Morgridge Faculty Scholars

Current Awardees

  • Anupama Narla, MD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2017-2022)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Hematology & Oncology)
    Study Title: Molecular Targeting of Erythroid Progenitors and Ribosomes for the Treatment of Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes
  • Manish Saggar, MD, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2020-2025)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
    Study Title: A Computational Neuropsychiatry Approach Towards Characterizing Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development
  • Peter Santa Maria, MD, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2020-2025)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology (Otology & Neurotology)
    Study Title: Sensory hearing loss in chronic suppurative otitis media
  • Suzanne Tharin, MD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2020-2025)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery
    Study Title: microRNA control of connectivity in the developing central nervous system
  • Keith Van Haren, MD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2020-2025)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
    Study Title: Multi-omic Modeling of Vitamin D in the Blood and Brain of ALD Boys and ABCD1-null Mice
  • Christin Kuo, MD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2022-2027)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Pulmonary Medicine)
    Study Title: Elucidating lung developmental pathways in the pathogenesis of pediatric respiratory diseases
  • Katherine Travis, PHD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2022-2027)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor (Research) Of Pediatrics (Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics)
    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
  • Natalia Gomez-Ospina, MD, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2023-2028)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Medical Genetics)
    Study Title: Transforming Krabbe Disease Treatment: Synergizing Autologous Transplantation and Novel Conditioning Strategies for Enhanced
  • Anca Pasca, MD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2023-2028)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Neonatology & Developmental Medicine)
    Study Title: Investigating the Protective Role of Fetal Hemoglobin in the Prevention of Prematurity-Related Brain and Lung Injury
  • Juliet Knowles, MD, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2024-2029)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor of Neurology (Pediatric Neurology) and of Pediatrics
    Study Title: Translational research toward novel, disease modifying treatments for pediatric generalized epilepsy
  • Jonathan Samuel Litt, MD, MPH, ScD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2024-2029)
    Title at Time of Award: Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatal and Developmental Medicine)
    Study Title: The Roles of Neonatal Multimorbidity and Epigenetic Age in Predicting Long-term Functional Outcomes in Preterm Infants

Past Holders

  • Claudia Mueller, MD, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2008-2013)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Pediatric Surgery)
    Study Title: Psychological Implications of Childhood Illness
  • Julien Sage, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2008-2014)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Cancer Biology (Pediatric)
    Study Title: The RB Gene Family in Cancer Initiation
  • Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, MD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2009-2015)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Cancer Biology (Pediatric)
    Study Title: Employing Genetic Approaches to Dissect the Cancer Signaling Pathways that Underlie the Pathogenesis of Ewing’s Sarcoma 
  • Shreyas Vasanawala, MD, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2009-2017)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Radiology)
    Study Title: Anesthesia-Free Pediatric MRI
  • Samuel H. Cheshier, MD, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2012-2017)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Neurosurgery)
    Study Title: Anti-CD47 Monoclonal Antibody for the Treatment of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma and Medulloblastoma: Preclinical Studies Modeling Pediatric Patients to Target Tumor and Tumor Stem Cells
  • Manish J. Butte, MD, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2013-2016)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Immunology)
    Study Title: Mechanical Forces in T-Cell Function
  • Marius Wernig, MD, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2013-2018)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Pathology-Stem Cell Institute
    Study Title: Direct lineage reprogramming to study and treat connatal brain disease
  • Cristina Alvira, MD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2015-2020)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Critical Care)
    Study Title: Essential Physiologic Roles for Nuclear Factor Kappa -B during Lung Development
  • Catherine Blish, MD, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2015-2020)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Infectious Disease)
    Study Title: Inflammatory pathways of pregnancy, viral infection, and preterm birth
  • David Camarillo, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2015-2020)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Bioengineering
    Study Title: Autonomous Ablation Treatment of Cardiac Arrhythmia Using Robotic Catheters
  • Alexander Urban, PhD
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2016-2019)
    Title at Time of Award: Assistant Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences-Behavioral Sciences
    Study Title: A Transgenic marmoset model for neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Elizabeth Egan, MD, PhD 
    Tashia and John Morgridge Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine (2017-2022)
    Assistant Professor, Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases)
    Study Title: Investigating Novel Host Erythrocyte Determinants of Malaria Infection