Dr. Robin Deterding is internationally recognized for her research in children with interstitial and diffuse lung disease (chILD), clinical studies in cystic fibrosis, and medical education. Her current clinical research focus includes interstitial lung disease, complex lung disease, and pulmonary complications of bone marrow transplant and connective tissue disease in children. She is a founding member of the Children's Interstitial and Diffuse Lung Disease (chILD) Foundation.
Dr. Leland Fan has had a long-standing research and clinical interest in the study of rare lung disease in children. He collaborates with Robin Deterding and Megan Dishop in this field. Together, they participate in the Children’s Interstitial Lung Disease Research Network. Currently Dr. Fan studies biomarkers, particularly KL-6, a Muc-1 protein produced by activated type II alveolar epithelial cells, in assessing disease severity and outcome. He and his collaborators have shown that serum KL-6 is elevated in a broad array of pediatric interstitial lung diseases. In addition, he is interested in the genetic basis of rare pediatric lung diseases. He is currently studying 3 families who had 2 siblings each with rapidly progressive and fatal diffuse lung disease. In collaboration with others, he has found that several affected infants had unknown defects in DNA repair unrelated to the ATM gene.
Dr. Monica Federico heads the outpatient asthma program to complement the inpatient asthma pathway at Children's Hospital Colorado and is involved with several clinical studies involving outcomes research in asthma. Dr. Federico is also involved in the care of Spanish-speaking children with pulmonary disease, including asthma and cystic fibrosis.
Dr. Norman Friedman’s research interests include evaluating the peri-operative morbidity of sleep-disordered breathing in children as well as whether a parent’s personality profile can predict a child’s continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) compliance.
Dr. Ann Halbower is nationally recognized for her research and clinical work in pediatric sleep disorders. Her current study, funded by the NIH, investigates the impact of childhood sleep-disordered breathing on learning, memory, and neuronal brain injury. She works with a Colorado-based initiative to increase public awareness on the risks of sudden unexpected death in infants, and with obesity prevention teams at Children's Hospital Colorado and UCSOM to determine the risk of the combined problems of obesity and sleep apnea and the effects of treatment. Dr. Halbower is the Chair of the Health Policy Committee for the American Thoracic Society, which strives to change legislation to improve sleep and respiratory disorders. Dr. Halbower is a member of the Board of Pediatrics Sub-board in pediatric Pulmonology, and she is liaison to the American Academy of Pediatrics subcommittee on the guidelines for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea management.
Dr. J. Kirk Harris is investigating the role of the microbiome in adult and pediatric pulmonary disease. The main goal is to develop microbial biomarkers that predict clinical outcomes to improve clinical management of chronic pulmonary disease. His work is funded through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the NIH.
Dr. Gwendolyn Kerby has developed the infant pulmonary function testing laboratory and is active in several clinical studies involving infants and young children with cystic fibrosis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and pulmonary hypertension. Dr. Kerby's research has been supported through the NIH, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the State of Colorado.