Jennifer Laws, MD

Jennifer
Laws
MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
Critical Care Medicine
Delivery Address
Doctors' Office Tower
2200 Children's Way
Room / Suite
11215
Nashville
Tennessee
37232-9500
jennifer.c.laws@vumc.org

MD
St. Louis University School of Medicine
Residency and Chief Residency
Pediatrics - Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Fellowship
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine - Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Clinical Interests
neurocritical care, sedation practices in traumatic brain injury, and medical education

Christopher Ekker, MD

Christopher
Ekker
MD
Assistant Residency Director
Pediatric Residency Program
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
General Pediatrics

Dr. Ekker completed medical school at LSU New Orleans. He moved to Nashville in 2018 for residency at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and has been here ever since. He continued his training as a chief resident and transitioned into faculty in the Division of Academic General Pediatrics, where he was able to continue pursuing his interest in resident education and mentorship. Clinically, Dr. Ekker is interested in preventative medicine and adolescent sexual health. His scholarly interests include fostering clinical reasoning and enhancing educational delivery in the outpatient setting.

When he’s not at work, Dr. Ekker enjoys spending time with his dog, reaping the—modest—benefits of his backyard garden, and exploring the Nashville restaurant and music scene.

Delivery Address
Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks
719 Thompson Ln
Room / Suite
30300
Nashville
Tennessee
37204
christopher.ekker@vumc.org

General Pediatrics, Adolescent Health, Curriculum Development

Specialty
General Pediatrics
M.D.
Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans
Residency
Pediatrics - Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Chief Residency
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Jordan Busing, MD

Jordan
Busing
MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
Clinic Phone
(615) 322-7449
Delivery Address
Doctors' Office Tower
2200 Children's Way
Room / Suite
10th Floor
Nashville
Tennessee
37232-9175

Dr. Busing's research interests include esophageal atresia surveillance, use of non-invasive technology for evaluation of esophageal diseases, and physiology.

jordan.d.busing@vumc.org

Esophageal Diseases (including esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula, aerodigestive medicine, eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), esophageal strictures, GERD/reflux), Eosinophilic GI Disorders, General Pediatric Gastroenterology

M.D.
University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Residency
Pediatrics - Vanderbilt University Medical Center/Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN
Fellowship
Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition - Vanderbilt University Medical Center/Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN

Marina Zaky, MD

Marina
Zaky
MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
General Pediatrics
(615) 875-7337
Delivery Address
2141 Blakemore Ave
Nashville
Tennessee
37212-3505
marina.m.zaky.1@vumc.org

Health literacy

M.D.
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Residency
Pediatrics - Vanderbilt University Medical Center/Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt

Meaghan Ransom, MD, MPH

Meaghan
Ransom
MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Neonatology
Delivery Address
Doctors' Office Tower
2200 Children's Way
Room / Suite
11111
Nashville
Tennessee
37232-9545

Dr. Ransom's research program is focused on clinical and translational research to improve outcomes for patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). She is an active member of the BPD Collaborative and is involved in several ongoing multi-center research studies.

meaghan.ransom@vumc.org

Neonatal Medicine, Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Prenatal Counseling, Epidemiology, Medical Education

Specialty
Neonatology
M.D.
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
M.P.H.
Epidemiology - The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health
Residency
Pediatrics - Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Fellowship
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine - Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Hannah Martin, MD

Hannah
Martin
MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
General Pediatrics
(615) 936-9840
Delivery Address
2141 Blakemore Ave
Nashville
Tennessee
37212-3505
hannah.k.martin@vumc.org

Primary care

M.D.
Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Residency
Pediatrics - Vanderbilt University Medical Center/Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt

Samantha Lee, MD

Samantha
Lee
MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
General Pediatrics
(615) 936-9840
Delivery Address
2141 Blakemore Ave
Nashville
Tennessee
37212-3505
samantha.lee@vumc.org

Primary Care, Newborn Medicine

M.D.
Medical College of Georgia
Residency
Pediatrics - Vanderbilt University Medical Center/Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt

Devang J. Pastakia, MD

Devang
J.
Pastakia
MD
Associate Residency Director
Pediatric Residency Program
Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Dr. Pastakia received his medical degree from New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey and completed his pediatric residency at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. He remained in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area for his Pediatric Hematology-Oncology fellowship in the combined NIH/Johns Hopkins program and then joined the VUMC faculty in 2011.

Dr. Pastakia's main clinical focus is pediatric neuro-oncology, and he has worked closely with multiple subspecialists to help build the pediatric brain tumor program at Vanderbilt. He has been involved in medical education since joining the faculty. He is currently the faculty co-lead for the medical education academic community for the pediatric residency program. He works closely with the pediatric hematology fellows as the associate fellowship director and clinical mentor. He looks forward to becoming more involved in resident recruitment, education, and career development as assistant director for the pediatric residency program.

In his free time, Dr. Pastakia spends as much time as possible with his wife and two boys enjoying sports and all that Nashville has to offer.

(615) 936-1762
Preston Research Building
2220 Pierce Ave
Room / Suite
397
Nashville
Tennessee
37232-6310

Dr. Pastakia's primary clinical and research interest is pediatric neuro-oncology.  He co-leads the pediatric neuro-oncology team. Dr. Pastakia completed his residency training in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, MD.He remained in the area to complete his pediatric hematology oncology fellowship at the combined NIH-Johns Hopkins training program.  During his fellowship, his primary research focus was evaluating the CNS pharmacokinetics of chemotherapy agents using microdialysis in a non-human primate animal model.  Since joining the faculty at Vanderbilt in 2011, he has worked with a multidisciplinary team to provide the most advanced therapeutic options for all pediatric brain tumor patients managed at VCH.  He is involved in multiple national consortiums, including COG, Beat Childhood Cancer, and SOPNOC, whose focus is developing trials to optimize care for pediatric neuro-oncology patients.  Dr. Pastakia is also involved in medical education at Vanderbilt. He is the co-leader of the medical education academic community for the pediatric residency program. He works closely with pediatric residents in developing multiple scholarly projects that focuses on improving the educational experience for pediatric residents and methods to evaluate the benefit of these interventions.

devang.pastakia@vumc.org

Brain tumors, pediatric oncology, pediatric neuro-oncology

Specialty
Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric
M.D.
New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
Residency
Pediatric Residency - Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
Fellowships
Pediatric Hematology Fellowship-Oncology - Johns Hopkins Medical Center and National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD and Bethesda, MD