$90,650 Awarded to Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah to Support Promising Childhood Cancer Research
Aug 31, 2016 12:40PM ● By Bryan Scott
Press Release submitted to City Journals
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (August 30, 2016) – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-powered and donor-centered charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, is proud to award a $90,650 St. Baldrick’s Research Grant to support the work of Anne Kirchhoff, Ph.D., a researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah.
Air pollution is an ongoing problem in many communities throughout the U.S. Air pollution is a major health concern in the state of Utah, with its cities often ranking atop EPA’s list of cities with the worst short-term air pollution in the U.S. Children are particularly vulnerable to pollution-induced illnesses. For children who have had cancer, many face pulmonary-related health problems due to chemotherapy, radiation and surgery they endured to treat their cancer. It’s likely that short-term exposure to air pollutants could exacerbate acute pulmonary issues in childhood cancer survivors.
With the grant from St. Baldrick’s, Dr. Kirchhoff and her research team from the University of Utah, including Drs. Judy Ou, Heidi Hanson, and Jim VanDerslice, will be the first to study the relationship between air pollution, pulmonary health issues, and childhood cancer survivors. Using a unique epidemiologic resource, the Utah Population Database, her project aims to identify pulmonary health risks due to air pollution among childhood cancer survivors, which will help inform effects to prevent morbidity in this growing population.
“Air pollution can lead to pulmonary conditions, such as asthma. Understanding how pollution affects the health of children with cancer can help progress efforts to improve their quality of life and help prevent further health problems in this population,” said Dr. Kirchhoff. “We greatly appreciate St. Baldrick’s support of this study.
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About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation believes that kids are special and deserve to be treated that way. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts who are working to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. Kids need treatments as unique as they are – and that starts with funding research just for them. Join us at StBaldricks.org to help support the best cancer treatments for kids.
