ORGANIZATION

EXECUTIVE

The CHILD Project is guided by a core group of researchers that comprise the executive committee.

 

CHILD INVESTIGATORS

Scientists and Researchers involved in developing the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development study.

Name	Affiliation	City
Allen, Ryan	Simon Fraser University	Vancouver
Becker, Allan	University of  Manitoba	Winnipeg
Befus, Dean	University of Alberta	Edmonton
Brauer, Michael	University of British Columbia	Vancouver
Brook, Jeff	Environment Canada	Toronto
Cyr, Michael	McMaster University	Hamilton
Chen, Edith	University of British Columbia	Vancouver
Daley, Denise	James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre	Vancouver
Dell, Sharon	Hospital for Sick Children	Toronto
Denburg, Judah	McMaster University	Hamilton
Elliott, Susan	McMaster University	Hamilton
Grasemann, Hartmut	Hospital for Sick Children	Toronto
HayGlass, Kent	University of Manitoba	Winnipeg
Hegele, Richard	University of Toronto	Toronto
Holness, Linn	St. Michael’s Hospital	Toronto
Kobor, Michael	University of British Columbia	Vancouver
Kollmann, Tobias	University of British Columbia	Vancouver
Kozyrskyj, Anita	University of Alberta	Edmonton
Laprise, Catherine	Chicoutimi University Hospital	Quebec
Larché, Mark	McMaster University	Hamilton
Lou, Wen-Yi Wendy	University of Toronto	Toronto
Mandhane, Piush	University of Alberta	Edmonton
Miller, Gregory	University of British Columbia	Vancouver
Moqbel, Redwan	University of  Manitoba	Winnipeg
Paré, Peter	University of British Columbia	Vancouver
Ramsey, Clare	University of Manitoba	Winnipeg
Ratjen, Felix	Hospital for Sick Children	Toronto
Sandford Andrew	James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre	Vancouver
Scott, James	University of Toronto	Toronto
Scott, Jeremy	University of Toronto	Toronto
Sears, Malcolm	McMaster University	Hamilton
Silverman, Frances	University of Toronto	Toronto
Subbarao, Padmaja	Hospital for Sick Children	Toronto
Tebbutt, Scott	James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre	Vancouver
Takaro, Tim	Simon Fraser University	Vancouver
Tang, Patrick	University of British Columbia	Vancouver
To, Teresa	Hospital for Sick Children	Toronto
Turvey, Stuart	University of British Columbia	Vancouver

 

SITE LEADERS

The national Principal Investigator for this study is Dr. Malcolm Sears, Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St. Joseph’s Healthcare and McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.

National lead investigators include:

Toronto: Dr. PJ Subbarao Winnipeg: Dr. Allan Becker Edmonton: Dr. Piush Mandhane Vancouver: Dr. Stuart Turvey

Dr. PJ Subbarao TORONTO	Dr. Allan Becker WINNIPEG	Dr. Piush Mandhane EDMONTON	Dr. Stuart Turvey VANCOUVER

WORKING GROUPS

This CHILD study is a general population-based cohort study.  This longitudinal design will allow prospective evaluation of data regarding multiple indoor and outdoor environmental exposures, serial measurements of immunological responses, lung function and airway inflammation, infections, allergies, socioeconomic factors, stressful environments, diet and nutrition, genetics and epigenetic phenomena, and clinical outcomes. The primary unit of study is the family based trio – child and parents. Following a new national birth cohort from pregnancy will allow tracking of the timing of a wide variety of potentially important environmental exposures through pregnancy, infancy and into childhood.  The design will allow evaluation of neonatal predictors of allergy and asthma, and examination of outcomes in relation to changing environments.  Genetic investigations in this cohort will focus on validating gene-environment interactions from other studies; the prospective and detailed information collected on the environment as well as in-depth phenotype characterization will enhance the strength of such validations and may lead to discovery of new and important gene-environment interactions particularly relating to the indoor environment.

To facilitate the many areas of investigations, CHILD has developed various Working Groups consisting of researchers from related disciplines and specialities to develop the assessments, questionnaires and tools fundamental to meeting the objectives of the CHILD study.  These groups work in conjunction with the national coordinating centre to develop standard operating procedures for tests, biological sample collection and training for recommendation to, and approval by, the Executive Committee.

Genetics Working Group:

Chair: Peter Pare
Core Members: Peter Pare, Denise Daley, Andrew Sanford, Jacqui Brinkman, Scott Tebbutt, Edith Chen, Greg Miller, Ryan Allen, Jeremy Scott, Tobias Kolliman, Michael Brauer, Stuart Turvey, Catherine Laprise, PJ Subbarao.

The genetics working group, a distinct unit within Program A of the Allergen NCE, advises on sample collection, storage and analysis of genetic material from parents and children from the CHILD Study.

