Child Health
Team Vision/Mission
Envisioning healthy New Mexico families and communities where all children are nurtured and free from violence
The University of New Mexico Child Health Grand Challenge team is a multidisciplinary group of scientists who are working together to support children and families through research and education on violence prevention. We examine research questions at the individual, family, community, and society levels, recognizing that children’s health is strongly influenced by the environments in which they live. The team’s goals are to provide needed data to state policy-makers that will result in improvements for the well-being of New Mexican children and families; and to contribute rigorously-derived research to the world pediatric scientific literature.News & Events
Grand Challenges Day
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 in UNM Student Union Building Ballroom C from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The annual Grand Challenges Day highlights the Grand Challenges program and the successess of the participating research teams. We will present during the morning session - view the full agenda here.
Injury Prevention Day
Saturday, November 16, 2024 at Explora Science Center and Children's Museum 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Join the Child Health Grand Challenge team and our community partners as we come together to provide information on burn prevention, vehicle safety, bicycle safety, water safety, firearm safety and poison prevention. Community resources are also provided to learn about services to support families and healthy relationships.
Join us for our winter research event on January 28!
The UNM Child Health Grand Challenge team and Child Health Signature Research Program hold joint quarterly research collaboration events. We share research projects with one another via posters and short presentations. This is also a fun and supportive forum for students, residents and fellows to present.
Join us on Tuesday, January 28 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. in Domenici Hall North Wing Room 2706. Please RSVP here.
April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month
UNM Child Health Grand Challenge team members join forces with the UNM Section on Child Safety and Well-Being and community partners each April to host a fair highlighting violence prevention and community services. Please check this site in early Spring for details about our 2025 event.
Education and Community Outreach
Child Health Grand Challenge team members provide training to professionals in different sectors including healthcare, childcare and academia as well as public on a variety of topics related to child maltreatment and prevention of family violence. Upcoming presentations:
New Mexico Early Childhood Care and Education Department Health and Webinar Series
- “Symptomatic exposures to controlled and illicit substances in children”, November 2024, Leslie Strickler, MD
- “Child maltreatment recognition”, January 2025, Rebecca Girardet, MD
SafeCare New Mexico ECHO Webinar Series
UNM’s SafeCare New Mexico ECHO Webinar Series provides twice-monthly professional education on child maltreatment recognition, treatment and prevention – click here for more information.
Current Projects
Child Health Grand Challenge pilot funding
The Child Health Grand Challenge funds collaborative pilot projects on preventing child maltreatment and supporting families. Projects may represent an array of scientific disciplines and community agencies, including epidemiology, communications, healthcare, economics, and public policy arenas. Research may be prospective or retrospective, and clinical/basic science/policy/translational in nature. Successful applications propose exploratory hypotheses intended to generate original data that can be used for future projects; funds are not granted for proposals asking for supplemental or administrative uses. Look for our upcoming call for proposals in January 2025. Our current funded pilot projects are:
- “A qualitative study of the acceptability and feasibility of enhanced perinatal doula are to improve maternal mental health”; Sharon Ruyak, PhD, PI and Pilar Sanjuan, Co-PI.
- “A pilot study examining lactation experiences and mental health”, Melissa Mackin PhD, PI, Katie Kivlighan, PhD and Jennifer, Crawford, PhD, Co-investigators.
Recent Related Research
- Evaluation of an Intensive Program for Children With Co-occurring Medical and Emotional Disorders.Girardet RG, Shellman AB, Llorens A, Nguyen L, Ellsworth M, Rennie K, Ha C.Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2022 Oct;61(9):605-614. doi: 10.1177/00099228221091429. Epub 2022 Jun 8.PMID: 35677990
- Risk factors for nonaccidental burns in children. Ferguson DM, Parker TD, Marino VE, Garcia EI, Arshad SA, Kamat PS, Anding CM, Tsao K, Girardet RG, Austin MT.Surg Open Sci. 2020 Jun 5;2(3):117-121. doi: 10.1016/j.sopen.2020.05.002. eCollection 2020 Jul.PMID: 32754715
Research Questions
The UNM Child Health Grand Challenges team conducts scholarly work that includes epidemiologic studies, formative research, intervention research, and evaluation. Team members have expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods. Examples of our work are listed below.
Current and Future Directions
Currently available data on child maltreatment in New Mexico is limited to cases that have been reported to the Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD), leaving out those that fall outside of CYFD jurisdiction and/or that were never reported. Using survey and focus group studies, the Child Health Grand Challenge Team is working to understand the true scope of child abuse and neglect as a foundation to efforts to address and prevent it.
Team members are also studying attitudes and approaches to child discipline in New Mexico, and public perceptions on child maltreatment to inform future education initiatives and community outreach efforts.
New Mexico is a national leader in promoting programs that are known to improve child and family well-being, including in the areas of early childhood education and family support. However, the state’s ability to measure program outcomes is currently limited. The Child Health Grand Challenge team will develop the longitudinal data that is needed to determine program impacts, allowing for more targeted investments in child and family supports in the future.
Social media and other modern modalities of communication can influence attitudes and behavior. Child Health Grand Challenge team members are interested in how modern communication affects children and youth, and how to use modern media to build positive relationships.
Trauma in childhood can negatively impact a child’s physical and emotional development. Improving our understanding of the biological mechanisms behind these changes can help drive future treatment modalities. Child Health Grand Challenge members are exploring opportunities to do research in this area.
