Completed Studies

In the fall of 2023, several daycares in Calgary experienced a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) outbreak. This bacterial infection is most common in children and can lead to potentially severe outcomes. In addition to causing severe diarrhea and abdominal pains, the major consequential effect of this infection occurs in the kidney. However, additional severe acute effects can be seen in essentially any organ system, and some of these lead to life-threatening acute complications and long-term disabilities. Unfortunately, few studies have followed large numbers of children with varying severities of acute infection over prolonged periods of time and as such, long-term prognosis cannot be predicted with accuracy. As such this study aims to clarify the long-term consequences associated with infection across a range of severity in terms of the acute infection.

The diagnosis and management of wheeze in children can be challenging for health care providers. Children present to the Emergency Department (ED) with wheeze associated with many diseases, including asthma, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. It is essential to identify the correct diagnosis underlying the symptom of wheeze in children as management of these diseases varies greatly. The Wheeze study aims to determine whether nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens from children presenting with wheeze can help establish an objective way to differentiate asthma, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia in children presenting to the ED with wheeze.

Early disruptions in brain development contribute to many childhood psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions, yet research is limited by rapid developmental changes and the difficulty of obtaining high‑quality pediatric neuroimaging data. To address this, three major Canadian pediatric hospitals have partnered to create the Canadian‑Pediatric Imaging Platform (C‑PIP). This national initiative will study how the brain develops using magnetic resonance imaging from birth through adolescence. Ultimately, this work will accelerate discovery and support interventions that improve outcomes for children and youth with brain‑based disorders.

It is known that there are differences between how the immune system responds to infection in males and females. We recently found that in female mice, at puberty estrogen caused the immune system to start making antibodies against Enteropathogenic E. coli which causes diarrheal disease and kills more children globally than any other disease. We found that moms were protected against E.coli infection but more importantly, mother’s milk and blood were capable of offering protection during E.coli infection. The goal of the E.coli Antibody Protein in Children (EPIC) study is to determine if a similar mechanism is present in humans by determining if  sex, age and breastfeeding history influence anti-E.coli antibody levels in children.

The SMART study is a randomized controlled trial addressing the need for early implementation of treatment approaches to concussed youth aged 13-19 years. This trial has multifaceted treatment approaches, specifically 3 arms of treatment: Headache, Dizziness/Neck Pain, Sleep. The purpose of this clinical trial is to examine which treatment option within the arm is most effective for post-concussion symptom relief.

Testicular torsion is a time-sensitive emergency in which delays in diagnosis and treatment can result in long-term dysfunction, complications, or the need for surgical intervention to remove the affected tissue. A prior pan-Canadian study of referral patterns found that once patients and caregivers sought medical care, the healthcare system responded quickly and provided appropriate intervention. This suggests that patient and caregiver awareness of symptoms and urgency to seek care may play a key role in improving outcomes.

This is a multi-center, prospective survey study taking place at pediatric hospitals and emergency departments across Canada. The study enrolls pediatric patients and/or their parents or guardians who present with symptoms of acute scrotum and collects survey data on their knowledge of symptoms and how this influenced their decision to seek medical care. The goal is to identify knowledge gaps and patient factors that contribute to delays in visiting a healthcare centre, and to inform strategies to address these gaps.