Research In Action
Research In Action
The Center for Child Injury Prevention Studies (CChIPS) is a research consortium co-hosted by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and The Ohio State University (OSU) dedicated to advancing the safety of children, youth, and young adults. Each spring, members of the CChIPS Industry Advisory Board (IAB) convene to consider proposal presentations from CHOP and OSU principal investigators. We are thrilled to announce the nine funded projects that comprise the 2026-2027 CChIPS portfolio.
To be responsive to emerging topics in the field, Jalaj Maheshwari, MS will be leading a study on near-miss pediatric vehicular heatstroke (PVH) cases, as little is known about non-fatal cases of children left behind in vehicles. The research team will analyze a novel PVH database as an important step toward understanding near-miss PVH cases, their circumstances, their distribution across the US, and how they compare to PVH fatality data.
Several studies will provide critical data related to upcoming regulatory changes; in response to an upcoming federal regulation on side impact countermeasures in child restraint systems (CRS), some CRS manufacturers have employed side-impact protection structures such as the side impact bolsters. Dr. Valentina Graci will lead a study investigating whether side impact bolsters interact with other occupants in the rear seat such another small adult occupant. Another project led by OSU's Dr. Julie Mansfield will provide new data on whether the updated federal regulatory test bench for CRS will provide realistic responses of CRS compared to modern vehicle seats.
