Peterson-Carmichael awarded grant for pediatric respiratory research

May 3, 2006 

Peterson-Carmichael awarded grant for pediatric respiratory research

CHAPEL HILL -- Dr. Stacey-Peterson-Carmichael, a fellow in pediatric pulmonology and pediatric critical care medicine at UNC Health Care, has been awarded $35,000 for pediatric respiratory research.

The Pediatric Fellowship Research grant, sponsored by MedImmune, Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., is designed to stimulate interest and research in the area of viral respiratory pathogens. Peterson-Carmichael is one of six fellowship recipients whose names were announced on Saturday, April 29 at a reception coinciding with the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Francisco.

An independent advisory board consisting of 15 pediatric infectious disease physicians from across the country selected the six fellowship recipients. All candidates were required to be full-time fellows in an American Board of Pediatrics-accredited fellowship program and conducting original research as their primary focus. 

"Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. At this time, treatment remains essentially supportive," said Peterson-Carmichael. "With the funding from this research grant, I hope to better define the impact of RSV on infant lung function and the role of several markers of airway inflammation during this severe viral illness."

Peterson-Carmichael will use the grant to help supplement her fellowship salary and the continue her research in "Effect of Inhaled Corticosteroids on Infant Pulmonary Function and Inflammatory Mediators after RSV Bronchiolitis." Peterson-Carmichael earned her medical degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and completed her residency in pediatrics at the N.C. Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill, a component of UNC Health Care.

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The UNC Health Care System is a not-for-profit integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care. UNC Health Care is comprised of UNC Hospitals, ranked consistently among the best medical centers in the country; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; community practices; home health and hospice services in seven central North Carolina counties; and Rex Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County.