COOL PRIME Bios
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Lead PI: Lina Chalak, M.D., M.S.C.S.,
Lina Chalak, M.D., M.S.C.S., is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center. A physician-scientist, she specializes in fetal-neonatal neurology and developmental neuroscience.
Dr. Chalak earned her medical degree at the American University of Beirut, where she also performed a residency in pediatrics. She completed a second residency in pediatrics at Children’s Health in Dallas and received advanced training in neonatal-perinatal medicine and in neonatal resuscitation through fellowships at UT Southwestern. In addition, she holds a master’s degree in clinical science from UT Southwestern.
Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in neonatal-perinatal medicine, she joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2008.
Dr. Chalak’s primary focus is to improve neonatal neurologic care and outcomes. Her synergistic clinical and research programs integrate cutting-edge research and team science clinical care focused on the neonatal brain. Her research trajectory has evolved from bridging translational studies in a piglet model of asphyxia to elucidating mechanisms of neonatal brain injury to conducting clinical trials aimed at optimizing neuroprotection and developing novel physiological biomarkers of brain health. Her interdisciplinary collaborations include nationally funded networks, including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the Neonatal Research Network (NRN).
In parallel with her sustained National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research program, Dr. Chalak created UT Southwestern’s clinical Neurological Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NeuroNICU) program in 2018 and the Fetal and Neonatal Neurology Fellowship Training Program in 2019. Additionally, she is the Associate Chief for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine in UTSW’s Department of Pediatrics.
Dr. Chalak is Co-Chair of the Newborn Brain Society (NBS) Research and Quality Committee, Chair of the NIH NST Study Section, and Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow Western Conference on Perinatal Research. She also serves on the executive council of the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) and the council of the American Pediatric Society (APS). In addition, she is a member of several other professional organizations, including the Perinatal Research Society and the International Perinatal Collegium. She has delivered scores of lectures and presentations and authored more than 100 publications focused on neonatal brain injury research. She serves as Associate Section Editor of Pediatric Research and as a reviewer for numerous medical and scientific journals.
In 2021, she received UT Southwestern’s Best Mentor Award.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Lead PI: Jonathan L. Slaughter, MD, MPH
Jonathan L. Slaughter, MD, MPH, is a neonatologist and principal investigator in the Center for Perinatal Research within The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University. Dr. Slaughter’s ultimate goal is to improve outcomes important to neonatal patients and their families through research that leads directly to improvements in neonatal clinical care. His patient-centered research program focuses on comparative effectiveness research to determine which treatments work best for neonatal patients given specific clinical circumstances and patient characteristics.
Dr. Slaughter’s two major NIH-funded research projects, 1) “Early Prediction of Spontaneous Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) Closure and PDA-Associated Outcomes” (R01HL145032) and the 2) PIVOTAL Trial (UG3HL161338) focus on treatments and outcomes related to patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Dr. Slaughter also serves as the Nationwide Children’s Hospital co-investigator/alternate principal investigator for the NICHD Neonatal Research Network.
University of California, San Francisco
Lead PI: Natalie Chan, MD, MPH
Dr. Natalie Chan is a neonatologist, a specialist in caring for premature infants and other newborns needing critical care. She has a special interest in neonatal brain health, including the treatment of babies with or at risk for brain injury as well as support for babies and their families that will maximize both brain development and overall health. As medical director of the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) Follow-Up Program, she sees patients in San Francisco and in outreach clinics across Northern California, assessing the developmental progress of pediatric patients who have a higher risk of challenges due to underlying conditions or having been sick as a newborn.
In research, Chan is interested in how to protect the vulnerable developing brain in pediatric patients and improve their neurodevelopmental outcomes, especially for the most fragile babies. She aims to enhance support for infants and their families so that children who require intensive care as newborns can not just survive but thrive. Chan is also passionate about global neonatal health and to scaling up innovative solutions that improve neonatal care and ultimately help children everywhere live to their full potential.
Chan earned her medical degree at McMaster University in Canada. She completed a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in neonatology at the University of Toronto. She then completed a fellowship in neonatal neurology at UCSF and a fellowship in neonatology at the University of California, Davis. She has a master of public health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Chan enjoys teaching medical students and fellows in the intensive care nurseries at UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. A lifelong musician, she is known to break into song during rounds in the ICN or have sing-alongs with her patients in the clinic.
