Pediatric Research Conferences

Pediatric Research Conferences are held every Monday from noon-1:00pm.
All conferences are being held virtually via Teams until further notice.

2023

January 2
Winter Break -  No Noon Research Conference

January 9
Faculty Meeting -  No Noon Research Conference

January 16
Martin Luther King Jr. Day -  No Noon Research Conference

January 23
Steven D. Townsend, PhD
Professor, Department of Chemistry
Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
Vanderbilt University
“Human Milk as a tool for Non-Infant Illness”

January 30
Leigh M. Howard, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Viral Interactions with Streptococcus pneumoniae in the Pathogenesis of Acute Respiratory Illness"

February 6
Faculty Meeting -  No Noon Research Conference

February 13
Prince J. Kannankeril, MSCI, MD
Professor of Pediatrics, Cardiology
Co-Director, Vanderbilt Center for Pediatric Precision Medicine
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt 
"Precision Medicine in Pediatric Cardiology"

February 20
President's Day - No Noon Research Conference

February 27
John T. Benjamin, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Neonatology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
“From BPD to COPD: Mechanistic Insights into the Developmental Origins of Lung Disease”

March 6
Faculty Meeting -  No Noon Research Conference

March 13
Spring Break -  No Noon Research Conference

March 20
Rebecca A. Simmons, MD
Hallam Hurt Professor Pediatrics
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
"Traffic Cops: Extracellular vesicles in the preimplantation embryo"

March 27
Jaclyn Tamaroff, MD 
Instructor in Pediatrics 
Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt 
"Glycemia, Insulin Sensitivity, and Cardiomyopathy in Neuromuscular Disorders"

April 3
Faculty Meeting -  No Noon Research Conference

April 10
Research Week - K12 Awardees

Michael Miller, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Critical Care Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
“The Pro-Inflammatory Role Of ecSOD: An Unexpected Contributor To TNF⍺ Signaling”

Kristen Noble. MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Neonatology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"TLR8 signaling is an important part of the placental macrophage response to Group B Streptococcal infection"

Bryce A. Schuler, MD, PhD
Clinical Instructor, Genetics
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Facilitating Earlier Genetic Diagnoses in the NICU by Utilizing Electronic Health Record Phenotype Patterns"

April 17
Turner Hazinski Awardees

Cristin Q. Fritz, MD, MPH 
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Hospital Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Novel Mobile Resource for Food Insecurity (NO MORE FI)"

Jason R. Schwartz, MD, PhD 
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Characterizing the Role of SAMD9 and SAMD9L in Inflammatory Signaling"

April 24
No Noon Research Conference

May 1
PAS Meeting -  No Noon Research Conference

May 8
Faculty Meeting -  No Noon Research Conference

May 15
Sarah S. Osmundson, MD, MS
Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
“Prescription opioid use and spontaneous preterm birth”

May 22
Ripla Arora, PhD
Assistant Professor
Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering
Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology
Michigan State University
"Illuminating the (uterine) path: from embryo movement to implantation."
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May 29

Memorial Day -  No Noon Research Conference

June 5
Faculty Meeting -  No Noon Research Conference

Pediatric Research Conference Will Resume Fall 2023
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PAST CONFERENCES

2022

January 3
No Noon Research Conference - Winter Break

January 10
Faculty Meeting (No Noon Research Conference)

January 17
No Noon Research Conference - Martin Luther King Day

January 24
Timothy J. Mead, PhD
Research Associate
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute
"Proteolysis optimizes composition of fibrillin microfibrils during embryogenesis"

January 31
Drew J. Schwartz, MD, PhD
Instructor, Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Laboratory of Gautam Dantas, PhD
Washington University School of Medicine
"Role of the gut microbiome in neonatal late-onset sepsis"

February 7
Faculty Meeting (No Noon Research Conference)

February 14
Jason R. Schwartz, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
"Using a Human iPSC Model of Pediatric MDS to Understand the Hematopoietic Impacts of Germline SAMD9/9L Mutations"

February 21
Joshua Doyle, MD, PhD
Fellow
Pediatric Infectious Diseases
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
"Vaccine protection against viral infection - From preclinical data to real-world effectiveness"

February 28
Amy E. Noser, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellowship
Center for Treatment Adherence and Self-Management
Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
"Leveraging Health Technology to Promote Behavior Change"

March 7
Faculty Meeting (No Noon Research Conference)

March 14
No Noon Research Conference - Spring Break

March 21
M. Indriati Hood Pishchany, MD, PhD
Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Assistant in Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases
Boston Children's Hospital
"Competition for nutrient commodities in vaginal microbiota"

March 28
Stephen W. Patrick, MD, MPH, MS, FAAP
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy
Director, Center for Child Health Policy
Executive Director, Firefly
Division of Neonatology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"How are Tennessee Children Doing During COVID-19? Results From the Vanderbilt Child Health Poll"

April 4
Pediatric Research Week - K12 Scholars

Michael Miller, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"A Novel Role of Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase in the Function of TNFα and Integrin Signaling"

Frank J. Raucci, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Pediatric Cardiology
Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University
"Developing a Translational Research Program in Neuromuscular Cardiomyopathies"

April 11
Pediatric Research Week - 2021 Turner-Hazinski Awardee Project Updates

Mhd Wael Alrifai, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Neonatology
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"The evaluation of an EHR integrated model for provider workload measurement"

Michael S. Wolf, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"A Personalized Medicine Approach to Cerebral Edema in Diabetic Ketoacidosis"

