Inspired by Johns Hopkins University’s systemwide Research Saves Lives campaign, which is calling attention to the critical role of research in advancing patient care, clinicians and researchers at the Children’s Center have started a Research Saves Children campaign.

“I think a lot of families don’t really understand that the things we do every day that bring their child back to health are evidence-based clinical practices — that research indeed saves children,” says Brenda Banwell, co-director and pediatrician-in-chief of the Children’s Center.

Beyond building awareness, the campaign is designed to function as a mechanism for people to donate to lifesaving pediatric research, she says. “We have lots of needs for research support and a lot of programs that are right at the cutting edge of being ready to launch the next step of their work,” Banwell says.

The campaign kicked off Sept. 15 with a State of the Children’s Center Grand Rounds talk by Banwell and David Hackam, JHCC co-director and pediatric surgeon-in-chief. The gathering was well-attended by faculty and staff, many wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the new “Research Saves Children” slogan (more than 700 were sold, with proceeds going to support the campaign). A science fair-type show-and-tell event where researchers can discuss their research also is being planned, says Banwell. In addition, a campaign website features stories of children successfully treated at Johns Hopkins thanks to research advances.

At a time when there is a clear need for research funding, the idea is to build awareness of how Children’s Center experts bring health and recovery to children in need, Banwell says.

“Research is discovery,” Banwell says. “It’s clinical excellence, it’s best practice, it’s safety and quality. It’s a lot of things that families may not see.”

Lauren Jantzie, a neuroscientist at the Children’s Center, says she was eager to join the campaign. Her lab studies babies and very young children in the Children’s Center’s neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, typically ones who have had severe brain injuries. The majority of the research is on preterm infants or young children with hydrocephalus, a neurological condition characterized by an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. The scientists’ goal is to find new therapies to treat these injuries and restore neuro-development.

“We’re dedicated to kids who have had a stroke, are at high risk for cerebral palsy, and/or have been exposed to toxins, opioids, alcohol or cannabis,” she says. “When you come to the hospital, you’re never going to see me or any members of my team. We’re in the lab and we’re working really, really hard with our friends and colleagues who are physicians, and we’re all dedicated to a very common mission. Research is really the fabric that unites us all.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a scientist or physician or a grad student or lab tech,” Jantzie adds. “The campaign is about recognizing that we’re all here for the patients.”