The Department of Pediatric Urology team’s expertise in basic, translational, clinical outcomes and quality improvement research is aimed at better understanding congenital urologic conditions, refining treatment and searching for new, innovative methods of care. Research drives our mission to minimize interventions, reduce reoperations and improve outcomes for our young patients.

What our research means for kids

Our research studies have had many positive, long-lasting impacts on children with urologic conditions. In addition to directly improving the quality of care for our own patients, we continuously collaborate with other hospitals and organizations to share what we learn so that their patients can benefit as well.

Pediatric urologic surgeon Vijaya Vemulakonda, MD, worked with researchers from various hospitals to study treatments for infants diagnosed with hydronephrosis before birth. The research looked at how variations in treatment impacted kidney function in children with kidney obstruction. It also helped researchers develop guidelines for surgical testing and treatment to improve the long-term outcomes of these patients.

Pediatric urologic oncologist and Chair of Pediatric Urology, Nicholas Cost, MD, investigated the impact that urologic cancers (kidney, adrenal, bladder, testicular) have on kids and how treatments can maximize a cure but minimize side effects. He works with the Children's Oncology Group to offer the latest treatments and collaborate on research. In addition, our Pediatric Urologic Oncology Program has its own ongoing local investigation in the lab and the clinic that is studying the impact of chemotherapy on bladder function in children.

In collaboration with the Department of Pediatric Radiology and the Society for Fetal Urology, pediatric urological surgeon Jeffrey Campbell, MD, worked to refine prenatal imaging tests to identify urinary and genital organ irregularities at and before birth.

In collaboration with Anna Malykhina, MD, and Nao Iguchi, MD, at the University of Colorado, Duncan Wilcox, MD, studied the effect of partial bladder outlet obstruction to assess signs of obstruction. By studying hypoxia pathways, they have opened the door to new types of treatment. They also studied the interaction between bladder and bowel nerve function and its possible effect on children with dysfunctional elimination syndrome.

Department of Pediatric Urology research advancements

Some of our research areas include bladder development, urologic oncology, prenatal imaging and congenital hydronephrosis. Our research focuses on identifying and implementing new and better treatment practices — more effective, less invasive — with the goal of making life easier for kids, adolescents and even adults with urological conditions, here and around the nation.

The Department of Pediatric Urology's research arm is called Pediatric Urology Research Enterprise (PURE) and is a research group housed within the Division of Urology at the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine. The group, consisting of doctors and researchers from Children’s Colorado and the School of Medicine, is led by PURE Director Dr. Vijaya Vemulakonda.

PURE programs include:

• Clinical Investigator Training Program: PURE offers fellows, medical students and residents the opportunity to gain clinical and translational research experience. Learn more about the Pediatric and Reconstructive Urology Medical Student Research Fellowship and the Fellowship in Pediatric Urology​
• Research Project Support Program: ​PURE facilitates the development and execution of clinical research projects aimed at improving the quality and effectiveness of pediatric urology care.

In another example of knowledge sharing and collaboration, Dr. Vemulakonda and her team work with hospitals across the country through Pediatric Urologists Researching Surgical Outcomes Using Health Information Technology (PURSUIT) to gather data on infants and children with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) and other uncommon pediatric urological diagnoses. Her team’s hope is to use this data to identify variations in current urologic practice and associated differences in surgical and renal outcomes. Collaborating with multiple medical centers supports pragmatic clinical outcomes and comparative effectiveness to define best practices for management of patients with CAKUT and other rare pediatric urologic conditions.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is one research area we are continuously studying. ERAS is a clinical pathway to limit patient metabolic stress while undergoing surgery, minimize pain, speed up recovery and avoid complications. For the first time in 2014, Kyle Rove, MD, and his team helped to implement ERAS protocols at Children’s Colorado in lower urinary tract reconstructive surgeries. In 2018, we expanded learnings from this initial effort to pediatric colorectal surgeries, pediatric plastics operations, pediatric bariatric surgery and other pediatric urological surgeries. We continue to develop and define new protocols by working with multidisciplinary teams and more recently have examined how hospitals can implement ERAS protocols.