Since 2001, the Child Neurology Foundation has awarded over $4.1 million dollars in research funding and scholarships to young investigators and medical students in pursuit of serving the child neurology community.

2022 has marked a record year for the CNF’s research grants and scholarships program. We have awarded the largest number of grants and scholarships this year as compared to any previous year – made possible by unwavering support from our community.

The CNF Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Summer Research Scholarship is awarded annually to a 1^st or 2^nd year US or Canadian medical student who has an interest in training in neurodevelopmental disabilities or child neurology. The award is made for clinical research focused on the field of NDD in children, conducted under the direction of a child neurology/NDD subspecialist during the summer break. This year’s NDD Scholarship is awarded to:

Dominic Julian, MS

• MD/Ph.D. candidate at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix
• “Identifying novel autosomal recessive genetic mutations causing cerebral palsy through genomic analyses”
• Mentor: Michael Kruer, MD

To honor the legacy of Dr. Swaiman and his contribution to child neurology, CNF has established the Dr. Kenneth F. Swaiman Medical Student Scholarship, thanks to the support of his wife and pediatric neurologist, Dr. Phyllis Sher. 2022 is the inaugural year for this award, providing summer research scholarships to three US or Canadian medical students who have an interest in exploring a career in child neurology. This award is open to students in their 2^nd or 3^rd year of medical school for basic or clinical research projects in child neurology conducted under the direction of a child neurologist. This year’s awardees are:

Daniel Connolly

• MD/Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
• “Uncovering functional nodes of Rett syndrome transcriptome”
• Mentors: Zhaolan “Joe” Zhou, Ph.D. and Eric Marsh, MD, PhD

Alyssa Edwards, MPH

• MD candidate at Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine
• “Coordinate Network Mapping of Stimulant Use in Patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”
• Mentor: Alexander Cohen, MD, PhD

Geetanjali Rajamani

• MD candidate at the University of Minnesota Medical School
• “Characterizing Late-Stage Dysfunction in a Cohort of Cockayne Syndrome Patients: A Retrospective Analysis”
• Mentor: Peter Kang, MD

Over the years, CNF has appreciated a strong partnership with the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation, most commonly known as PERF. With the support of PERF, CNF awards two research grants annually. This year, each award was increased by $50,000, providing $150,000 in research funding to two young investigators.

The PERF Shields Research Grant, named in honor of PERF co-founder and CNF Board Director, W. Donald “Don” Shields, supports translational or clinical research by a child neurologist or developmental pediatrician early in their academic career. The 2022 PERF Shields Research Grant recipient is:

Angela Hewitt, MD, Ph.D.

• Instructor of Neurology at the University of Rochester
• “Identifying Neurophysiological Biomarkers to Optimize Deep Brain Stimulation for Dystonia”

The PERF Elterman Research Grant, named in honor of PERF co-founder and CNF Board Director, W. Donald “Don” Shields, supports clinical or basic science research by a child neurologist or developmental pediatrician early in their academic career. The 2022 PERF Elterman Research Grant awardee is:

Divakar Singh Mithal, MD, PhD

• Attending Physician and Instructor at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
• “Mitochondrial regulation of GABA metabolism in interneurons”

It is our profound honor to recognize these young. We applaud your accomplishment and look forward to following your careers, and the impacts you make in the field of child neurology.

The scholarship application window for 2023 will open at the beginning of November. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive information about scholarships, grants, and the latest from CNF