News

We are also pleased to announce the arrival of Genevieve Giny Fouda, M.D., Ph.D., to the Department of Pediatrics and Weill Cornell Medicine, effective July 1, 2022. Dr. Fouda will serve as Assistant Dean for Faculty Development, focusing on the professional development of basic scientists, and Director of the PhD Scientist Development and Training in Pediatrics Program, where she will help shape the next generation of pediatric scientists in basic sciences and promote wet bench research within the Department. Dr. Fouda will join the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases as a Professor of Pediatrics and provide mentorship to junior scientists and physicians involved in laboratory-based research.

Dr. Fouda’s research focuses on antibody responses to viral pathogens in children in comparison to adults following natural infection and vaccination. She is especially interested in investigating how the unique characteristics of the early life immune system can be harnessed to develop immunization strategies tailored to pediatric settings. Her research program is funded through several NIH grant mechanisms, including several R01s. She is also involved in collaborative projects to investigate pediatric HIV vaccine candidates and immune-based strategies toward a pediatric HIV cure.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Katharina Graw-Panzer on her appointment as Medical Director of the Pediatric Sleep Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, effective June 1, 2022. As Medical Director, Dr. Graw-Panzer will lead and direct the Pediatric Sleep Center’s clinical and research activities. She will work closely with the division administrator to expand patient access while reviewing and improving operational efficiency and financial sustainability.

The Pediatric Sleep Center includes a dedicated Pediatric Sleep lab on 61st street offering in and outpatient polysomnography. Outpatient consultations are provided for sleep disordered breathing, behavioral sleep disorders and CPAP adherence. Recently, Dr. Graw-Panzer expanded consultative services to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist and opened the NYP Kids Multidisciplinary Sleep Center in collaboration with the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Congratulations to Nicole Kucine, M.D., associate professor of clinical pediatrics, on being named by Weill Cornell Medicine - for the second time - as the Charles, Lillian and Betty Neuwirth Clinical Scholar in Pediatric Oncology.  

 As the Charles, Lillian and Betty Neuwirth Clinical Scholar, Dr. Kucine will continue her research on myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), rare pre-malignant bone marrow disorders in children. She is working to better understand the pathogenesis in young patients and complete the largest sequencing evaluation of this patient population. Dr. Kucine evaluates the clinical features of the disease by describing the incidence of thrombotic events and identifying treatment options for use in children with MPNs. She leads an internationally recognized pediatric MPN clinical and research program and sees children from across the country.

Pediatrics Research Day flyer

On June 2nd, 2022, the Department of Pediatrics and Gale and Ira Drukier Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine hosted Pediatrics Research Day 2022, highlighting basic and clinical research in children’s health by Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian faculty, fellows, residents, medical students, and staff.  The day featured oral presentations, invited speakers, a career panel, and a poster session.

Please see the day's agenda below, and explore our abstracts guide:

PDF iconPediatrics Research Day 2022 Abstracts Guide

Agenda

11:15 am-12:00 pm

Check-in / Grab and Go Lunch

12:00 pm-12:05 pm             
Welcome

This week, we are jolted by another mass school shooting that has claimed more young lives. We are shocked and saddened by the devastating deaths of 19 elementary school children and their two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, victims of intentional gunfire by a mentally unwell individual who was practically a child himself.

We stand with children, families, and other citizens across this country who are trying to make sense of another unimaginable violent act, and call upon our local, regional, and national leaders to meaningfully address gun violence – now the No. 1 cause of death of children and teens in the United States according to CDC data. It is clear: gun control is a public health issue.

As child health professionals, we vow to use our voice and knowledge to advocate for stronger gun laws, mental health support, and more effective interventions for at-risk youth. In order to keep kids safe from gun violence – in schools, grocery stores, on the streets, and in our homes – we must address the access to guns and lead the call to action.

Melody Zeng, Ph.D., assistant professor of immunology in pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, has received a Cornell Multi-PI, Inter-campus grant for her study, “Interrogating the role of infant gut microbiome in immune responses to RSV infection.”

Serving as principal investigator, Dr. Zeng will collaborate with co-investigators, Elizabeth Johnson, Ph.D., assistant professor of the nutritional sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, and Stefan Worgall, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Genetic Medicine and Pediatrics and Distinguished Professor of Pediatric Pulmonology and Division Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergy & Immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine, to define the contributions of the altered gut microbiome to dysregulation of immune responses to RSV infection in preterm infants, and to interrogate how bacterial sphingolipids shape lung immune cell development and confer protection against RSV infection in infants.

This article was originally posted on WCM Newsroom.

Dr. Melody Zeng, an assistant professor of immunology in pediatrics and a member of the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children’s Research at Weill Cornell Medicine, has received a 2021 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award from The Hartwell Foundation. The award provides support for three years at $100,000 direct cost per year and designation as a Hartwell Investigator.

This article was originally posted on WCM Newsroom.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that occurs in genetically predisposed people, says pediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Elaine Barfield, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and an Associate Attending Pediatrician at NewYork-Presbyterian.

For people with celiac, the ingestion of gluten, a protein found in certain foods and non-food products, results in damage to the small intestine. And that damage leads to malabsorption of nutrients by the body, with major ramifications for health and wellness.

It is estimated that 1 percent of the world’s population has celiac disease. That’s one in a hundred people. And a person who has a first-degree relative with celiac—a parent, sibling or child—has a 10 percent chance of developing the disease.

But whichever way we calculate the prevalence of celiac, the total does not include roughly 2.5 million Americans who are living with undiagnosed celiac disease, Dr. Barfield says: “Remaining undiagnosed puts them at risk for long-term health complications.”

Read on to see her answers to your FAQs about celiac disease.

On Tuesday, members of the department of pediatrics, former colleagues and patients gathered to celebrate Dr. Jeffrey Perlman for his 18 years of service as the Division Chief of Newborn Medicine. His visionary leadership of the NICU team at Weill Cornell Medicine has resulted in outstanding patient outcomes and has transformed how neonatal intensive care is delivered. His work on neonatal brain injury, neonatal resuscitation, and newborn global health have impacted many children around the world, undoubtedly saving lives and improving outcomes. He has inspired a generation of neonatologists and other newborn care providers. Although Dr. Perlman is stepping down, his legacy of selfless dedication and unwavering commitment to providing the best care for those who are at risk at the start of their lives, will live on.

Pediatrics Weill Cornell Medicine Appointments & Referrals: (646) 962-KIDS (646) 962-5437 Chair's Office: Weill Cornell Medicine 525 E 68th St.
Box 225
New York, NY 10065 (646) 962-5437