Children’s National Research Institute
Lead PI: Tammy Noriko Tsuchida, MD, PhD
Tammy Tsuchida, M.D., Ph.D., is a neurophysiologist and neonatal neurologist at Children’s National Hospital. She is also an Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Tsuchida graduated from the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in 1997.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Lead PI: Eni Jano, MD
Eni Jano, MD is an Attending Neonatologist in the Division of Neonatology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Jano completed her pediatric residency training at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Her research interest is in the area of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Dr. Jano has studied serum biomarkers of hypoxic injury in newborns undergoing therapeutic hypothermia for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) to identify severity of injury early and assess response to treatment. Her ultimate research goal is to optimize treatment for infants with HIE and improve their neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Saint Louis University
Lead PI: Amit M. Mathur MD, MRCP
Dr. Mathur is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Having completed his Pediatric training at Delhi University and his MRCP (Edinburgh, UK), he trained in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis and was a faculty member there until June 2019. His research in neonatal brain injury has a focus on monitoring and treatment of neonatal seizures and understanding the role of physiologic changes, during transition after birth, on intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and white matter injury in premature infants. He helped develop and validated an MRI scoring system being used in the HEAL trial for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Clinically, his interests lie in the implementation of neonatal neurology programs in the neonatal intensive care unit environment.
Washington University in St. Louis
Lead PI: Rakesh Rao, MD
Dr. Rakesh Rao, MD is a neonatal medicine specialist in Saint Louis, MO, and has over 31 years of experience in the medical field. He graduated from the University of Delhi / University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in 1992.
Research interests
Neurotrophins (NTs) play important roles in the growth and development of central and peripheral nervous systems. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is protective against apoptotic neuronal loss and exogenous administration has been shown to attenuate brain injury. We have recently shown that BDNF concentrations in preterm infants after birth correlate with factors that also influence developmental outcomes. We are currently evaluating the roles of NTs infants with post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation (PVHD) following intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH).
Stanford University
Lead PI: Valerie Chock, MD
Dr. Valerie Y. Chock is a neonatologist in Palo Alto, California, and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including El Camino Health-Mountain View and Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital. She received her medical degree from the University of Hawaii John A Burns School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Lead PI: John Flibotte, M.D.
Dr. John Flibotte is the co-medical director of the Neonatal Neurocritical Care Program in the Neonatal/ Infant Intensive Care unit. He has a longstanding interest in the neurosciences and has been engaged in both basic science research and clinical research in the areas of neurodevelopment and hypoxic brain injury. Most recently, he has served as the local PI for clinical trials evaluating neuroprotective therapies for infants at risk for brain injury and is involved with research efforts focused on patients with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and hydrocephalus.
His clinical work is in the N/IICU at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and includes care of infants with both medical and surgical conditions. He has strong clinical collaborations with members of the Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Radiology Departments. He is involved in the Special Delivery Unit for both prenatal consults and supervision of resuscitation of infants with high-risk conditions.
Dr. Flibotte is also the Associate Program Director of the Neonatal Fellowship. In addition to fellow education, he is actively engaged in the education of trainees at all levels, including nursing students, medical students, and residents. He has won numerous awards for teaching and mentoring including: Early Career Honor Roll for teaching of pediatric residents, Istvan Seri Teaching Award for teaching neonatology fellows, and the Schmidt-Kirpalani Mentoring Award for mentoring of neonatology fellows and junior faculty.
Dr. Flibotte graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Medical School and completed his residency and fellowship training at CHOP.
CHOP at Virtua Health
Lead PI: Sarvin Ghavam, MD
Sarvin Ghavam, MD, is an attending physician of Neonatology in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Neonatal Care Network at Virtua.
Dr. Ghavam did her undergraduate and medical school training at the University of Maryland. She completed her pediatric residency at Thomas Jefferson/AI DuPont Hospital for Children. Dr. Ghavam completed her fellowship training at CHOP.
Dr. Ghavam’s interests include clinical research as well as consensus and clinical pathway development to improve consistency in neonatal care.
