The complex landscape of medical research and pediatric clinical trials remains an underserved area. It has its unique challenges and problems which require it’s unique solutions.
Dr. Bushra Sumra, a Clinical Research Coordinator with a strong foundation in critical care and an ongoing journey in clinical research, has come to recognize the significant gaps in pediatric clinical trials.
Her career began with a focus on critical care after earning her medical degree from the University of Nairobi in 2017. She first understood the complexities involved while working with children when she debuted as a medical doctor at the Defence Forces Memorial Hospital. Her first rotation was in paediatrics, through which she came to realize a simple principle.
“Children are NOT small adults,” emphasizes Dr. Sumra, “They have unique physiological and psychological needs which require a tailored research approach.” This fundamental understanding has guided her work in pediatric clinical trials.
To further strengthen her understanding, she pursued an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Research and Medical Writing from the James Lind Institute and also is part of Harvard Medical School’s Foundations of Clinical Research program in 2024.
She is also pursuing an MSc in Infectious Diseases from the University of London and is working on multiple clinical cases at the same time. This makes her stand at an interesting intersection, where she can apply her research and practical knowledge to understand pediatric care.
At Sanmora Bespoke Clinical Research Solutions, Dr. Sumra has implemented approaches to address one of the field’s most prevailing challenges: participant recruitment and retention. By focusing on family-centred support systems, her team achieved an 80% retention rate, which was critical for the success of pediatric trials.
Making the parents understand the nature of drugs is a tough task. According to Dr Sumra, breaking down the medical jargon in layman’s terms can help them understand the functioning of the drugs, which can make them open to the potential benefits of the drugs, this can be especially helpful in the case of vaccinating.
Speaking of initiatives, the introduction of digital documentation processes under Dr Sumra’s leadership has resulted in improvements, reducing protocol deviations by 30% and streamlining data management across trials. The impacts of these improvements motivate Dr. Sumra to keep on exploring the possible pathways for better patient outcomes.
While working Dr. Sumra’s work has witnessed disparities in pediatric research, particularly in underserved regions. The lack of data on children’s clinical trials can be a hindrance in conducting additional research and in understanding children’s health. While conducting her research she noticed that there was not much representation of children, especially in the underserved areas. Collaborating with local healthcare providers and schools allowed her to gather meaningful insights while respecting the constraints of the setting. Her research in rural Malawi, examining the relationship between asthma and school attendance, revealed that asthmatic children experienced a 25% higher rate of absenteeism. The children were aged between 6-8 years.
While researching the well-being of children another critical factor to take care of can be the ethical considerations of it, like gaining consent, etc.
Keeping this in mind Dr. Sumra ensured 100% compliance with ethical guidelines for pediatric research, safeguarding participant welfare and data integrity.
While working on these trials she also faced limitations such as recruitment barriers and limited resources in low-income settings, which required their own individuated strategies, including collaboration with local stakeholders and streamlining logistics.
Reflecting on her experience in pediatric care, she wrote papers on autism spectrum disorder, and infectious diseases, which demonstrated the butterfly effect, how small things can be linked to a larger disease and how there are still gaps in understanding pediatric care. Further, her papers on the Impact of Asthma on School Absenteeism Among Rural Malawian Children (2024) and The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Pediatric Infectious Diseases (2019), helped to understand the respective topics better.
Looking at the current trends, Dr. Sumra sees the integration of artificial intelligence and wearable technology which promises to make trials less invasive and more precise. However, she emphasizes that technological advancement must be accompanied by stronger ethical frameworks/transparency and cultural sensitivity/inclusivity.
Further, she has emphasized the importance of treating children as separate entities and not just as small adults, with their respective individual physical and emotional concerns. With that, there is also a need for pediatric-specific protocols, which can be adhered to as guides. She also advocates for knowledge and collaborative learning across disciplines, like policy advocates, doctors, government and even across countries. She also recommends dedicated funding for pediatric studies and better training for researchers in understanding children’s needs. Only a comprehensive understanding of the problems can truly make an impact on children’s health.
