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Heidi M. FeldmanAcademic Appointments
Appointment
Organization
Professor - Med Center Line
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Curriculum Vitae PDF
NIH Biosketch DocHonors & Awards
Title
Organization
Date(s)
Ballinger-Swindells Endowed Professorship in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
Stanford University School of Medicine
2006 - present
Academy of Master Educators
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
2006
Outstanding Alumna
University of California San Diego
2003
Ronald L and Patricia M Violi Professor of Pediatrics and Child Development
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh
2001-2006
Excellence in Education Award
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
2000
13 honors and awards: view full list
Administrative Appointments
Title
Organization
Start Year
End Year
Medical Director
Development and Behavior Unit, LPCH
2006
-
Professional Education
Degree
Awarding Institution
Field of Study
Year of Graduation
MD
University of CA San Diego
Medicine
1979
PhD
University of PA
Developmental Psychology
1975
Postdoctoral Advisees
Brian Tang
Research Interests
I am a developmental-behavioral pediatrician with long-standing research interests in child language. Language development in young children is central to the acquisition of information, learning, and social interactions. I have studied children developing typically and children with a variety of clinical conditions that put language learning at risk, either because the condition alters access to environmental input or to the neural substrates that usually process language.
I am a member of a productive research team that investigated the long-term developmental consequences of otitis media with effusion. This research has documented that early placement of tympanostomy tubes does not confer any developmental advantages over watchful waiting in children with chronic middle ear effusions. Because the design of the study was a randomized clinical trial, the strong implication is that middle ear effusion does not cause developmental compromise in speech, language, cognition, or reading. The results have major clinical significance and have been cited in the revisions of practice guidelines for management of otitis media with effusion.
I have also studied children who sustain neural injuries prior to language learning, including focal injuries to what are considered classic language areas of the brain. These children learn to understand and speak competently during the preschool years, though some show mild to moderate developmental delays. Differences between children with left and right hemisphere damage are minimal. Children with neural injuries continue to perform below the level of their age-matched peers into school age, though both groups show improvements in performance at least through at 12 years. Functional magnetic resonance imaging shows that unlike adults or children developing typically, children with early neural injuries activate right hemisphere areas during language processing. These studies provide an insight into the mechanisms of plasticity in the neural systems of language development. I am currently launching a study on children with perinatal white matter injuries to determine if the integrity of white matter tracks can explain which areas of the brain become activated during language and other cognitive tasks.
I am also extremely interested in improving the delivery of health care to children with developmental and behavioral disorders. To this end, I am supervising and participating in a study on applications of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), to care coordination and long-term planning for young adutls with developmental disorders transitioning into adult health care systems. The ICF may also prove a valuable tool within the medical home for children with developmental disorders.
I am a member of a productive research team that investigated the long-term developmental consequences of otitis media with effusion. This research has documented that early placement of tympanostomy tubes does not confer any developmental advantages over watchful waiting in children with chronic middle ear effusions. Because the design of the study was a randomized clinical trial, the strong implication is that middle ear effusion does not cause developmental compromise in speech, language, cognition, or reading. The results have major clinical significance and have been cited in the revisions of practice guidelines for management of otitis media with effusion.
I have also studied children who sustain neural injuries prior to language learning, including focal injuries to what are considered classic language areas of the brain. These children learn to understand and speak competently during the preschool years, though some show mild to moderate developmental delays. Differences between children with left and right hemisphere damage are minimal. Children with neural injuries continue to perform below the level of their age-matched peers into school age, though both groups show improvements in performance at least through at 12 years. Functional magnetic resonance imaging shows that unlike adults or children developing typically, children with early neural injuries activate right hemisphere areas during language processing. These studies provide an insight into the mechanisms of plasticity in the neural systems of language development. I am currently launching a study on children with perinatal white matter injuries to determine if the integrity of white matter tracks can explain which areas of the brain become activated during language and other cognitive tasks.
I am also extremely interested in improving the delivery of health care to children with developmental and behavioral disorders. To this end, I am supervising and participating in a study on applications of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), to care coordination and long-term planning for young adutls with developmental disorders transitioning into adult health care systems. The ICF may also prove a valuable tool within the medical home for children with developmental disorders.
Publications
- Loe IM, Feldman HM "Academic and educational outcomes of children with ADHD." Ambul Pediatr 2007 Jan-Feb; 7: 1 Suppl: 82-90 More »
- Loe IM, Feldman HM "Academic and educational outcomes of children with ADHD." J Pediatr Psychol 2007; 32: 6: 643-54 More »
- Feldman HM, "Using the language characteristics of clinical populations to understand normal language development." Pediatr Clin North Am 2007; 54: 3: 585-607 More »
- Paradise JL, Feldman HM, Campbell TF, Dollaghan CA, Rockette HE, Pitcairn DL, Smith CG, Colborn DK, Bernard BS, Kurs-Lasky M, Janosky JE, Sabo DL, O'Connor RE, Pelham WE "Tympanostomy tubes and developmental outcomes at 9 to 11 years of age." N Engl J Med 2007; 356: 3: 248-61 More »
- Feldman HM, Paradise JL "Commentary on Hooper et al." J Dev Behav Pediatr 2006; 27: 4: 336-7 More »
57 publications: view full list