University of Utah
Lead PI: Tara DuPont, MD
Dr. DuPont is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah. Her investigative focus is on neurodevelopmental outcomes for high-risk neonates, particularly infants with neonatal encephalopathy. She has published several studies on describing infants with neonatal encephalopathy and recently completed a pilot randomized controlled trial exploring the use of Darbepoetin as a neuroprotective agent for infants who present with a mild form of neonatal encephalopathy. She is neonatology lead for the Neonatal Follow-up Program at the University of Utah and works closely with the developmental team and neonatal neurology team promoting best practices both in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Follow-up Clinic. Her clinical work in both the NICU and the Neonatal Follow-up Program has allowed her to be a well-suited co-investigator for neonatal studies involving long-term outcomes such as the PREMOD study, the MEND trial, and the NICHD Neonatal Research General Database study. Additionally, she is listed as a site PI for several studies pending funding. As part of her interest in neurodevelopment, she recognizes the key role parents play in neurodevelopment, specifically in breastfeeding. She published a study to validate the use of “test-weights” on preterm infants in the NICU to assess the amount of milk consumed by an infant through direct breastfeeding. Additionally, she has published on decreasing NICU admissions for breastfeeding related hypoglycemia and the use of donor human milk in Safety-Net Hosptial NICUs. Dr. DuPont is also dedicated to improving neonatal education for trainees. She holds a certificate in medical education from the University of New Mexico and is currently mentoring a junior faculty member on a study to assess the use of an established curriculum (The S.T.A.B.L.E. program) to enhance resident education.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Lead PI: Toby Debra Yanowitz, MD, MS
Yanowitz graduated from Princeton University in 1987 with a BA in Molecular Biology and received her MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine 1991. She completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 1994 and her Perinatal-Neonatal Medicine Fellowship at Brown University’s Women and Infant’s Hospital in 1997. Yanowitz was certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in October of 1994 and by the Sub-board in Perinatal/Neonatal Medicine in November of 1997. Yanowitz returned to school in 2007 and, in December of 2008, she received a Master’s of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health.
As director of the Newborn Medicine Database and Analytics, Yanowitz oversees the Neonatal Databases at both UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. In this capacity, she serves as Magee’s Physician Representative to the Vermont Oxford Network, contributing data to the Very Low Birth Weight Infant Database, the Expanded Database, and the Neonatal Encephalopathy Registry. She oversees Children’s comprehensive neonatal database which is part of the Children’s Hospitals Consortium (CHHC) and serves on multi-center working groups through the CHNC, including being a member of the Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy focus group and chairing the Surgical NEC focus group. As director of Newborn Medicine Clinical Consensus Committee of UPMC, Yanowitz supervises multidisciplinary working groups that strive to improve clinical care in the UPMC NICUs through condition-specific quality improvement projects (examples include oxygen saturation limits for preterm babies, treatment of patent ductus arteriosus, Additionally, as director of the Neonatal Neuro-Critical Care Units of Magee and Children’s , Yanowitz has brought Neuro expertise to the NICUs through clinically relevant education including bedside teaching rounds and weekly neuroradiology rounds and clinical care guidelines including the management of neonatal seizures, therapeutic hypothermia for babies with neonatal encephalopathy and protocols for screening cranial ultrasounds for premature infants.
Yanowitz has many peer-reviewed publications, related to her clinical research endeavors, a Master’s thesis and an invited editorial. Her early clinical research explored the contribution of hemodynamic disturbances to the pathophysiology of chorioamnionitis-associated neonatal brain injury. Her landmark paper “Hemodynamic Disturbances in Premature Infants Born After Chorioamnionitis: Association with Cord Blood Cytokine Concentrations” (Pediatr Res. 51(3): 310-316, 2002) has been quoted in >90 research articles (See Appended “Citation Report”) and by Joseph J. Volpe in his authoritative text “Neurology of the Newborn”. She mentored Neonatal Fellows on Doppler studies in the premature infant. One such study, “Blood Transfusion Alters the Superior Mesenteric Artery Blood Flow Velocity Response to Feeding in Premature Infants” [Am J Perinatol 25(12), 2008], has received national recognition as a pivotal paper detailing mesenteric blood flow velocity disturbances that may contribute to TRAGI (transfusion-associated acute gut injury) or necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants.
