News | Pediatrics

Dr. Zachary Grinspan Awarded $1.1 Million Grant on Rare Neurodevelopmental Disorder

July 23, 2025

A $1.1 million grant from the parent-caregiver-led Rare Bird Foundation to Weill Cornell Medicine is supporting the launch of a natural history study for a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that causes developmental delays and seizures called MEF2C Haploinsufficiency syndrome (MCHS).

Currently, there are no specific therapies for MCHS, which affects about 400 people worldwide. Patients with the condition may experience developmental delays, difficulties communicating, and frequent seizures. The goal of the study, coined the Volāre Study, is to collect vital information about the condition to lay the necessary groundwork for future clinical trials of therapies for MCHS.

“The drive for this study comes from the parents of children with MCHS,” said principal investigator Dr. Zachary Grinspan, director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Program at Weill Cornell Medicine and vice chair of health data science for the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital of Children’s Hospital of New York. “They share a sense of urgency to bring treatments to their kids and to others who have the disease. It makes the work very personal and meaningful for our team.”

Dr. Corinne Catarozoli Named Section Chief of Pediatric Mental Health

July 1, 2025

The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce the appointment of Corinne Catarozoli, Ph.D., as Section Chief of Pediatric Mental Health at Weill Cornell Medicine, effective July 1, 2025. In this new role, Dr. Catarozoli will work closely with Cori Green, MD Vice Chair of Behavioral Health Integration and Innovation and Susan Bostwick, MD, MBA, Division Chief, General Pediatrics as we continue to expand our integrated and collaborative mental health services within our department.

As Section Chief of Pediatric Mental Health in the Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Dr. Catarozoli will provide overall leadership and direction of the section’s clinical activities and will partner with Dr. Green to develop a program bolstered by academic scholarship and advances in clinical innovation and research. Dr. Catarozoli, who joined the Department in 2025 and WCM in 2016, has worked with our department since 2017 to build and oversee our mental health services. Dr. Catarozoli launched the Youth Cope program, which provides short-term co-located mental health treatment to children in both subspecialty and primary care pediatrics. She founded and directs the Pediatric Psychology and Integrated Care Fellowship and Externship programs. Dr. Catarozoli is also a recent graduate of the WCM Wolk Leadership Fellowship Program.

Dr. Sean Cullen Discusses How Vaccines Are Made

June 26, 2025

The very first vaccine was created at the tail end of the 18th century by Dr. Edward Jenner, an English physician and scientist, to protect against smallpox. He injected his patients with the cowpox virus, a related but far milder infection. And, lo and behold, it worked.

Jenner’s vaccine was refined later, but that “first” was one of the most stunning discoveries in the history of medicine. Smallpox was declared eradicated globally in 1980, with the last case reported in Somalia in 1977.

In what follows, Dr. Sean Cullen— The Friedman Family Foundation Clinical Scholar in Newborn Medicine and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Weill Cornell Medicine—explains the ins and outs of vaccines, including:

Promotion of Dr. Teresa Vente to Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics

June 25, 2025

The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Teresa Vente to Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics on the Pathway Recognizing Clinical Excellence effective June 1, 2025.

Dr. Vente graduated from Touro University of Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine and then completed her Residency in Pediatrics/Adult Psychiatry/Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center and then a fellowship in Palliative Care and Hospice Medicine at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center. After completing her fellowship, she joined the faculty at Northwestern in 2019 and then joined our faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) in October of 2023 as Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics.

She is an expert in pediatric palliative care, a field that is in urgent need of talent and committed experts. Dr. Vente has lectured extensively on her work regionally, nationally and internationally. She has served on regional and national committees on curriculum development for pediatric palliative care. Most of her work and speaking engagements were done during her time at Northwestern. Her work spans a variety of areas in pediatric palliative care such as for children’s rare genetic disorders, fetal medicine, children undergoing surgery and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric palliative care.

