Helping young people with chronic kidney disease make health decisions with their caregivers
Official title: Kids CoLab - Supporting collaborative decision making with youth impacted by chronic kidney disease
Funded at Seattle Children's Hospital · NIH-11161453 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project creates tools and support to help children and young adults with chronic kidney disease learn decision-making and self-care skills together with their caregivers as they move to adult care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $609,395 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK131134-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11161453 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease who are preparing for or going through the transition from pediatric to adult kidney care, along with their caregivers.
✕Less likely to help
Infants, adults who are already established in adult care, or people without chronic kidney disease are unlikely to be eligible or see direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You and your family would work with doctors, researchers, and other families to design ways for young people to practice health decisions in a safe, guided way. The team will use interviews, workshops, and pilot sessions to build age-appropriate decision supports that match each child’s abilities. They will try these supports with youth, caregivers, and clinicians to see how well they help with everyday choices and medical follow-up. The project follows participants over time to track changes in self-management, decision involvement, and health events during the move to adult care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help young people take on health responsibilities more confidently, reduce complications during the transition to adult care, and improve long-term kidney outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Collaborative decision-making approaches have helped people in other health areas, but applying these methods specifically to youth with CKD during transition is a newer and less-tested effort.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pollack, Ari — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Pollack, Ari
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Kids CoLab: Helping kids with kidney disease take an active role in decisions about their care
A project to help children with kidney disease learn to participate in decisions about their own care as they move from pediatric to adult health services.
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Helping kids with chronic kidney disease make better health decisions
This study is all about helping kids and teens with chronic kidney disease learn how to make better choices about their health as they move from pediatric to adult care, so they can feel more confident and in control of their treatment.
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Improving communication for dialysis decisions in older patients with kidney disease
This study is all about helping older adults with chronic kidney disease make better choices about dialysis by training doctors to communicate more effectively and coaching patients and their caregivers to express what matters most to them.
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Personalized CKD-MBD care using systems biology and AI
A patient-facing program aims to tailor mineral-balance therapy for people with chronic kidney disease by using a computer model and smart decision rules to predict who will respond best to treatments.
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Mitigating DKA in people with type 1 diabetes and kidney disease using SGLT1/2 inhibitors
This project tests a new way to prevent dangerous diabetic ketoacidosis in people with type 1 diabetes and chronic kidney disease who are using SGLT inhibitors, by tracking ketones in real time and combining glucose-keton data for safer therapy.
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Chronic Kidney Disease in Children: following young people as they grow up with CKD
A long-term study in kids with chronic kidney disease tracks kidney function and heart health as they transition into adulthood.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.