Yanowitz has also serviced as site-PI for numerous multi-center clinical trials, including the multi-national Olympic Medical-sponsored “Cool Cap” trial [Selective head cooling with mild systemic hypothermia after neonatal encephalopathy: multicenter randomized trial. The Lancet electronic pages, 365 (9457) Jan 29, 2005] which demonstrated safety and efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia for newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. This therapy is now a standard of care. Next, Yanowitz became site-PI for a randomized trial of feeding versus remaining nil per os (NPO) during medical treatment for a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) which demonstrated the safety of feeding babies during PDA treatment, allowing them to achieve full enteral nutrition at an earlier age). She was National Principal Investigator for an ancillary study exploring the mesenteric blood flow velocity changes associated with feeding or not feeding during PDA treatment groups, and how these blood flow velocity changes may predict feeding intolerance or necrotizing enterocolitis. Currently, she is Site-PI for the “HEAL” study (High-Dose Erythropoietin for Asphyxia and Encephalopathy) and the PreMOD study (Premature Infants Receiving Milking of Delayed Cord Clamping: a randomized non-inferiority Trial).
Emory University
Lead PI: Elizabeth Sewell, MD
Dr. Elizabeth Sewell is a neonatologist in Atlanta, Georgia, and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University Hospital Midtown. She received her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and has been in practice between 11-20 years.
Dr. Sewell is interested in clinical research focusing on brain injury in high-risk neonates and improving neurodevelopmental outcomes in these infants.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Lead PI: Stephanie Merhar, MD
Since I was 12 years old, I knew that I wanted to be a pediatrician. What could be better than being a doctor who gets to work with kids? During my pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s, I was drawn to neonatology because it offered me the opportunity to care for acutely ill babies and build long-term relationships with families through the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) follow-up clinic.
As a neonatologist who cares for sick and preterm babies, I have a special interest in babies with brain injury and those exposed to substances such as opioids.
In my practice, I listen carefully to families. I know that I don’t have all of the answers and that parents know their child best. In the NICU and our follow-up clinic, we collaborate with families and other care providers, such as neurologists, pulmonologists, therapists, nutritionists and nurses.
The research I do focuses on how the newborn brain can bounce back from insults including brain injury and substance exposure. I am also interested in using MRI as a tool to predict and improve the outcomes of term and preterm babies with brain injury. I am honored every time someone is interested in the research my team is doing.
University College Cork
Lead PI: Brian Walsh, MD
Dr. Brian Walsh is a Principal Investigator at the INFANT Research Centre and a Consultant Neonatologist in Cork University Maternity Hospital.
Brian’s research has focused on newborns at high risk of cerebral injury. In particular, he has studied different methods for the early identification of brain injury, and also in optimizing neuro-protection strategies, to hopefully improve their outcomes.
Brian graduated in Medicine from Trinity College Dublin in 2004. He was awarded a Molecular Medicine Ireland Clinician Scientist Fellowship in 2009, and studied the ability for early blood biological markers to determine the severity of Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy in newborns. He was awarded his PhD for this work from UCC in 2014.
From 2013 to 2017 Brian worked in Boston. There he completed his neonatal training, working first as a Fellow, and then Chief Fellow, on the Harvard Neonatal Perinatal Fellowship Program. In 2016 he became an Attending Neonatologist in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, with an academic appointment to Harvard Medical School.
While in Boston Brian continued to focus on newborns at high risk of neurological injury. Under the mentorship of Prof Terrie Inder, he studied the cerebral MRIs of newborns with neonatal encephalopathy, in particular describing the injury associated with milder grades of encepahloapthy. He received his first major independent grant funding during this time to establish a novel imaging cohort of at risk newborns. Additionally he co-authored novel regional consensus based guidelines on therapeutic hypothermia eligibility, lead a multi-centre education initiative around these guidelines, and the development of a regional multi-centre database across 14 sites, to assess their impact. Brian continues to collaborate on these projects since returning to Cork.
Brian continues to work on furthering our ability to accurately identify newborns at high risk of brain injury. His current work includes studying differences between current standardized neurological exams for therapeutic hypothermia eligibility, studying the MRI patterns associated with varying outcome patterns following neonatal encephalopathy, assisting in efforts to use machine learning algorithms to improve identification of newborns at significant risk of encephalopathy, and is co-supervising a PhD candidate assessing the association between HIE and development of epilepsy, and a Post-doctoral student assessing the association between early EEG and neuro-development among preterm infants exposed to Perinatal inflammation.
Pediatrix of San Antonio
Lead PI: Kaashif Ahmad, MD
Kaashif Ahmad M.B., B.S., MSc. is a neonatologist, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, the Director of Research for Pediatrix Medical Group of San Antonio, and the Research Director of Neonatal Clinical Trials for MEDNAX National Medical Group. A native Saint Louisan, Dr. Ahmad received his medical degree from The Aga Khan University in Karachi Pakistan. He completed a pediatric residency and chief residency at Saint Louis University and Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital followed by a neonatology fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital. During his neonatology fellowship, Dr. Ahmad was a fellow in the Pediatric Scientist Development Program, working in the lab of neurogeneticist Huda Zoghbi.
