Congratulations to the 2026 Research Grant Recipients

June 29, 2026

The Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation^® is proud to recognize the recipients of the 2026 cycle of research grants.  As research funding grows more uncertain, PERF^® is investing in these six outstanding investigators whose work spans the breadth of child neurology, from HIE to dystonia, neuromuscular disease to genetic epilepsies.

PERF Multicenter Infrastructure Grants

Bhooma Aravamuthan, MD, DPhil
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
“The Impact of Leg Dystonia on Surgical Outcomes in Cerebral Palsy – Creation of a Video Registry”

 

 

Danielle Guez Barber, MD, PhD
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
“HIE Registry Expansion: Strengthening Longitudinal Data Integration for Neurodevelopmental and Family Reported Outcomes”

 

 

PERF-CNS Career Development Grants

Elterman Award
Anna Dabrowski, MD, PhD
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
“Seizure-Dependent Synaptic Changes Over Development”

 

 

Shields Award
Natalie Katz, MD, PhD
Duke University, Durham, NC
“Optimizing Detection of Respiratory Dysfunction in Pediatric-Onset Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy”

 

 

PERF-CNS Bridge Grants

Heather Olson, MD, PhD
Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
“PACS2-Related Disorder Natural History Study”

 

 

Kellen Winden, MD, PhD
Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
“Examining the Mechanisms of Epigenetic Dysregulation and Their Contribution to Neuronal Abnormalities in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex”