Endowed Chair: NEST Developmental Follow-up Center – Early Cerebral Palsy (CP) Detection and Intervention Program led by Yvette Johnson, M.D., MPH
Cook Children’s has awarded Yvette Johnson, M.D., MPH, an Endowed Chair to establish the NEST Developmental Follow-up Center – Early Cerebral Palsy (CP) Detection and Intervention Program. Dr. Johnson will expand access to early CP detection for all children in our region. This program also will help increase participation in clinical research and quality improvement initiatives across local and national collaborative clinical research projects. Engaging most level 3 and level 4 NICUs across North Texas in early CP detection would strengthen this internationally recognized and evidence-based clinical practice as the standard of care.


Meet Dr. Johnson
Dr. Johnson has dedicated her career to helping families with their infant patients' growth and development so they can reach their fullest potential.
Blue Peaks grant for feeding program: $15,000
- Multicenter review of outcomes for CDH
- NEST database registry
- Multisite GMA for EDI network
- CPRN
- Song Y, Shahdadian S, Armstrong E, Brock E, Conrad SE, Acord S, Johnson YR, Marks W, Papadelis C. Spatiotemporal dynamics of cortical somatosensory network in typically developing children. Cereb Cortex. 2024 Jun4;34(6):bhae230. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhae230. PMID: 38836408; PMCID: PMC11151116.
Meet our researchers

Sabrina Shandley, Ph.D. Research Scientist
I was born in Colorado, but my parents brought me to Texas as a toddler, and I have not left so I consider myself a naturalized Texan. I graduated with my BSc in Biology in 2002, my Master's in Agriculture in 2003 and my PhD in Immunology in 2008. I have 10+ years of experience in human and animal research. My training included a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at Hyperion Biotechnology in San Antonio working on a variety of projects in both human trials and animal models for the United States government. I went on to UT Southwestern and, for a brief time, worked in the animal welfare Institute of Animal Care and Use Committee. I came to Cook Children's in 2017 and began working on neurology research projects, specifically in epilepsy and movement disorders, in the Research Administration Office before moving over to the research center upon its founding in 2019. My research interests include infant feeding and its relationship to brain injury.
Support this research
Be part of the innovative and life-changing work we’re doing at Cook Children's. Support the Endowed Chair Program today.