In San Antonio, Dr. Ahmad developed and leads a neonatal clinical research program includingneonatal intensive care units across three hospital systems. The program engages attendingphysicians and neonatal nurse practitioners throughout the city, as well as neonatology fellowsand pediatric residents. The program is actively engaged in a range of industry, NIH, and self-sponsored research. Dr. Ahmad has a specific interest in neurodevelopment and neuroprotection and leads the practice Neurology Clinical Workgroup which develops and standardizes neonatal neurological practices utilized across 10 NICUs in the San Antonio area.
Nathalie Maitre, MD, PhD
Neurological Developmental Core Lead PI
Before medical school, Nathalie Maitre, MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics in Neonatology, Neonatologist at Children’s, and Director of Early Development and Cerebral Palsy Research, had plans to become a cancer researcher, but that all changed when she fell in love with caring for infants and children. After getting her PhD in molecular immunology, Dr. Maitre went to medical school to do research with patients. Over the course of the years, she became passionate about the neuroscience of the developing brain and became focused on what she could do to help the brain recover from insults.
Dr. Maitre credits her son for inspiring her to pursue neonatology and especially, neurodevelopmental follow-up. “I’m the mother of an ex 27-week NICU baby. Even after spending three months as a parent in the NICU during my residency, I still really loved it. I started realizing the transition to home from the NICU is so important to parents. I became passionate about high-risk infant follow-up. As a parent, you’d do anything to help your child develop into a happy healthy adult. This means changing the world, because there are so many things babies need that we have to fight for right now. Research combined with clinical care, implementation science and advocacy is what transforms the world,” says Dr. Maitre.
Dr. Maitre’s research spans from neuroscience to clinical trials to implementation. Examples range from studying the brain of a single child to global health and transforming healthcare systems throughout the world. Her NIH-funded neuroscience research looks at the mechanisms of how the brain recovers after injury and what interventions she can design: by leveraging and developing new technologies and by involving parents in interventions. These approaches all leverage the neuroplasticity of the baby brain to help infants recover function and have more healthy and happy developmental trajectories into childhood. It’s important for Dr. Maitre’s research to have families as stakeholders to design studies, choose outcomes, and to voice what matters to them when participating in interventions.
Through the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and UNICEF awards, Dr. Maitre and her team can help change systems in low-middle income countries by designing strategies that help detect cerebral palsy and motor delays. They develop interventions to promote better child and family outcomes, that are integrated into the systems that work for those countries and stakeholders.
One example of a NICU intervention Dr. Maitre designed is a technology that lets preterm babies request their parents’ voice, combining it with a parent’s scented cloth that the baby lays on. The therapist that administers this intervention is trained in mindfulness to make sure their breathing and heartrate are stable, so the feedback to the baby they hold encourages stability as well.
Another example is a multi-modal intervention called “APPLES-Tele” that helps babies who have cerebral palsy or high-risk of cerebral palsy. It’s meant for babies who can’t use one hand as well as the other. The intervention helps the babies recover function in the struggling arm through a combination of different techniques where the therapist coaches the parents to help with parenting style, knowledge and understanding of everything from positive parenting, self-care, and mental health, as well as special mittens, harnesses and toys.
In the next 5-10 years, Dr. Maitre hopes Georgia will become a research model for other places around the world. “I hope we’ve been able through our research, not just through the design new interventions that incorporate parents to help improve the trajectories of babies with early disadvantages; I hope we build capacity in Georgia through GA4CP, across all institutions, to change what it’s going to be like as an individual with cerebral palsy throughout the lifespan; and I hope the world can learn from Georgia. I hope what we develop are models and tools, so we can adapt these to other places. Intervention and system changes in Georgia, that stem from wonderful partnerships between researchers, clinicians, educators, communities and families can be used by anyone, anywhere. I want to change the world for babies and their families.”
Dr. Maitre says none of this research is possible without her team. She is deeply grateful for Dr. Lucky Jain and Dr. Brenda Poindexter’s support. She also says she has the best team members a researcher could ask for in the Baby Brain Optimization Project (BBOP), which includes researchers, clinicians, engineers, educators and students who have helped her build this research in Atlanta.