Introducing Dr. Emina Hodzic as the Newest Member of Our Faculty

June 24, 2025

The Departments of Pediatrics and Cardiology are pleased to announce the recent appointment of Dr. Emina Hodzic as Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Dr. Hodzic brings a profound commitment to delivering compassionate, family-centered care to children with congenital and acquired heart conditions. Her clinical philosophy emphasizes empathy, clear communication, and holistic support for patients and their families throughout the continuum of care. By integrating the latest advancements in pediatric cardiology, Dr. Hodzic provides innovative, individualized treatment strategies tailored to each patient’s unique needs.

In her new role, Dr. Hodzic also serves as an attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She is board-certified in both general pediatrics and pediatric cardiology by the American Board of Pediatrics.

Dr. Hodzic earned her medical degree from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. She completed her residency in pediatrics at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, followed by a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at NYU Langone Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Her clinical interests include the diagnosis and management of congenital heart disease, transthoracic echocardiography, and fetal cardiology.

Dr. Jennifer Salant Recognized in WCM Impact Magazine for Advocacy on Behalf of Children and Families

June 24, 2025

As director of the Pediatric Advanced Care Team at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Jennifer Salant (M.D. ’13) and her interdisciplinary team provide support for children with serious illnesses and their families. If a child needs symptom management or other palliative therapies, she’s there. If a family needs guidance in making complex decisions about their child’s medical journey, she’s there. And if a family is grieving, she’s there, too.

Dr. Salant attributes her passion for supporting children and their families during their most critical and vulnerable moments to her experience as a medical student at Weill Cornell Medicine.

“Helping families achieve peace and dignity during some of the most difficult times is very gratifying for me,” says Dr. Salant, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and assistant attending pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital. “What we do is a really beautiful facet of what can be a very serious side of medicine.”

Insights from Dr. Sallie Permar on the Children’s National Podcast

June 24, 2025

Children are 22% of our population but they’re 100% of our future. In the latest episode of The Lead in Peds we discuss what’s at stake as federal funding for pediatric research declines.

From clinical trials to training the next generation of physician-scientists, Dr. Nathan Kupperman sits down with Dr. Catherine Bollard and Dr. Sallie Permar from Weill Cornell Medicine to discuss the urgent case for continued investment — and what we risk losing without it.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnkd.in/d4mipmrK

Dr. Sallie Permar Highlighted in WCM Impact Magazine

June 11, 2025

Good Medicine: New research aims to extend the power of existing vaccines — and develop even better ones in the future.

Dr. Ria Goswami Awarded Grant from Open Philanthropy

June 11, 2025

Dr. Ria Goswami was awarded $154,000 from Open Philanthropy to study changes in the microbiome of preterm infants modulated by Cytomegalovirus infections in mothers.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) acquired through breast milk results in severe health consequences in preterm infants. There remains a gap in knowledge on how maternal CMV infection disrupts breast milk components that are crucial drivers of infant growth outcomes. We were awarded this funding to define the impact of CMV-induced changes in breast milk microbiome and milk metabolome on gut microbial colonization and growth outcomes of preterm infants. This data will lay the foundation for future studies to assess the impact of targeted breast milk fortification to improve growth outcomes of postnatally CMV-exposed preterm infants.

Pediatrics Research Day 2025

June 3, 2025

The Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Pediatrics and the Drukier Institute for Children’s Health hosted the fourth annual Pediatric Research Day to highlight research conducted by faculty, fellows, residents, graduate students, postdocs, medical students, and other researchers working in the Department of Pediatrics or collaborating departments and institutions. All fellows and senior residents are present their scholarly work during this event.

This event celebrated the depth and breadth of the research performed in the Department and Institute, fosters collaborations across research teams and between faculty and trainees, and is a wonderful demonstration that research contributes personally and collectively towards the goal of advancing care for children. Additionally, the event aimed to foster mentoring and networking relationships across career levels and between the College and affiliated institutions.

The day consisted of four sessions throughout the day. Posters categories were divided into (1) basic science, (2) translational research, (3) clinical research, and (4) education, health services, healthcare policy, quality improvement, and others. Posters were judged by a panel of experts in their respective fields, and an award for outstanding poster was presented for each category.