PhD Student Ralphe and Brandon Submit NIH NRSA Application

Kudos to PhD student Jane Ralphe and her sponsor Deb Brandon for the submission of her NIH NRSA Fellowship application entitled "Body Temperature in the First Two Weeks of Life and the Pathogensesis of Respiratory Morbidity in the Premature Infant Less than 29 Weeks of Gestational Age." This proposal requests funds for a 27-month period with a start date of April 1, 2019. 

This will be the first study to examine the relationship between inadequate thermoregulation over time and the development of respiratory morbidity in the very low birth weight infant. In addition, this will be the first study to describe the relationship between daily respiratory interventions and infant body temperature. If as believed, ongoing temperature instability increases the risk for acute and chronic respiratory morbidity, data from this exploratory study will be used to design future intervention studies using body temperature as a biomarker to guide daily respiratory care interventions; thereby reducing pulmonary morbidity through a reduction in temperature instability.