Faculty Scholars Program

"The Arline and Pete Harman Faculty Scholar Award presents a remarkable opportunity for me to cultivate new skills in cost-effectiveness methods through didactic coursework and experiential training. With this award, we are collaborating with national experts to gather cost data for an ongoing R01 study (Water First) that we are conducting to examine how promoting fresh water intake in schools impacts childrens' intake of sugary drinks and obesity. This data will support future proposals to estimate the long-term cost-effectiveness and population health impacts of the Water First intervention."

Anisha I. Patel, MD, MSPH, MSHS
Arline and Pete Harman Endowed Faculty Scholar (2018-2021)
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

2024 Awardees

Elizabeth S. Egan, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases)                                                                                                                               Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine                                                                Study Title: Investigating Novel Host Erythrocyte Determinants of Malaria Infection

Bereketeab Haileselassie, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Critical Care Medicine)                                                                                                                              The Stephen Bechtel Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine 
Study Title: Targeting Mitochondrial Dynamics – Novel Approach for Preventing Graft Versus Host Disease Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant 

Juliet Knowles, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences (Child Neurology)                                                                              Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine                                                      Study Title: Translational Research toward Novel, Disease Modifying Treatments for Pediatric Generalized Epilepsy 

Jonathan Samuel Litt, MD, MPH
Associate Professor, Pediatrics (Neonatal and Developmental Medicine)                                                                                   Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine
Study Title: The Roles of Neonatal Multimorbidity and Epigenetic Age in Predicting Long-Term Functional Outcomes in Preterm Infants

Christopher Russell, MD
Associate Professor, Pediatrics (Pediatric Hospital Medicine)                                                                                                            Laurie Kraus Lacob Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine 
Study Title: Promoting Health Equity and Quality of Life After Respiratory-Related Hospitalizations for Children with Medical Complexity

2023 Awardees

Kara Davis, DO
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine)                Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Cancer and Blood Diseases                                                      Study Title: Relapse Prediction and Mechanism of Drug Resistance of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Natalia Gomez-Ospina, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Medical Genetics)
Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine
Study Title: Transforming Krabbe Disease Treatment: Synergizing Autologous Transplantation and Novel Conditioning Strategies for Enhanced Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Prasanna Jagannathan, MD
Assistant Professor, Medicine (Infectious Diseases)
The Woods Family Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine
Study Title: Tuning the Innate Immune Response to Malaria

Anca Pasca, MD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Neonatology & Developmental Medicine)
Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine
Study Title: Investigating the Protective Role of Fetal Hemoglobin in the Prevention of Prematurity-Related Brain and Lung Injury

Brad Zuchero, PhD
Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery
Covert-Matera Families Endowed Faculty Scholar
Study Title: Mechanisms of Myelin Tuning During Development of the Central Nervous System

2022 Awardees

Tamar Green, MD
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry (Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences)
The Stephen Bechtel Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine
Study Title: A Dyadic Modeling Approach to Improve Prognosis for Children at High Risk for Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Christin Kuo, MD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Pulmonary Disease)
Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine
Study Title: Elucidating lung developmental pathways in the pathogenesis of pediatric respiratory diseases

Michael Ma, MD
Assistant Professor, Cardiothoracic Surgery (Pediatric Cardiac Surgery)
Covert-Matera Families Endowed Faculty Scholar
Study Title: Ex Vivo Simulation of Complex Congenital Heart Disease: Understanding the Biomechanics in Pathophysiologic and Repaired States

Kelly Mahaney, MD
Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery (Pediatric Neurosurgery)
The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health Faculty Scholar
Study Title: Role of iron-mediated injury in post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) following severe neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH)

Katherine Elizabeth Travis, MD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Developmental Behavioral)
Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine
Study Title: Towards improving brain health and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children born preterm: Leveraging clinical MRI and medical records data for research and for clinical care

2021 Awards

Danton Char, MD, MAS
Laurie Kraus Lacob Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine
Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Study Title: Integration of Pediatric Palliative Care and Cardiac Ventricular Assist Device Care for Children.

Sushma Reddy, MD
Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Faculty Scholar
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Cardiology)
Study Title: A Non-invasive Signature of Myocardial Signaling in Children with Single Ventricle Heart Failure

Bo Yu, MD, MS
Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine
Assistant Professor,  Obstetrics & Gynecology (Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility)
Study Title: Non-Invasive Preconceptual Chromosomal Diagnosis in Living Sperm