On October 9, more than 60 leaders, researchers, and clinicians from across Minnesota gathered at the Wilder Center for the Pathways to Progress: A Forum for Pediatric Researchers in Minnesota, a collaborative event focused on advancing innovation in child health research.
Hosted by Children’s Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics, and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), the forum brought together experts from academic, clinical, public, and private sectors united by a shared mission: improving health for children across the state.
Building trust through collaboration
The Pathways to Progress Forum was designed to build trust and spark collaborations that link research and clinical care to improve child health outcomes.
Led by Mark Schleiss, MD, professor in the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Department of Pediatrics, and Stuart Winter, MD, chief research officer at Children’s Minnesota, the event underscored how partnership can break down barriers and speed discoveries that benefit children and families.
Schleiss noted that “the University of Minnesota and Children’s Minnesota bring complementary perspectives to the most pressing child health needs for Minnesota’s children. Enabling these collaborations leads to true synergy among experts who can synthesize unmet clinical care needs with their biological underpinnings and public health implications.”
Winter emphasized the shared purpose behind the partnership, saying, “We all want our children to grow up in communities where they can become their best selves. By spending time building relationships between community healthcare partners, finding pathways to progress, and advancing the careers of investigative teams, we are doing all we can to live up to our promises to our children. Because of our commitments to work together, the best is yet to be.”
The forum builds on a long-standing partnership between Children’s Minnesota and the University of Minnesota, which together launched the Child Health Collaborative Grant in 2014 to advance pediatric research.
Accelerating progress in child health
Sessions highlighted how institutional resources, funding opportunities, and community engagement strategies can accelerate discovery. Speakers shared approaches for leveraging research support services, philanthropic partnerships, and data assets to strengthen research capacity statewide.
Presenters also explored how coordinated investments from foundations and state and federal programs can reduce duplication, speed breakthroughs, and empower Minnesota researchers to build on one another’s work.
The event concluded with a panel discussion on advancing cystic fibrosis care through cross-institutional collaboration, showcasing how shared expertise and infrastructure can directly improve clinical outcomes.
Looking ahead together
Throughout the day, discussions reinforced that collaboration depends on trust, shared infrastructure, and the ability to connect data and insights across systems.
Schleiss reflected that “the most important role we can play is in promoting face-to-face interaction and discussion. Successful scientific collaboration requires trust and personal relationships. If our forum helps foster those connections, we’ve taken an essential first step toward generating new knowledge that improves care for Minnesota’s children.”
Participants identified opportunities to expand data sharing, strengthen statewide learning networks, and align community-based and academic research to create a more connected, responsive system for child health.
The Pathways to Progress Forum set the stage for ongoing collaboration, sparking new ideas and partnerships that will shape the future of child health in Minnesota.
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