During graduate school, Dr. Schuler utilized whole exome and whole genome sequencing to identify genetic changes that could be responsible for undiagnosed genetic disorders in multiple families followed by experimental approaches to causally link those genetic changes with disease. He continues to have an interest in improving our ability to increase the efficiency and accuracy of diagnosing genetic disease. His work focuses on the utilization of biomedical informatics approaches, biobanked DNA, and electronic health record data to identify undiagnosed genetic disease. The goal of this work is to expand our knowledge of phenotypic associations, recognize clinical patterns, and identify ways to improve diagnosis and management of genetic disease.

We are leveraging a large DNA biobank coupled with EHR data to identify patterns of undiagnosed genetic disease. Our work has confirmed the previously reported, disproportionately high proportion of critically ill neonates with an underlying genetic contribution to their illness, that there is an underdiagnosis of these disorders, and that there are means that we can improve application of genetic testing approaches. We are working to identify early developmental phenotypic presentations of genetic disease in critically ill neonates to decrease the morbidity and mortality of this patient population by earlier diagnosis and informed management.

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Dr. Klein’s research focuses on developing and implementing targeted nutritional interventions to prevent and treat malnutrition across the lifespan in people with sickle cell disease in low- and high-income settings. While a Vanderbilt Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition fellow, her research program was supported by the Training in Gastroenterology T32. She also completed a Vanderbilt-Emory-Cornell Duke Fogarty Global Health fellowship in Accra, Ghana, west Africa, focused on the risk factors for low birth weight in infants born from mothers with sickle cell disease. During her fellowship, she helped lead a randomized controlled trial for children with sickle cell disease and severe acute malnutrition in Nigeria. Dr. Klein plans to submit a career development award to build upon this work to improve the treatment of children with sickle cell disease and malnutrition.

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Barron Frazier, MD is an Assistant Professor in Clinical Pediatrics. He completed pediatric residency and pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and has interests in using Quality Improvement science to improve the medical care provided to children. He completed the Quality Improvement Academic Community during his residency and continues to use Model for Improvement methodology to drive improvements in decision support and patient safety within the pediatric emergency department. His efforts have focused on reducing chest x-rays in bronchiolitis, improving clinician documentation accuracy, improving evidence-based screening for non-accidental trauma, and standardizing sedation in intubated patients. He has a growing interest in clinical decision support and building an infrastructure for real-time performance monitoring to support further innovation.

Dr. Jacob Kaslow's research focuses on children who are technology dependent for respiratory support, including those with neuromuscular diseases and chronic respiratory failure. His primary interests are improving the care and quality of life in children who require mechanical ventilation through a tracheostomy. Dr. Kaslow is a founding member of a regional children's hospital collaboration to assess, develop and implement improved outpatient management of patients on mechanical ventilation. He also works to identify and promote alternative ways to improve the delivery of care to these patients and their families/caregivers.

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