Immunology Working Group:

Chair : Dean Befus
Core Members: Padmaja Subbarao, Theo Moraes, Kent HayGlass, Bruce Ritchie, Tobias Kollmann, Greg Miller, Stuart Turvey, Edgardo Fortuno III, Redwan Moqbel, Judah Denburg, Mark Larché, Joanne Duncan, Diana Lefebvre, Jean Marshall, John Gordon, Administrative support, Lynelle Watt

The Immunology working group works with the National Coordinating Centre to develop standard operating procedures for collecting, processing and quality control of blood samples.  Blood components from cord blood and child’s blood will be processed to provide RNA, DNA, serum, plasma, cord blood mononucleocytes, and peripheral blood mononucleocytes. Immunology investigations will focus on a comprehensive analysis of genetic, epigenetic, gene expression, innate and adaptive immunity and toll-like receptor profiles of children to understand the biological basis of allergic disease.

Environmental  Working Group:

Chair : Jeff Brook
Core Members: Tim Takaro, James Scott, Joanne Duncan, Diana Lefebvre, Roxanne Rousseau, Ryan Allen, Michael Brauer, Anita Kozyrskyj, Sharon Dell, Amanda Wheeler, Tedd Konya, Administrative Support: Agatha Blancas

The CHILD Study is particularily interested in exposures relating to the indoor and outdoor environments which will be assessed using multiple tools, including questionnaires, home visit assessments, and home dust sampling for multiple allergens and pollutants.

The Environmental Working group works with the National Coordinating Centre and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to develop standard operating procedures for assessments and home dust sampling procedures to support the CHILD study objective of understanding environmental factors involved in allergic diease. Questions related to the child’s and families’ activity will be included in follow-up, gathering information such as time spent in transit, mode of transport, frequency/duration of visits to indoor pools, exposure to wood smoke, etc. Home Dust samples will processed at the  Gage Occupational & Environmental Health Unit, Toronto, Ontario and will subsequently be analyzed for endotoxins, allergens, other environmental TLR ligands and Beta (1,3)-d-glucans. Environmental Tobacco Smoke exposure, and  outdoor air pollution will be assessed and traffic pollutants estimated by modelling.

Psychosocial Working Group

Chair : Greg Miller
Core Members: Edith Chen, Anita Kozyrskyj, Susan Elliott, Joanne Duncan, Diana Lefebvre.

The CHILD Study is interested in exploring psychosocial factors including the mental and physical health of families making the transition to parenthood.  The goal is to better understand the thoughts, feelings, and experiences that families have during this period, and how they come to influence the well-being and health status of their child. The psychosocial working group will recommend validated psychosocial  questionnaires and conduct interviews to meet the objective of understanding why some family experiences might allow some people to remain healthy while others develop a disease, such as asthma or allergies.

Lung Function and Allergy Working Group

Chair : Padamaja Subbarao
Core Members: Allan Becker,  Malcolm Sears,  Joanne Duncan, Diana Lefebvre.

Assessments of lung function and allergies is an important measure in the CHILD study to meet the primary objective of understanding allergic disease in children. This working group will recommend to the National Coordinating centre the times during child development when lung function and allergy skin tests should be performed to assess children’s health status of asthma and allergy. Procedures used for lung function tests will include exhaled nitric oxide to examine lung inflamation,  Infant lung function tests will be conducted at 3 months and 1 year (in Toronto only), child lung function tests at 3 and 5 years of age in all children, allergy skin prick testing at 1, 3 and 5 years of age, and a methocholine challenge testing at 5 years of age.

Infection Working Group:

Chair : Padmaja Subbarao
Core Members: Padmaja Subbarao, Rick Hegele, Patrick Tang, Stuart Turvey, Joanne Duncan, Diana Lefebvre

A primary focus of this working group is the detailed examination of respiratory infections particularly in the first year of life. All children will have nasal swabs examined at three months and one year, while a sub-cohort in Toronto will be offered more frequent review at the time of developing symptoms suggesting infection.

Nutrition and Endocrine Working Group

Chair : Allan Becker
Core Members: Malcolm Sears, Piush Mandhane, Anita Kozyrskyj,  Joanne Duncan, Diana Lefebvre.

Information about mother’s diet during pregnancy and while breastfeeding is important in assessing baby’s nutrition, as well as what the child eats.  The nutrition working group will work in conjunction with the National Coordinating Centre to develop assessment tools and implement food frequency questionnaires for the collection of nutritional information in mothers and children. Breast milk will be collected for subsequent hormone analyses. 

Epidemiology and Statistics Working Group:

Chair : Wendy Lou
Core Members: Malcolm Sears, Allan Becker, PJ Subbarao, Piush, Stuart, Justina Greene

Recruitment data, data collection and management, and subsequent data analysis are complex issues under continuing development and review by this Working Group in liason with all recruitment sites and investigators.

 

 

NATIONAL COORDINATING CENTRE

Hamilton Ontario is home to the CHILD Study's National Coordinating Centre. The CHILD project is led by Dr. Malcolm Sears and has four co-investigators who head up the four recruiting centres: Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto.

The National Coordinating centre can be reached by contacting:

Joanne Duncan BSc CCRP Project Manager 905-522-1155 ext. 35228 duncanj@mcmaster.ca

Diana Lefebvre PhD Research Administrative Manager 905-522-1155 ext. 32866 lefeb@mcmaster.ca

Other central administrative team members for CHILD can be reached by calling 905-522-1155 at these extensions:

• Sherri Smith (Administrative Coordinator)  x 35817
• Michael Quinn (FIRH Manager / Web)   x 35121
• Malcolm Sears (Director)    x 33286