Bridgette L. Jones, MD, MSCR

Marion Merrell Dow Endowed Chair in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology; Staff Physician, Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology; Staff Physician, Allergy/Asthma/Immunology; Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Education Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine

Full Biography

Judith Ikerionwu, BA, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutic Innovation and Bridgette Jones, MD, MSCR, Division of Pediatric Allergy & Immunology were awarded a one and a half-year, $120,612 diversity supplement from the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The NIH diversity supplement program aims to improve the diversity of the research workforce by recruiting and supporting post-baccalaureate, predoctoral students, post-doctorates, and eligible investigators from groups that have been shown to be underrepresented in health-related research.

This supplement award (12/1/2022-5/31/2023 budget period and 6/1/2023-5/31/2024 budget period) from the NIH allows Ikerionwu, assistant clinical research coordinator, to address several key areas that are critical to the success of future pediatric clinical trials.

Ikerionwu is using the funding for her project, “Understanding the Barriers in Participant Retention and Efficient Recruitment Methods in the Conduction of Pediatric Clinical Research,” to determine the most effective recruitment strategies and factors that serve as barriers to retaining participants in pediatric clinical trials, specifically among under-represented populations.

Most therapeutic medications used in children have not been approved for pediatric use through adequate safety and efficacy clinical trials. Conduct of safe and efficient trials in children is essential for continuing to move pediatric drug development forward and improve overall quality of treatment and health outcomes for children. Despite significant advances in the conduct of clinical trials in children, recruitment and retention in pediatric clinical trials is often a barrier.

“The long-term goal is to define the most efficient methods for pediatric clinical trial participant recruitment and retention from real time data and further identify if successful strategies differ between children of different racial identities. It is imperative we identify such concerns to increase successful completion of pediatric clinical trials and produce more adequate data towards therapeutic medications use in children,” said Ikerionwu.

Dr. Jones serves as PI of the supplement’s parent award, “A Histamine Pharmacodynamic Biomarker to Guide Treatment in Pediatric Asthma.”  

“We believe that information from this study will help to inform the design of future pediatric clinical trials, especially trials that aim to recruit and retain a diverse population of children” said Dr. Jones.

The diversity supplement NIH mechanism also further contributes to more inclusive research by supporting the development of a diverse scientific workforce and allowing pathways for junior investigators, like Ikerionwu, to gain skills and knowledge that will lead to a future career in conducting pediatric research.  

The contents are those of the investigator and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by NIH, or the U.S. Government.