About the program
The Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Research Fund, established in 1947 by Frank M. Noonan in memory of his mother, continues its proud tradition of supporting improvements in the quality of life for children and adolescents with disabilities with two-year grants up to $160,000 (inclusive of 20% indirect costs).
Recognizing that health services and supports are provided in a wide range of community settings as well as hospitals, the Noonan Research program supports innovative clinical and service system research, pilot, and evaluation projects from both nonprofit organizations and academic institutions that serve children and adolescents with chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional disabilities and associated health-related complications.
Learn about the 4 outstanding awardees who received funding to advance research and programs improving the quality of life for children and adolescents with disabilities.
Announcing the newest cohort of Noonan Memorial Research Fund
Meg Stone, MPH
ORGANIZATION:
IMPACT
“Creating a Pilot Campus Sexual Assault Prevention Program for College Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities”
Meg Stone’s project will develop and implement a healthy relationships and sexual assault prevention pilot program for college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. IMPACT will collaborate with the Salem State University Community of Inclusive Scholars Programs, which integrates 18–23-year-old students with disabilities into all campus life, including clubs, social events, and living in dormitories.
Daniel (Pete) Duncan, MD, MPH
ORGANIZATION:
Children’s Hospital Corporation
“Salivary Biomarkers of Aspiration in Children with Developmental Disabilities”
Daniel (Pete) Duncan‘s project will allow the project team to define the link between salivary biomarker levels, aspiration and safe oral feeding. They anticipate successful biomarker identification will transform care for children with developmental disabilities by offering a non-invasive approach for management of safe feeding.
Virginia Peisch, PhD
ORGANIZATION:
Boston Children’s Hospital
“Thrive Together: A Feasibility and Acceptability Evaluation of Peer Mentoring for High Schoolers with ADHD and their Caregivers”
Virginia Peisch’s project will evaluate the THRIVE (Thriving with Healthy Routines, Interpersonal Skills, and Executive-Functioning) program – a brief, skills-based facilitated support group for adolescents with ADHD and their caregivers – as a means to overcome treatment barriers. Program curriculum will be developed collaboratively with individuals with lived experiences as co-facilitators, ensuring relevance and empowerment in curriculum delivery.
Genevieve Guyol, MD
ORGANIZATION:
Boston Medical Center
“Optimizing Developmental Outcomes of Preterm Children Through Supporting Early Relational Health in Early Intervention”
Genevieve Guyol’s project will conduct interviews with parents of preterm babies and Early Intervention (EI) providers to explore perceptions of early relational health supports for preterm parents and babies and of the feasibility and acceptability of integrating these into EI services. Next, the project team will co-design a prototype program for delivering early relational health interventions for preterm parents and babies in the Early Intervention setting. They will pilot and test the effectiveness of this program in future studies.