Johnson-Motoyama among Esteemed Researchers on High Impact Project Funded by NIH

Congratulations to Dr. Michelle Johnson-Motoyama! Her research project has just received major funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the next five years (2025–30). The study will examine how state policies that help families with limited resources—like food and cash assistance—affect children’s health, including hospital visits and cases of child abuse or neglect.

Johnson-Motoyama will be one of the researchers on the study called “Explaining State Variability in Pediatric Hospitalizations and Child Abuse and Neglect.” The project received over $2.4 million in funding and is led by Dr. Jeffrey Colvin and Dr. Henry Puls from Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.

The research builds on years of work showing that children from families with fewer financial resources often have worse health outcomes. This study will look at how different states use their safety net programs and how those programs might help protect children’s health.

“I’m excited to work with this amazing team and share what I’ve learned from past studies,” said Johnson-Motoyama. “We hope this research will help improve policies that keep children healthy and safe.”