CARE Study Enrollment
The CARE Study offers two enrollment options:
Remotely from anywhere in the United States
In person at either Boston Children's Hospital or Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON ENROLLMENT
Boston Children’s Hospital
Contact: Study Coordinator Alexa Geltzeiler
Email: ChungGeneticResearch@childrens.harvard.edu
Phone: 617-919-0605
IN-PERSON ENROLLMENT
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Contact: Study Coordinator Pranjal Patel
Email: pranjal.patel@cchmc.org
Phone: 513-636-3929
Remote Enrollment
Sign up by emailing ChungGeneticResearch@childrens.harvard.edu. Please include "LCI Research" in the subject line.
Within one week, you should receive electronic consent forms by email.
Sign and submit consent forms for all participating family members.
After consent is completed, you will receive a link to complete the study surveys.
Complete and submit all surveys.
Once surveys are submitted, saliva collection kits will be mailed to you, usually within two weeks.
All participating family members* will need to complete saliva collection and return their samples by mail.
After the laboratory receives saliva samples from all family participants, results are typically available within 3–6 months. If a sample is not collected properly, it may not be usable and a new sample will be needed, which can extend the timeline.
If a genetic change is identified, you will be contacted by email and by phone to review the results in detail.
If no genetic findings are identified at this time, you will receive an email notification. Samples may be reanalyzed over time as genetic knowledge advances, and you will be contacted if new findings are identified in the future.
LCI will provide annual study updates.
*NOTE: Saliva samples from each family will not be analyzed until adequate samples are received from all participants in that family.
Sponge Collection Option
If your child is 3 years old or younger, a sponge for saliva collection will automatically be included in the sample collection kit. If your child is older than 3 years and unable to spit into a tube, email the study team and request a sponge for saliva collection. Then follow directions (starting at a1:15) on this video:
In-Person Enrollment
Reach out to the appropriate study coordinator using the contact information listed at the top of this page.