Sigan Hartley, 100 Women Distinguished Chair in Human Ecology and Human Development & Family Studies professor, and a team of fellow researchers have received a $9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant will fund an in-depth study of factors driving the risk and severity of co-occurring conditions in children, adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome.
The grant was submitted through the Waisman Center, a research center on the UW–Madison campus that studies human development, developmental disabilities and neurodegenerative diseases. Hartley will lead the team with co-principal investigators from the University of Pittsburgh, University of Kansas Medical Center and University of California-Irvine.
Researchers will work with other funded projects through a large NIH research initiative called the INCLUDE Project (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE). These projects reflect research teams from across the U.S. and Latin American countries. The study will work to understand the complex interplay between trisomy 21, metabolic dysregulation, obesity and lifestyle factors — such as social determinants of health — in shaping the development and health of individuals with Down syndrome across the lifespan.
“We are thrilled to partner with other research teams around the globe to improve the health and quality of life of children with Down syndrome,” Hartley says. “The ultimate goal of this effort is to reduce health disparities and open the door for new social policies, programs and treatments. We will be partnering with people with Down syndrome and their family members in all stages of this work.”
The team includes UW researchers Luis Columna (Department of Kinesiology), David Plante (Department of Psychiatry), Daifeng Wang (Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics), Qiang Chang (Medical Genetics and Department of Neurology), Maria Stanley (Department of Pediatrics) and Michele Polfuss (UW–Milwaukee School of Nursing). Several graduate and undergraduate students from the School of Human Ecology will also take part in this project.
Hartley is a clinical psychologist by training and her research focuses on developmental disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome. She is interested in understanding how biology interacts with the environment, including family, employment and the broader community, to shape outcomes across the life course. She then uses this information to make recommendations for social policies, interventions and supports.