Dr. Kitty Montgomery Wins Grant that Aims to Help Children with Cancer

We’re proud to share that Kitty Montgomery, PhD, RN, PCNS-BC, has been awarded a five-year, $3.1 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to lead the study:

“Defining Symptom Trajectories to Inform Risk-Stratified Approaches to Symptom Management in Children with Advanced Cancer.”

Advances in cancer treatment have helped more children survive cancer than ever before. However, many children and adolescents living with advanced cancer continue to experience significant symptoms that affect their quality of life. Dr. Montgomery’s research aims to better understand how symptoms change over time and identify which patients are most likely to need additional support.

The study will follow more than 200 children and adolescents with advanced cancer to examine symptom patterns, risk factors, and health outcomes. The goal is to develop approaches that help clinicians identify patients who may benefit from earlier, more personalized symptom management interventions.

By improving our ability to predict symptom burden and tailor care to individual needs, this research has the potential to reduce suffering and improve health outcomes for children and adolescents facing advanced cancer.

The investigative team includes Drs. Kris Kwekkeboom, Roger Brown, and Kat Phelps.

Congratulations to Dr. Montgomery and the entire team on this outstanding achievement!