Steve Wisniewski, PhD
Data Coordinating Center Lead PI
Dr. Wisniewski serves as Vice Provost for Data and Information, a position established to add breadth and depth to the use of data analytics in support of the mission of the University. He is currently professor of epidemiology and co-director of the Epidemiology Data Center (EDC). He also holds secondary appointments in psychiatry and clinical and translational sciences.
Dr. Wisniewski earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Applied Statistics from The Ohio State University, and a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the Pitt faculty as an assistant professor of epidemiology in 1998, was promoted to associate professor of epidemiology in 2003, and professor of epidemiology in 2010. From 2006 to 2014 he served as the Associate Dean for Research and Senior Associate Dean in the Graduate School of Public Health. He was named Associate Vice Provost for Planning in 2015 where he was involved with the advancement of strategic planning efforts throughout the University.
During his tenure at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Wisniewski has developed a successful research program focusing on the design and analysis of clinical trials, specifically, multi-center clinical trials. As co-director of the EDC, he helps guide the Center’s efforts for collaborative, multi-disciplinary research projects.
Betsy Pilon
Executive Director, Hope for HIE
Betsy Pilon is a dynamic and dedicated leader known for her unwavering commitment to patient advocacy, healthcare improvement, and community building. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Alma College, she has built an impressive career spanning multiple sectors, primarily focusing on patient advocacy and healthcare communication.
Currently serving as the Executive Director of Hope for HIE Foundation since December 2020, Betsy has been a driving force behind the organization’s mission to raise awareness, provide education, advocate for resources, support research, and offer aid to families affected by neonatal and pediatric-acquired hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).
During her tenure as President from 2013 to 2020, Betsy spearheaded transformative initiatives, including establishing a 501c3 status and exponentially expanding the Foundation’s reach from a modest 200-family Facebook group to an influential community of over 9,000 families worldwide. Her strategic vision and community-building efforts have solidified Hope for HIE as a premier organization globally, offering unparalleled support and advocacy for HIE-affected families.
Betsy’s role involves orchestrating the Foundation’s strategic operations, collaborating with the Board of Directors to propel mission-centric initiatives, managing personnel to optimize their roles, and fostering partnerships with researchers, clinicians, and regulatory bodies within the neonatology and pediatric neurology spheres. Her accomplishments include the establishment of a comprehensive funding strategy, pioneering novel clinical trial and research support frameworks, and employing specialized personnel, like social workers and child life specialists, to serve HIE families across diverse resource settings.
Beyond her work at Hope for HIE, Betsy has held significant positions in various organizations in the healthcare, education and automotive sectors.
Her deep involvement in advocacy and community leadership extends to numerous committees and boards, including the American Academy of Neurology Child Neurology Measures Workgroup, Newborn Brain Society Board of Directors, and several other key roles in organizations dedicated to neonatal and pediatric healthcare research and support.
Betsy is also an accomplished author and presenter, contributing impactful publications to esteemed medical journals and delivering insightful presentations at national and international conferences, webinars, and symposiums. Her presentations cover a wide array of topics, emphasizing the importance of support for HIE families, providing guidance on navigating the healthcare system, and advocating for enhanced care practices and clinical research.
With her unwavering dedication, strategic foresight, and tireless commitment to improving the lives of those affected by HIE, Betsy Pilon continues to be a beacon of hope and a catalyst for positive change within the healthcare community. Her advocacy efforts and visionary leadership set a benchmark for patient-focused healthcare initiatives worldwide.
Rachel Byrne, PT
Executive Director, Cerebral Palsy Foundation
Rachel Byrne is the Executive Director at the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. She has been working in the field of pediatric rehabilitation and cerebral palsy research for the past 12 years. Rachel has a background in physical therapy, with a particular interest in neuroplasticity and motor learning. Her early career as a clinician delivering physical therapy services in schools, hospitals and private practice is underpinned by her research interests focused on knowledge translation and the impact on a person’s ability to participate in the community across the lifespan.
In her current role at the Foundation, she has continued her research interest in evidence-based practice, knowledge translation, early detection and interventions across the lifespan and population studies for cerebral palsy. Rachel was instrumental in developing the Just Say Hi inclusion curriculum which is now being taught nationally. In the last 10 years she has given multiple presentations at international conferences and managed large multisite research projects.