News | Page 3 | Pediatrics

Dr. Shipra Kaicker Promoted to Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics

January 19, 2022

The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce the promotion of Shipra Kaicker, MD to Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, effective January 1, 2022.

Dr. Shipra Kaicker earned her medical school degree (MBBS) from the University of Delhi, New Delhi India in 1991. She then completed her first pediatric residency at Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi in 1995. This was followed by a second pediatric residency in the U.S at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, New York Medical College, New York. Dr. Kaicker completed her Pediatric Hematology Oncology fellowship from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2003. Upon completion of her fellowship, Dr. Kaicker joined the Maimonides Infant’s and Children’s Hospital in Brooklyn, New York as an attending physician and full-time faculty, where she mentored and trained numerous pediatric residents and medical students.

A New “Epitope” for Universal Influenza Vaccines

December 23, 2021

This article was originally posted on WCM Newsroom.

A team led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine, Scripps Research and the University of Chicago has identified an important site of vulnerability on influenza viruses—a site that future influenza vaccines and antibody therapies should be able to target to prevent or treat infections by a broad set of influenza strains.

The scientists, whose results are published Dec. 23 in Nature, found that a small subset of antibodies elicited by experimental and existing influenza vaccines target a site at the base, or anchor, of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) protein—an “epitope” whose significance was not recognized in prior influenza antibody studies.

Effort to Combat Physician Burnout Shows Progress

December 23, 2021

This article was originally posted on WCM Newsroom.

Following a sweeping effort in 2019 to address clinical care team well-being across Weill Cornell Medicine, physicians note a reduction in stress and feelings of burnout compared to previous surveys, according to a new report from the institution.

The report, published online Nov. 17 and in the December issue of NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery, suggests that Weill Cornell Medicine’s grassroots approach to improving physician wellness may be used as a model for other institutions grappling with health care provider burnout.

“Coming to work to do your best means you have to be at your best,” said Dr. Klaus Kjaer, chief quality and patient safety officer at Weill Cornell Medicine and the article’s lead author. “You need take care of yourself and your colleagues so that you can take care of your patients. We have realized that there has to be a strategy to create a workplace where our clinical care teams thrive, and we attract the best talent.”

Mental Health Strategies for Pediatric Care

December 20, 2021

Dr. Cori M. Green, Director of Behavioral Health Education and Integration in Pediatrics and Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, co-authored a book recently published by the American Academy of Pediatrics titled, Mental Health Strategies for Pediatric Care.

The book serves as a guide to help primary care pediatricians, family doctors, nurse practitioners, and other professionals identify, treat, and prevent mental health problems as well as promote good mental health in their patients. The authors come from different medical specialties but emphasize common factors and elements in approaching mental health care in the primary practice setting.

Pediatric mental health emergencies in an early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicentered study in NYC

November 16, 2021

The New York City-based RTW Charitable Foundation approved a grant of $55,000 to NewYork-Presbyterial Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center for a study entitled, “Pediatric mental health emergencies in an early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicentered study in NYC”. The study is part of a nationwide call for the pediatric medical community to address the ongoing children’s mental health crisis that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

The study, led by investigators Cori Green, MD, Director of Behavioral Health Education and Integration in Pediatrics and Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Stephen Oh, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Deborah Levine, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, will examine the pandemic’s impact on children’s mental health in comparison to a one-year period prior to the pandemic, as well as the rising trend in youth presenting with suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempt (SA). To do this, the team will use INSIGHT, the largest multicentered clinical data network in the nation, comprised of data from five major medical centers in New York City (NYC).

Dr. Katherine Hajjar Receives Grant to Develop Treatment for Rare Ocular Disease

October 18, 2021

Congratulations to Katherine A. Hajjar, MD, Vice Chair for Research and Brine Family Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, on being awarded a grant by the United States Department of Defense to develop treatment for proliferative vitreoretinopathy, a potentially blinding disease that occurs in almost one-half of military personnel who sustain a penetrating wound to the eye.

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) occurs in some patients who have had complicated eye surgeries. When there is a tear in the retina, cells inside the eye, known as RPE cells, that normally remain behind the retina, begin to proliferate, move away from their normal position, and migrate to the inner surface of the retina. Over time, these migratory cells form a scar-like membrane that pulls the remaining retina away from the back of the eye, severely compromising vision. PVR is increasing in frequency among military personnel due to the increasing use of explosive devices in modern combat. Unfortunately, however, there is no treatment for this devastating disease.

Dr. David C. Lyden Receives Funding to Study Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction Associated with Cerebral Malaria

October 11, 2021

Congratulations to David C. Lyden, MD, PhD, Stavros S. Niarchos Professor in Pediatric Cardiology at Weill Cornell Medicine, who, together with Drs. Linnie Golightly, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Shahin Rafii, Professor of Medicine and Raphael Lis, Assistant Professor of Reproductive Medicine in Medicine, received an R61 award titled, "In vitro modeling of brain blood barrier dysfunction on a chip to elucidate the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria."

Dr. Virginia Pascual Awarded $3M Grant by the Lupus Research Alliance

September 22, 2021

The Global Team Science Award project led by Dr. Virginia Pascual, Director of the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children's Health and Ronay Menschel Professor of Pediatrics aims to study childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE). Children often suffer from severe lupus symptoms as well as from side effects of current therapies; children with lupus often have a strong connection between their genetic makeup (DNA) and their disease; children also lack other illnesses that could complicate the understanding of research findings.

Dr. Lisa Giulino Roth Awarded 2021 Hyundai Hope Scholar Grant to Develop New Treatment For EBV Associated Lymphomas

September 14, 2021

Congratulations to Lisa Giulino Roth, M.D., Director of Pediatric Oncology and Associate Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, on being awarded the 2021 Hyundai Hope Scholar Grant, funded by Hyundai Hope On Wheels, for her project, Targeting latent viral antigens in EBV+ Burkitt Lymphoma.

For this study, Dr. Roth is developing a novel approach to the treatment of lymphomas associated with Epstein Barr Virus (EBV). Using epigenetic therapies, Dr. Roth and her laboratory team will determine if they can alter the proteins expressed by EBV and make the tumor more susceptible to killing by immune cells. If successful, the work will lead to a completely new treatment approach for lymphomas associated with EBV.

Dr. Eric Mallack Receives Funding to Develop Treatment and Preventative Strategies Against Cerebral Adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD)

September 14, 2021

Congratulations to Eric Mallack, M.D., Director of the Leukodystrophy Center and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine, on being awarded a K23 award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health entitled, “Leveraging myelin-sensitive imaging to predict early lesion pathogenesis in cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.”

Cerebral Adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD) is a neurologically devastating, inflammatory demyelinating disease of childhood that leads to a vegetative state or death in months to years. Treatments are most effective when initiated in the narrow window prior to the onset of neurological symptoms, however early identification of CALD is a significant challenge. In this project, Dr. Mallack and his collaborators at Weill Cornell Medical College and Harvard Medical School will study the transition from normal brain development to cerebral demyelination using advanced imaging techniques in order to widen the treatment window, provide lead-time for possible preventative strategies, and thereby help maximize neurological outcomes.