Pulmonary Research Program
Children’s Minnesota is a leader in treating children with pulmonary disorders. But we don’t just care for our patients—we also study how to make our treatments better.
We perform our own research right here at Children’s, and we publish the results so the whole medical community can benefit. We are experts at helping children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and primary ciliary dyskinesia take part in our research. To build resiliency and make research a positive experience for all involved, we work with Child Life Services to set proper expectations for kids who participate in research, assure that their participation is meaningful, and ensure they have tools to reduce the fear and anxiety often associated with blood draws and needle sticks.
We perform safe clinical trials to see if new treatments can improve how we care for our patients and advance care for all. We also work together with other top hospitals, universities, pharmaceutical companies, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Foundation to perform large collaborative studies. In this way, our patients gain access to the newest therapies and treatments.
If you have any research questions, please contact us and one of our research professionals will be in touch.
Learn more about the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and ongoing trials
Learn more about the Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Foundation and the Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Registry
Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Foundation – Helping those affected by Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
Ongoing focus areas
- Cystic fibrosis
- Primary ciliary dyskinesia
Pulmonary research staff
Brooke Moore, MD, MPH is a pediatric pulmonologist at Children’s Respiratory and Critical Care Specialists. She completed her fellowship in pediatric pulmonology at the University of Minnesota and Children’s Minnesota. She attended medical school at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, received her master’s in public health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and completed her pediatric residency at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Moore is the medical director for the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Children’s Minnesota and chief of staff at Children’s Minnesota. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as well as the Board of Directors for Children’s Minnesota. Her interests include the care of patients with asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic lung disease of prematurity, and chronic cough. She especially enjoys working with adolescents who have these conditions.
Anne Griffiths, MD is a pediatric pulmonologist at Children’s Respiratory and Critical Care Specialists and Director of the Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Center at Children’s Minnesota. She completed her pediatric pulmonary medicine fellowship through the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine program at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She attended medical school at the University of Minnesota. Her interests include primary ciliary dyskinesia, cystic fibrosis, asthma, bronchiectasis, noisy breathing, and bronchoscopy. As a former physician liaison to child life specialists, she acknowledges the child’s unique experience of receiving medical care.
Brian Carroll, MD is a pediatric pulmonologist at Children’s Respiratory and Critical Care Specialists. He attended medical school at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and completed his pediatric residency and fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Dr. Carroll’s interests include the care of patients with cystic fibrosis, asthma, interstitial lung disease, and inhalation lung injury.
Elizabeth Franck-Thompson, Clinical Research Manager, graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Chemistry. After working in pharmaceutical research and development in Chicago, she moved to Minneapolis and started working in clinical research studying tobacco metabolism and cessation. She went back to school for public health and finally found her forever home in pediatric research. The things she loves most about her job are her patients and her team. Everyone cares so deeply, and she couldn’t be happier to be part of it all! In her spare time, she loves refinishing old furniture, visiting our beautiful state parks, and walking her dog and cat.
Priya Balaji, Clinical Research Coordinator, graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in Neuroscience in 2017. She was introduced to clinical research during her time at the University of Minnesota, where she studied health disparities experienced by underserved communities in Minneapolis. She eventually had the opportunity to bring her skills to Children’s Minnesota, where she has been lucky to help serve so many amazing kids and their families. Her favorite part of her role is being able to connect with our patients, and being reminded that they are capable of teaching us so much while inspiring us in the process. She loves spending her free time traveling to new cities, trying new restaurants/cafes, and cuddling with her cat, Zeus.
Tori Estes, Clinical Research Coordinator, received her Master’s in Health Communication from the University of Houston. Her research journey began with studying resiliency and mental health in graduate school, followed by behavioral science and pediatric oncology at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. What she loves most about her role at Children’s Minnesota is making an impact on the lives of our patients and their families. In her free time, she enjoys reading fantasy books, collecting hobbies, and searching for her next big adventure.
