Pediatric Research Office

The Pediatric Research Office (PRO) supports those conducting pediatric research at Children's of Alabama by providing expertise and connections to resources. For assistance or to learn more, please contact Cheryl Perry, PhD, PRO Administrative Director. 

Pediatric Faculty Expertise Database

Funding Opportunities

Financial Information, Forms and Budgets

Proposal Development and Boilerplate

Conducting Research at Children's of Alabama 

About the Pediatric Research Office

Pediatric Faculty Expertise Database

The Pediatric Faculty Expertise Database includes Department of Pediatrics faculty information on scholarly and/or research interests; interest in mentoring students, residents, fellows and post-docs; and research involvement as measured by number of publications and current funding. It was last updated during August 2025. The database is stored on a password-protected UAB SharePoint site and log in requires use of your UAB BlazerID, password, and DUO authentication. Questions? Contact Melissa McBrayer. 

If you are interested in looking for research or collaborators at UAB, but outside of the Department of Pediatrics, visit Scholars@UAB. 

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Funding Opportunities

Internal Funding Opportunities

• Kaul Pediatric Research Institute (KPRI) Awards

• UAB Pilot Project Research Funding Opportunities

• School of Medicine Funding Opportunities

• Faculty Development Grant Program

Federal Funding Opportunities

Grants.gov allows organizations and individuals to electronically find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies. Visit UAB's Office of Research - Find Funding page for more information and links. 

Pivot-RP Global Search for Funding Opportunities

Track and share funding opportunities, save searches, get automatic alerts, edit your profile, view groups and more.  Access Pivot-RP by using "log in from my institution" drop-down and selected University of Alabama at Birmingham. Enter BlazerID and strong password. 

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Financial Information, Forms and Budgets

UAB Information 

• UAB Researcher's Toolkit is a one-stop resource from the UAB Office of Research for all research application needs. 

• UAB OSP Submissions Requirements and OSP Deadline Calculator - add 5 business days for DOP (see below for DOP Submission Requirements)

• UAB Fees for Industry-Funded Clinical Trial Budgets Memo (effective January 12, 2026)

• eRA Commons Account Request

Information Specific to the Department of Pediatrics

The Department of Pediatrics (DOP) Finance Office staff provide assistance to faculty for pre and post-award activities.  A DOP Finance Office quick reference list is provided for convenience.  

• DOP and OSP Submission Requirements 

  • All proposals and supporting documents must be sent to dopgrants@uabmc.edu no later than 8am 10 full business days prior to the sponsor's deadline.
  • Please use PI name, Funding agency, Sponsor due date and Time in subject line of email. 

• DOP 4% Fee Policy for industry-funded clinical trial budgets.

• Table of Contacts for Clinical Research Prices used in pediatric research budget development.

• Form to Request Prices from Children's of Alabama and email to Pam Barlow of Children's of Alabama.

Cognizant's Shared Investigator Platform (SIP)

SIP may be used by industry sponsors to advance research projects. As instructed by the UAB Clinical Trials Administration Office, the Department of Pediatrics has a profile developed with UAB information. Additional guidance for getting started with SIP is available here.

• Which facility do I choose for my user profile?
  University of Alabama at Birmingham - School of Medicine
  FC092220182020022711

• Which department do I choose for my user profile?
  Pediatrics
  FC120920202002204356

Do not develop a new UAB facility or Pediatrics department profile in SIP. If you need to add information to the Pediatric departmental profile, please send a request to Melissa McBrayer.  Do not develop a SIP profile for Children’s of Alabama. Research at Children’s of Alabama is conducted by UAB faculty and staff under legal agreements and regulatory oversight of UAB (Office of Sponsored Programs, Institutional Review Board, etc.). Children’s of Alabama is the performance site and not the entity with whom industry sponsors have legal agreement.

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Proposal Development and Boilerplate

• The UAB Boilerplate Library was developed in a partnership between the UAB Research Development Office (RDO) and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS). Visit the CCTS for training, research implementation, and grant-writing resources such as the Grant-Writing Intensive (GRIT).

