Kelly Evans
Dr. Kelly Evans investigates sleep and breathing in children born with craniofacial conditions, with the goal of improving outcomes in patients with conditions affecting the airway's function.
Investigating Robin Sequence
Evans's current research focuses on children born with micrognathia, glossoptosis and cleft palate, also known as Robin sequence (RS).
Her goals include improving the understanding of RS's phenotype, or physical characteristics, and identifying risk factors that may play a role in causing children to be born with the condition.
One of her funded projects aims to characterize the nature and severity of sleep disturbance in infants with RS, correlating sleep and airflow information with craniofacial anatomic assessment tools. She is also obtaining pilot data regarding neurodevelopmental, behavioral and cardiac sleep-related outcomes in children with RS.
As a member of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Evans conducts her work with an eye toward translating it into improved care for children born with RS.
Collaborating to Improve Outcomes for Craniofacial Conditions
Evans's work extends beyond Robin sequence. As a contributor to the Craniofacial Outcomes Research and Epidemiology Group (CORE), she works closely with other researchers in the Craniofacial Center on projects investigating a variety of craniofacial conditions.
