Clarissa has always maintained she would one day be a pediatrician. Growing up in Lexington, KY with stethoscopes and reflex hammers in her toy box, she began honing her physical exam skills as early as three years old with guidance from her pediatrician mother and internist father. She later moved south to earn a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Linguistics at Emory University before returning to Kentucky to complete her medical schooling at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Never wavering in her commitment to a career in pediatrics, she found child neurology in her third-year and knew it was her dream specialty.

Outside of medicine, she is an avid birder and enjoys traveling to view exotic species or sitting in her backyard seeing which species may come visit for the first time. She, her husband, and their dog, Lilly, love hiking, country music concerts, off-roading, boating, and photography. They can’t wait to explore Nashville and all the great opportunities the city provides for each of these hobbies.

Ranjani was raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she earned her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience. Through the support of a grant from the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, she completed and published a study on the role of inflammation within the PD pathway.

She completed her medical education at the UAB School of Medicine and left Alabama to complete her Pediatrics residency at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. She represented Virginia at the annual AAP Advocacy Conference. Following residency, she completed an additional year as a Neonatal Hospitalist working in community Level II NICUs.

Ranjani's interests include congenital cardiology, hemodynamics, and legislative advocacy.

She enjoys sitting on her balcony with her cats, painting, watching horror movies, and strength training.

Chondraah was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa. She attended Wartburg College where she earned her undergraduate degree in Biology and a Leadership Certificate minor. She then earned her Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) from Meharry Medical College followed by a Master of Science in Biology from Tennessee State University. She continued her medical education at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine where she discovered her love for Pediatrics. She headed back to the Midwest to complete her Pediatrics residency and a Chief residency at Medical College of Wisconsin/Children's Wisconsin. Chondraah's clinical interests include health disparities regarding infant mortality, perinatal viability, and neonatal ethics.

Outside of the hospital, Chondraah enjoys line dancing, exploring new nail designs, being an active member in her church and community, mentoring, and learning new hobbies.

Katie is from the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. She received her BS in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. She attended medical school at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, followed by residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She is interested in neonatal palliative care, community based participatory research, and approaches to mitigate the impact of social determinants of health in the NICU.

In her free time, Katie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, exploring new restaurants, going to farmers’ markets, and hiking.

Katherine was born and raised in Miami, Florida and attended Florida State University earning her undergraduate in Exercise Science with a minor in Family Relationships. Prior to continuing her medical education at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine where she ultimately discovered her passion for Neonatology, she was a high school teacher and swim coach. She then went on to complete her Pediatrics residency and Chief residency at the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. Kathy’s clinical interests include neurodevelopment in extremely premature infants, neonatal nutrition, health care disparities, quality improvement, and medical education.

In her free time, she enjoys board games and puzzles, traveling, and spending time with her large Hispanic family, especially her 3 precious nieces.

Areas of Interest: Health services research, quality improvement, and implementation science focused on pediatric mental health

Prior Presentations and Publications:

Publications

• Arar, S., Hall, M., Johnson, K., Katragadda, H., Martinez, K., Dadwani, A., Chen, C. N., Devarakonda, A., Gribbons, M., Challa, L., Gupta, A. T., Patel, A., Solomon, C., Nunneley, C. E., Lee, B. C., & Yu, A. G. (2024). Hospital costs and reimbursement for short-stay inpatient versus observation status hospitalizations for children with medical complexity. Journal of hospital medicine, 10.1002/jhm.13423. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhm.13423.
• Masserano, B., Hall, M., Wolf, R., Diedrich, A., Gupta, A., Yu, A. G., Johnson, K., & Mittal, V. (2024). Pharmacologic Restraint Use During Mental Health Admissions to Children's Hospitals. Pediatrics, 153(1), e2023062784. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-062784.
• Moody, G., Mittal, V., Gupta, A.T., Challa, L., Manly, D., Milholen, R. Reducing Asthma Length of Stay: A Multidisciplinary Quality Improvement Initiative. (2022) Respiratory Care. 67 (Suppl 10) 3764589.

