Patient-centered research

Research is a critical part of the mission at Children's Wisconsin. We're determined help identify the causes of injuries, illnesses, and birth defects and discover new ways to prevent and treat these conditions. The end result: better care for our kids.

Why pediatric research matters

Children are not just small adults. They are quite different in how they act, think, get sick or injured and respond to treatments. Still, the majority of pediatric treatments have been clinically proven only in adults. As a result, most drugs used for children today are just lower doses of adult medications. And as we have learned over time, kids and adults don't always respond to medication the same way.

Although it may seem dangerous to try a drug not yet approved for children, there are very few other options. Until we do the research necessary to find out whether a drug works and is safe, physicians have to do what they think is best for the sick child with the treatments available.

Research plays a role in the development of new medications and treatments for injuries and illnesses and new technology that leads to better, faster and more accurate diagnosis; validates the effectiveness of social service and prevention programs; and improves processes and ensures quality in the delivery of health care.

Safety first

All research at Children's is reviewed by our Institutional Review Board to ensure that the research is safe, ethical and scientifically valid. The board is made up of physicians, scientists, non-scientists, and community representatives. Every study is carefully considered to make sure that researchers keep the risks as low as possible and that there is potential to benefit pediatric care. The child/parent perspective is always taken into consideration.

Get involved

Participation in research is optional and completely up to you and your family. If you choose to participate, what we learn from your involvement may help us to better understand diseases or find cures. If you would like to hear about research options, ask your caregivers for more information.

• Find a current study(s) for Children's Research Institute
• National Institutes of Health on the importance of children in clinical trials

Patient-centered research at Children's Research Institute:

• Cancer
• Clinical effectiveness and outcomes
• Community health and prevention
• Neurosciences
• Nursing