April 18
Tara McKay, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine, Health, and Society
Vanderbilt University
"Trends in VCH Pediatric Emergency Department Visits for Gun Shot Wound, 2018-2021"

April 25
No Noon Research Conference - Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting

May 2
No Noon Research Conference - Please join us in 208 Light Hall for Dr. David Skorton's presentation

May 9
Faculty Meeting (No Noon Research Conference)

May 16
Hyung-Lok Chung, PhD
Department of Molecular and Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine
"From rare to common diseases: The Role of Very Long Chain Fatty Acids in ACOX1 deficiency and Multiple Sclerosis"

May 23
Justin M. Gregory, MD, MSCI
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Endocrinology
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
"COVID-19 Exacerbates Insulin Resistance During Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Pediatric Patients with Type 1 Diabetes"

May 30
No Noon Research Conference - Memorial Day

June 6
No Noon Research Conference

September 5
Labor Day - No Noon Research Conference

September 12
Jörn-Hendrik Weitkamp, MD
Director of Patient Oriented Research
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Clinical Trials in the NICU –Opportunities & Challenges"

September 19
Sharon McGrath-Morrow, MBA, MD
Associate Chief, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine
Distinguished Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
"Cellular and Molecular Dynamics in the Lungs of Neonatal and Juvenile Mice in response to E. coli"

September 26
Michelle J. White, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Population Health Sciences
Division of Hospital Medicine
Duke University Medical Center
"From Risk to Resilience: Fostering Strengths to Achieve Child Health Equity"

October 3
Faculty Meeting - No Noon Research Conference

October 10
Fall Break - No Noon Research Conference 

October 17
Jelte Kelchtermans, MD
Pediatric Pulmonology Fellow
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
“Variable sensitivity to air pollution in Pediatric Asthma”

October 24
Jennifer L. Herington, PhD
Assistant Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Pharmacology
Division of Neonatology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Tocolytic drug discovery and targeted delivery for the management of preterm labor."

October 31
Jonathan H. Soslow, MD, MSCI
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Pediatric Cardiac Imaging Research Center
"Imaging Biomarkers for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Cardiomyopathy"

November 7
Faculty Meeting - No Noon Research Conference

November 14
Ashley Leech, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor  
Department of Health Policy
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
"Treatment for opioid use disorder: Advancing maternal and birth outcomes"

November 21
Thanksgiving Holiday - No Noon Research Conference 

November 28
James E. Cassat, MD, PhD
Associate Director, Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Associate Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
“Osteo-immunologic crosstalk in infectious and inflammatory disease”

December 5
Faculty Meeting - No Noon Research Conference

December 12
Fred S. Lamb, MD, PhD
Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Pediatrics Critical Care Medicine
Division Director,  Pediatric Critical Care
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Novel concepts in redox signaling; location, location, location!"

December 19
Winter Break -  No Noon Research Conference

December 26
Winter Break -  No Noon Research Conference

2021

September 6
No Noon Research Conference - Labor Day

September 13
Ryan Stark, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Have We Figured Out Endothelial Dysfunction in Acute Inflammation? The Answer is NO"

September 20
Laura E. Henkhaus, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Data Science Institute, Vanderbilt University
Department of Health Policy, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Center for Child Health Policy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Adverse Childhood Experiences and Support for Children in Tennessee"

September 27
Maribeth R. Nicholson, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
Associate Program Director
Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Fellowship Program
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Diagnosis and Treatment of C. difficile in Children: Two steps forward, one step back"

October 4
Faculty Meeting (No Noon Research Conference)

October 11
No Noon Research Conference - Fall Break

October 18
Kristen Noble, MD, PhD
Instructor in Pediatrics, Neonatology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Deciphering the role of macrophages in intrauterine Group B Streptococcal infection"

October 25
Eric D. Austin, MD, MSCI
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonary Medicine
Director, Vanderbilt Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"It's no longer 'idiopathic': Advances in BPD-associated Pulmonary Hypertension"

November 1
Faculty Meeting (No Noon Research Conference)

November 8
Paul E. Moore, MD
Director, Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonary Medicine
Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs
Department of Pediatrics
Professor of Pediatrics and Pharmacology
Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonary Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
"Respiratory Outcomes in Children with BPD"

November 15
Megan Culler Freeman, MD, PhD
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellow
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
"Respiratory and intestinal epithelial cells exhibit differential susceptibility and innate immune responses to contemporary EV-D68 isolates"

November 22
No Noon Research Conference - Thanksgiving Holiday

November 29
Lori Jordan, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Neurology and Radiology
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
"Mechanisms of brain oxygen use and cerebral infarcts in sickle cell anemia"

December 6
TBA

December 13
No Faculty Meeting or Noon Research Conference - Faculty Meeting Cancelled

December 20
Jason R. Schwartz, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
"Using a Human iPSC model of Pediatric MDS to Understand the Hematopoietic Impacts of Germline SAMD9/9L Mutations"

December 27
No Noon Research Conference - Winter Break

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Sponsorship Statement: Sponsored by Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Department of Pediatrics.

Accreditation Statement: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation Statement: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s). Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure Statement: It is the policy of the ACCME and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine to require disclosure of financial relationships from individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity; to identify and resolve conflicts of interest related to those relationships; and to make disclosure information available to the audience prior to the CME activity. Presenters are required to disclose discussions of unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or devices during their presentations.

Please contact Angie Tune by email at angie.tune@vumc.org with any questions.