Presentations

• Gupta, A.T., Hall, M., Masserano, B., Johnson, Katherine., Challa, L., Chen, Clifford., Katraganda, H., Mittal, V. (2023). Trends in Resource Utilization for New-Onset Acute Psychosis Hospitalizations at Children’s Hospitals Across US. Upcoming Oral Presentation at Pediatric Hospital Medicine Conference.
• Masserano, B., Hall, M., Wolf, R., Diedrich, A., Gupta, A.T., Yu, A., Johnson, K., Mittal, V. (2023. Pharmacologic Restraint Use During Mental Health Admissions to Children’s Hospitals. Oral Presentation at Pediatric Academic Society Meeting.
• Gupta, A.T., Challa, L., Moody, G., Mittal, V. (2021). Decreasing Length of Stay in Pediatric Patients with Status Asthmaticus: A QI Study. Presented at UT Southwestern Research Symposium.
• Gupta, A.T., Lieu, T., Maple, K., Mittal, V., Rao, D. (2020). Understanding Psychosocial Comorbidities in Adolescents with E-cigarette or Vaping, Product-Use Associated Lung Injury (EVALI). Presented at AAP National Conference.
• Tewari, A., Barratt, M.S., Ellis, C.R., Keefe, R.J. (2015). SEEKing to Improve Care: A QI Project to Improve Screening for Psychosocial Stressors in a Pediatric Continuity Clinic. Presented at the UT Health McGovern Medical School Summer Research Program Symposium in Houston, TX.
• Tewari, A., Duque, G., Ewing-Cobbs, L. (2016). Predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder in pediatric trauma patients. Presented at the Florida Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics 3rd Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.

Personal Interests: While most of my time lately is spent obsessing over my 5-month-old son, I do have a lot of interests outside of him! I love traveling and exploring new cities and countries - my favorite destination thus far has been Thailand. My husband and I love food and we are so excited to try new restaurants in Nashville. My favorite way to decompress is by working out - I love going for walks around the neighborhood with my dog, taking classes on my Peloton, and doing Pilates. Last but certainly not least, I love watching the latest reality TV shows on Netflix.

Why I Chose Vanderbilt: This fellowship program is the perfect balance of excellent clinical experience and robust academic and research training. The previous fellowship graduates have been productive during their training and have moved on to become well respected leaders in the PHM world. The division is home to wonderful clinicians and researchers that are deeply involved in the fellowship program. During my interview, I could immediately tell that the people in this group are not only intelligent, but also kind, inclusive, and welcoming.

It is a huge perk that the program is in Nashville, which is such a unique, diverse, and lively city. I am so excited to get to know both Vanderbilt and Nashville during my time here.

Phoenix, originally from China, completed a combined medical program before pursuing a career in genetics. Inspired by a case involving Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy during her tenure as a Rheumatologist, she transitioned to genetic counseling under the guidance of her mentor from medical school. After obtaining further education in the United States, Phoenix dedicated a decade to serving as a prenatal genetic counselor. Known for her warm-hearted nature and passion for helping others, Phoenix has actively volunteered, providing support to parents at Children's Hospital, caring for ill children at Cavett Camp, and teaching at her local church.

Outside of medicine, Phoenix treasures time with her family and friends, especially her daughter. She enjoys gaming—particularly League of Legends—swimming, cooking, and exploring diverse cuisines.

Samantha was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. She attended The Ohio State University (go bucks!) where she majored in Neuroscience and met her future husband. Throughout her undergraduate years, she was actively involved in teaching opportunities and the Make-A-Wish foundation. In all four years of college, she never missed a home buckeye football game (even on crutches!). She moved back to Toledo for medical school where she discovered her passion for pediatrics and medical education.

Outside of medicine, Samantha enjoys traveling to new places, exploring the local metroparks, trying new restaurants, and watching football. She also enjoys yoga and painting when it's time to relax.

Kristy was born and raised in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. She attended college at Mississippi State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and competed in Track & Field and Cross Country. She went on to earn a master’s degree in food science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion at Mississippi State. Kristy realized at a young age how much she loved working with children when she spent many hours babysitting her younger cousins and other children in her town. From tutoring to mentoring to coaching cross country, her love for working with children has continued to grow. While attending the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, she confirmed her passion for pediatric medicine during her clinical rotations while working with the children and families of the diverse Miami population.

In her free time, Kristy enjoys running, biking, traveling, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her loved ones, including her miniature whoodle, Layla.