What factors determine whether some critically ill children recover from sepsis—a blood infection caused by a bacteria, virus, or fungus—while others do not? And could a computer model help doctors and nurses actually predict those patients who are more likely to recover, and those whose condition will worsen, and possibly cause their death?

Jessica Keim-Malpass, an associate professor of nursing, is one of 11 American nurse scientists selected to receive a Betty Irene Moore Foundation Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators. With the $450,000, three-year fellowship, Keim-Malpass will develop novel computational approaches to understand how and why certain hospitalized children with sepsis recover, while others grow worse.

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Proportion of pediatric ICU deaths that occur due to sepsis, which remains understudied

The World Health Organization estimates that three million newborns and 1.2 million children suffer from sepsis globally each year. Though roughly a third of pediatric ICU deaths are due to sepsis, factors that lead to it remain poorly understood and understudied.

Using thousands of existing data points from previous pediatric patients with sepsis, Keim-Malpass’s work will help clinicians identify and treat kids whose sepsis is likely to worsen, ultimately guiding the optimal introduction of care interventions, especially antibiotics, for children with this critical illness. The new work builds on Keim-Malpass’s existing expertise in predictive analytics developed with partner Randall Moorman and UVA’s Center for Advanced Medical Analytics that crunches data to forecasts decompensation in critically ill adult patients.

UVA School of Nursing Dean Pamela Cipriano applauded Keim-Malpass’s new fellowship, calling her “an emerging major figure in the world of big data.”

“Her work highlights the role nurse scientists play as leaders in bringing innovative methods to the bedside,” said Cipriano. “Participating as a Moore fellow will support her development as a leader and influencer in nursing through integrating analytic innovation into nursing practice.”

In addition to the project, Keim-Malpass and her fellow grantees will take part in a hybrid online and classroom curriculum designed and taught by UC Davis’s Graduate School of Management that aims to enhance leadership, strengthen strategic thinking and collaboration skills, expand professional networks, develop entrepreneurial thinking, and propel innovation.

Keim-Malpass’s UVA team will include mentor and co-PI Moorman, a physician scientist who leads the Center for Advanced Medical Analytics, public health science professor Jenn Lobo, medical statistician Doug Lake, and physician scientists Mike Spaeder and Brynne Sullivan.