Montana State University students, in collaboration with Duke University researchers, published a paper this spring in the Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics that validates an optimal caffeine dosage for newborns with congenital heart disease, according to an April 13 announcement.
The research is significant because it could influence how hospitals nationwide treat neonates undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Dr. Danny Benjamin, affiliate professor at Montana State’s Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology and principal investigator at Duke’s STAR program, said external validation means the findings can be applied beyond the original patient group. “The goal for STAR as a research program is to invest in students who want to go back to their state and do research and medicine in their state,” Benjamin said.
Benjamin explained that pediatric drug studies are rare due to challenges working with infants. He noted medication dosages based on adult trials can harm babies, but laws requiring child-specific drug testing have only existed since 2002. Through Duke’s Summer Training in Academic Research (STAR) program—which began partnering with Montana State University (MSU) in 2024—students like Calla Castro, Jessminda DiCello, Courtney Hallock, Annalisa Hawk, and Andrea Storer participated as co-authors on the publication. The team found standard hospital caffeine dosages were too low for these patients after using mathematical modeling and blood sample analysis under mentorship from Liz Thompson at Duke.
Storer described her experience: “The more I learned about the pediatrician path through this program and through the research, I realized I do love every part of it, which has been affirming and motivating for me.” She also presented her work at a national undergraduate conference in April 2025 before being accepted into medical school through WWAMI—a regional training initiative between several northwestern states.
Hallock said participating did not require prior clinical research experience: “What’s a better use of your time than doing research to potentially, even in the tiniest way, improve the care of a child?” Both Hallock and Storer plan further projects while new MSU students join STAR this June.
Montana State University leads statewide in annual research funding exceeding $288 million according to its official website. The university enrolls about 17,165 students evenly split between residents and nonresidents according to its official website, ranks among the top five percent globally per Center for World University Rankings according to its official website, contributes through outreach efforts aimed at enhancing lives according to its official website, operates as Montana’s land-grant institution focused on education and community service according to its official website, and extends influence across Montana as its land-grant university according to its official website.