News | Page 19 | Pediatrics

Deyin Hsing Receives Department of Pediatrics 2022 Young Investigators Award

January 12, 2022

Congratulations to Deyin D. Hsing, MD on receiving the Department of Pediatrics 2022 Young Investigators Award for her translational research project, Annexin A2 As a Potential Mediator in Development of Multi-organ Dysfunction in Children Following Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

Annexin A2 is an intracellular protein that’s instrumental in the maintenance of vascular homeostasis. For this project, Dr. Hsing will study how the degradation of annexin A2 during cardiopulmonary bypass contributes to the development of early organ dysfunction in children, with a special focus on how it impacts respiratory function in the early postoperative period. The study will help researchers better understand the pathobiology underlying bypass-induced organ dysfunction through the identification of new molecular targets, with the goal of informing future interventions in combating the harmful effects of systemic inflammation associated with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Dr. Juhi Kumar Appointed Interim Chief of Pediatric Nephrology

January 11, 2022

The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce the appointment of Juhi Kumar, MD, MPH, as Interim Division Chief of Pediatrics Nephrology, effective January 1, 2022. Dr. Kumar is taking on this role following the retirement of Dr. Eduardo Perelstein, who was a dedicated leader of the pediatric nephrology division for seven years.

Dr. Juhi Kumar is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine and an Associate Attending Pediatrician at the NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Kumar received her medical degree (MBBS) from LLRM Medical College in India. She completed a residency in Pediatrics at SUNY-Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, and a fellowship in Pediatric Nephrology at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She also completed a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) at the School of Public Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

She is an expert in conditions affecting the kidneys in children, from congenital structural kidney abnormalities, kidney diseases causing proteinuria and hematuria, high blood pressure and fluid and electrolyte disorders. She cares for patients across the spectrum of kidney disease from acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease that ultimately require renal replacement therapy, including dialysis and transplant.

Dr. Caitlin Williams Receives Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award

January 5, 2022

Congratulations to Caitlin Williams, PhD on receiving funding for her study, “Maternal Interference of Infant SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination,” as part of the Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award Program.

Previous clinical trials for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines did not explicitly investigate maternal antibodies (matAb) or the impact of passive immunity, which is the transfer of ready-made antibodies from the mother to infant. For this study, Dr. Williams’ will investigate how maternal antibodies can protect newborns and infants against COVID-19. She will investigate the capacity of matAb to bind to and neutralize a variety of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, like the delta and omicron variants, to define the potency of maternal antibody, as well as study whether maternal antibody interfere with infant immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines.

The overall goal of this project is to develop a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to serve as preliminary data for future infant COVID-19 clinical trials, as well as encourage extending the current human trials to newborns.

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.

Dr. Nicole Kucine chosen as a 2021 MPN Hero

December 13, 2021

This article was originally posted on Voices of MPN

It is a great honor to present the 2021 MPN Heroes. They have each demonstrated a strong commitment to making a difference in the lives of people living with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Check out their personal stories and get ready to be inspired!

Dr. Patrick Wilson Awarded Grant to Develop a Universal Coronavirus Vaccine

December 8, 2021

Congratulations to Patrick Wilson, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Interim), on being awarded a grant to develop a universal coronavirus vaccine as part of the PanCoVac - Pan-coronavirus Vaccine Consortium. The PanCoVac consortium brings together researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine, University of Wisconsin, and the University of Chicago to develop a vaccine candidate that provides universal protection from all coronavirus strains, including common coronavirus variants.

As part of the consortium, Dr. Wilson and his team at Weill Cornell Medicine will analyze SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses and isolate human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), from the B cells of COVID-19 patients, that bind to and protect against the virus. His team will also isolate antibodies that react to both SARS-CoV-2 and other coronavirus strains such as mutational variants, like the Delta variant, and now, Omicron, etc., and zoonotic coronaviruses that are a pandemic risk (i.e., other bat coronaviruses), as well as strains that cause common colds.

Dr. Wilson will work in collaboration with Yoshi Kawaoka, PhD, of University of Wisconsin and Andrzej Joachimiac, PhD, Dsc, of University of Chicago to then characterize the isolated mAbs for activity against the various coronavirus strains to determine which can be used in designing a vaccine candidate.

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. Thanakorn Jirasevijinda Promoted to Professor of Teaching in Pediatrics

November 8, 2021

The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce the promotion of Thanakorn Jirasevijinda, MD to Professor of Teaching in Pediatrics.