Grant Award Summary

The University of Pittsburgh received a $163,178 Project Grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), awarded June 9, 2026, with a completion date of May 30, 2031. This award funds research investigating the relationship between physical activity and neurobehavioral recovery in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). The project will employ accelerometry, machine learning, and epigenetics approaches to characterize physical activity patterns during the critical six-month post-injury recovery period and determine associations between physical activity features and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and neurobehavioral outcomes.

The research deliverables include: (1) characterization of endogenous physical activity in children with TBI through advanced measurement and analytical methodologies; (2) co-design of an evidence-based physical activity intervention developed collaboratively with pediatric TBI patients, families, and healthcare providers using human-centered design approaches; and (3) pilot testing of the intervention to establish preliminary feasibility in the pediatric TBI population. These findings will directly inform a subsequent National Institutes of Health R01 grant proposal for a randomized controlled trial and address a significant clinical gap by providing families and providers with evidence-based guidance on physical activity promotion during TBI recovery.