At the Annual Funding Selection event on April 7, 2025, Connecticut Children’s Connection Visionary members gathered to hear presentations from four Connecticut Children’s researchers and to award two $60,000 research grants.

The four finalists were:

  • Pediatric otolaryngologist Amy Hughes, MD: Developing a digital to education otolaryngologists on sialorrhea management
  • Pediatric gastroenterologist Jonathan A. Salazar, MD: Exploring the relationship between the intestinal epithelium and microbiome in IBD
  • Nurse Allison Pfeffer, RN, BSN: Empowering nurses to lead advance care planning conversations
  • Senior research scientist Sanjukta Majumder, PhD: Investigating IGF-1 gene therapy for pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction

After intense deliberation, the $60,000 grants were awarded to Allison Pfeffer and Dr. Majumder.