Dr. Weitlauf is the Associate Director of Research at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD). She is a nationally recognized expert in the early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and co-author on multiple Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reviews of ASD identification and intervention practices. She has been co-investigator or key personnel on grants funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Mental Health, the Department of Defense, and the Centers for Disease Control, as well as being Principal Investigator of a HRSA-funded longitudinal trial examining parent-focused stress intervention within the context of early ASD diagnosis and intervention. Her key research interests include facilitating early identification of ASD in community settings, the impact of ASD on family functioning and parenting stress, and the application of novel technologies to identify and support individuals with ASD and their families.

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The focus of Dr. Weitkamp's research and scholarly work has been in neonatal immunology, neonatal infectious disease and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). He is specifically interested in the prenatal influences on the developing immune system. As the Director for Patient-Oriented Research, Dr. Weitkamp oversees numerous clinical trials and translational studies in neonatology. He is also a member of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and chairs the Research Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.  

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Dr. Warren's research focuses on early detection and intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as the development of technological applications for potential intervention.  Dr. Warren has served as the Principal Investigator of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tennessee Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM) network site since it was originally funded in 2015.  Most recently Dr. Warren has studied the development of novel tools to enable tele-health and technology-enabled assessment of ASD.  

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Dr. Walsh's clinical research focuses on determining the optimal ways to care for critically ill infants. Recent projects include a randomized trial of nitric oxide for prevention of chronic lung disease in premature infants and a randomized trial of fetal surgery vs. post-natal repair of myelomeningocele. He is presently looking at the effects of state-wide screening for critical congenital heart disease on outcomes. He is also studying the use of erythropoietin to ameliorate injury from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and working with colleagues in nursing to research pregnancy outcomes in Tennessee and the effect of targeted interventions.

Dr. Emmanuel Volanakis is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He completed his Pediatrics training at Baylor College of Medicine and his Pediatric Hematology/Oncology training at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He is interested in the care of children and young adults with sickle cell disease and other hemoglobinopathies. He has served as the site investigator for industry sponsored and investigator initiated multicenter clinical trials.

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