Sunflower Pediatric Clinical Trials (SPeCTr) was started in 2016 with investigators from University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) receiving NIH funding to participate in the first cycle of ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ECHO ISPCTN). More information on the history of ECHO, IDeA and ISPCTN can be found at their website links below. SPeCTr was also awarded funding for the second cycle of the ECHO ISPCTN for the period of September 2020 through August 2025.

Network goals include providing medically underserved and rural populations with access to clinical trials, building pediatric research capacity at a national level and supporting the professional development of faculty-level pediatricians and their support teams in the conduct of clinical trials research.

Clinical trials are research studies that involve people. Most clinical trials are done in adults and there is a need to do more of them in children and young adults. Clinical trials test specific interventions. The interventions may be a drug, or a medical device or procedure. They follow a research protocol to determine if the new treatment options are safe and effective and work better than the standard treatment. Clinical trials may also improve the quality of life for kids with disease. With your participation, we can improve treatment options for future children & young adults.