mackay, M.D., MPH

Assistant Professor
Division of Neonatology

Project Title
"Improving the implementation of neonatal bag-mask ventilation in Zambia: Phasel"

Robert Richter, M.D.

Robert Richter, M.D.

Associate Professor
Division of Pediatric Critical Care

Project Title
"Characterization of heparanase-positive extracellular vesicles from plasma of humans and mice with and without sepsis"

Laura Stafman, M.D., Ph.D.

Laura Stafman, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Pediatric Surgery

Project Title
"Role of ST6Gall/2 in neuroblastoma sternness and differentiation"

Past Awardees

KPRI Quality and Safety Awards

In 2016, Children’s of Alabama and the Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI) began the KPRI Quality and Safety Award Program. The major goal of the this grant program is to allow teams to identify and address specific quality and safety issues that cannot easily be addressed using existing operational resources or structures. 

2024 Awardees

Sam Gentle, M.D.

Sam Gentle, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Neonatology

Project Title
Reducing Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Extremely preterm Infants

Avi Madan-Swain, Ph.D.

Avi Madan-Swain, Ph.D.

Professor

Chibuzo Ilonze, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Project Title
Screen to Intervene: Improving Inpatient Family-Centered Psychosocial Pain Management Program for Youth Diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease and Their Families 

Adolfo Molina, M.D.

Adolfo Molina, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine

Project Title
Improving the Screening of Food Insecure Patients

Jordan Newman, M.D.

Jordan Newman, M.D.

Assistant Professor
Division of Pediatric Critical Care

Project Title
Using Audiovisual Tools to Improve Interprofessional Communication During Escalation of Care at Children’s of Alabama

Past Awardees