Funded Projects

After the initial spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Europe, there were reports of very ill children with a Kawasaki-like illness. This SARS-CoV-2 related severe inflammation became known as multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The CDC case definition of MIS-C is described as an individual < 21 years presenting with fever for > 24 hours AND evidence of clinically severe illness requiring hospitalization with > 2 organ system involvement AND no alternative plausible diagnoses AND positive or current recent SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case within 4 weeks prior to onset of symptoms. Children with MIS-C present with variable symptoms including fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rash, conjunctivitis, oral mucous membrane changes, and cervical lymphadenopathy. These symptoms are common presentations in the emergency department, so healthcare providers in these settings face the challenge of deciding which of these patients might have MIS-C and should undergo a more extensive workup. This includes a high number of tests that can delay decision making in the emergency and would be unnecessary in the vast numbers of febrile children. The goal of this project is to develop a scoring system to provide pediatric hospitalists and emergency medicine providers with a data-based tool to guide their clinical decision making in the setting of children presenting with symptoms overlapping MIS-C. My active awards are: Use of shared antibody responses amongst Alzheimer's Disease patients to reveal an infectious disease etiology (90% Credit). Feb 2022-Feb 2023. I have also been awarded the AHA Transformational award. Using B cell responses to discover the etiology of Kawasaki disease. (100% Credit). July 2022-June 2025