La Salle Junior Presents Research at International Conference
By admin
Published: Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
During the last year, La Salle junior Wynton Kun had the opportunity to do research at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA), and submitted his work for presentation at the 12th International Conference on Home Mechanical Ventilation (HMV). Kun worked with Dr. Thomas Keens (Professor of Pediatrics, Physiology and Biophysics at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, as well as a physician at the Pediatric Pulmonology Division of CHLA) to produce his data and ultimately his research paper.
Dr. Keens believed Kun’s work was important because it dealt with areas of health care utilization in a population of critically ill children who live at home on ventilators in order to breathe. Thousands of people around the world depend on home ventilators to survive. They are especially vulnerable to illnesses like pneumonia and this research will ultimately benefit them.
After he submitted his abstract, Kun was originally believed to be a doctor and was asked to make a poster presentation to the 12th International Conference on Home Mechanical Ventilation, in Barcelona, Spain, this past March.
This two-day conference involves some 1200 delegates from 28 countries with presenters and attendees drawn from professionals including physicians, paramedical personnel, technicians, home care providers, manufacturers, psychologists. In other words, the best and most knowledgeable attend but only the best-of-the-best make presentations.
“It is virtually unheard of for a high school student to interact at such a high academic and scientific level”, Dr. Keens said.
Kun discussed his research with leading doctors, scientists and other professionals, all experts in HMV and pulmonary illnesses.
“I guess my abstract was pretty good,” quipped the high school junior, “because they approved my presentation and thought I was a doctor. At first, I was referred to as ‘Doctor Kun’ and that had a really nice ring to it.”
Kun later said that he was nervous in the time leading up to his presentation in Barcelona.
“I was really nervous before the conference,” said Kun. “I kept asking myself: What if the doctors are not interested in my work? What if my research was just not important? What if no one understands me? This was an international conference after all and I don’t speak French, Spanish or German.”
But in the end, there was nothing to worry about. The poster presentation was part of a gallery of presenters on the main floor. Many doctors came by to review, discuss and critique his presentation.
“Fortunately, language was not an issue,” he said, citing numerous English speaking doctors and a presentation based largely on numbers and self-explanatory graphs. “The doctors actually understood what I was trying to say! My conclusions seemed important to them and almost all of the doctors that reviewed my work agreed with my findings. Most asked if I was a graduate student in medical school. No one realized I was a seventeen-year-old, high-school junior. It was a pretty amazing week.”
Kun says he has always been fascinated with the respiratory system and function of the lungs, the study of which, in medical terms is known as “pulmonology.”
With generic data made available by CHLA, he began his effort to improve the quality of life for infants and children. Subsequently, he gathered his own data and worked on the project for months on end.
When Dr. Keens saw the value of the research, as well as Kun’s passion and potential, he became personally involved.
“Dr. Keens was wonderful. He is one of the nation’s outstanding respiratory specialists. I was really lucky to have so much time with him,” Kun said.
Only a few medical centers have a large enough population to perform research of this type, but CHLA has one of the largest home mechanical ventilation programs in the world. The research Kun undertook focused on the usefulness and optimum frequency of chest x-rays for children using HMV when admitted to the hospital with pneumonia.
His research showed that fewer x-rays of patients resulted in more concentrated therapy with less stress and pain for the patients. Thus, the amount of potentially-harmful radiation children might receive was reduced while they continued to receive very advantageous health care.
And It’s Not Over Yet
Another amazing first may be just around the corner. It is hoped that Kun will be able to publish his research in a scientific/medical journal.
“That would be even more phenomenal than presenting at an international research conference,” said Dr. Keens.
Of the future Kun says that he is “not sure if I will have time to continue my research in pediatric home mechanical ventilation. I have colleges to apply to and prepare the other research I am doing. I may continue my respiratory research at Childrens Hospital, but I’m also starting some cancer research this summer at Camp CHLA. It’s a very select camp for just 50 high school students that affords a deep insight into the medical world.”
On June 1, 2009, the Saban Research Institute at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles held its Annual Research Poster Day. Nearly 100 posters by investigators showing the research they achieved in the past year were presented. Kun, presented his work entitled, “Do Sequential Chest X-rays Prompt Changes in Therapy for Home Mechanical Ventilation Children Admitted for Pneumonia?” As a result, Wynton Kun received an award for excellence in research by a high school student from the Saban Research Institute.
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