• Department of Pediatrics boilerplate (v9.2025).

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Conducting Research at Children's of Alabama

Children's of Alabama implemented Epic as its electronic medical record effective March 4, 2023.

Research Coordinator? The following links are helpful for getting a new study started in Children's Epic. 

• Study Start-up and Activation Tip Sheet  Use when a new IRB-approved study needs to be added to Epic (COA portal entry).

• Billing Calendar Template. Required submission to Children's billing group (Westerkamp) at time study record creation -see above Study Start-up and Activation Tip Sheet for more instructions. 

• COA Research Pre-Registration form (v12.2025) use is ongoing. One form per visit with a research clinical billable; route to all listed emails. 

• Epic Tip Sheet: EpicCare Link for study monitor access. Instructions for monitors are included. 

• Additional Epic Tip sheets for are available via F1 when logged in to Epic as a research coordinator.

Research Coordinator request for Children's Epic access

Complete/submit the following.  Questions?  Email Melissa. 

1. IT Remote Access form

2. Security access request form: https://www.jotform.com/coa-hris/security

3. COA Non-Employee Affiliate Account request form: https://form.jotform.com/coa-hris/affiliate

4. COA Researcher Project Provisioning form. 

COA Investigational Pharmacy

Study drug? Review and complete the release form. Contact Children's of Alabama's Investigational Pharmacist with questions.

• Release of Drugs for Human Research Use 

• Investigational Study Checklist for Coordinators 

• FACTS about Billing for the Investigational Study Pharmacy

Compassionate Use Agreements

• PIs considering a compassionate use agreement must first email Nancy Corona of COA..

UAB OnCore and Clinical Billing Review (CBR) Fiscal Approval Process. 

• Protocols that contain UAB Health System clinical billables will require CBR review for the Fiscal Approval Process (FAP) and an OnCore calendar may be needed.

• Complete the information, as applicable, in the REDcap form found here.

• Department of Pediatrics' physician research billables (e.g. professional read fees, Simon Sedation physicians, echocardiography for research, etc.) will continue to be processed through the Pediatric Business Office (see COA Research Pre-Registration Form for instructions). 

Other helps for Clinical Research Coordinators

• CCTS Clinical Trials Kiosk

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Library  Use template SOPs (drafts) and tailor for your research area.

• Need IRB consent forms in Spanish?  Email Interpreterrequest@uabmc.edu for latest information on UAB-approved translation contractors.

About the Pediatric Research Office (PRO)

The UAB Department of Pediatrics established the Pediatric Research Office (PRO) in 2015 to renew its commitment to the generation of new knowledge in the diagnosis, treatment, and sequelae of pediatric diseases. Building upon a tradition of accomplishment illustrated by consistent rankings within the top 20 (and often top 10) of pediatric departments in terms of NIH research funding, the PRO seeks to “lower the energy of activation” in the conduct of research within Children’s of Alabama. By providing this support, the PRO accelerates our research to go farther faster, enhancing the overall funding prospects for pediatric research at UAB, and thus expanding medical options for the children of Alabama and beyond.

David W. Kimberlin, MD
Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research, Department of Pediatrics

Cheryl Perry, PhD; PRO Administrative Director. Triages requests for assistance related to grant development and submission, biostatistics, data needs, and regulatory assistance; edits applications for consistency and accuracy; and develops and negotiates industry budgets and budget amendments. Contact Cheryl Perry by email initially for any PRO requests.

Melissa McBrayer, Research and Training. Serves as a resources for study teams conducting research within the Children's of Alabama campus.  Aids research staff with COA research processes/EPIC issues, UAB research tools such as OnCore, and general research-related issues. Consults on career development applications as requested.

Emily Mixon, Data Management. Provides consultation and assistance with data collection and database development and management (TeleForm, SAS, EpiInfo, REDCap), data analysis and modeling, and also facilitates training in these areas.

Fazlur Rahman, PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics. Provides assistance with sample size assessment, study design, biostatistical analysis planning, DSMB reports, final analyses at end of study, and final study report generation. 

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