News | Page 3 | Pediatrics

November 13, 2024

The most common congenital viral infection in children is cytomegalovirus infection (CMV). Oftentimes the mother will experience little to no symptoms, but the virus can significantly affect the newborn, with outcomes ranging from no symptoms to severe systemic and intercranial complications. What if we could prevent this infection all together with a vaccine? A candidate mRNA vaccine against CMV has elicited promising immune responses to date and is on a pathway towards FDA approval.

To learn more about this treatment, we are joined by one of the nation’s leading experts in vaccine development for the prevention of congenital viral disease. Sallie Permar, MD, is the Nancy C. Paduano Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine. She serves as pediatrician-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She is also a professor of immunology and microbial pathogenesis at the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

Welcome Dr. Dhristie Bhagat

November 6, 2024

The Department of Pediatrics and the Departments of Ophthalmology and Neurology are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Dhristie Bhagat as Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Neurology concurrently with an appointment as Assistant Professor in the Division of Neuro-ophthalmology, effective October 1, 2024. She will be seeing patients in both divisions.

Dr. Duncan Hau Promoted to Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics

November 4, 2024

The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Duncan Hau to Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics in the Division of General Academic Pediatrics, effective October 1, 2024.

Dr. Hau is a graduate of Cornell University and Tufts University College of Medicine. He completed his Pediatric Residency training at NYP/WC. Dr. Hau has additional education as a member of the Leadership in Academic Medicine (LAMP) and having completed the Advanced Certificate in Clinical Translational Investigation programs offered by Weill Cornell Medical College. Following his residency, he worked for the AIDS project of Baylor College of Medicine and as an attending physician at the Bugando Medical Center in Mwanza Tanzania, a training site for NYP/WC pediatric residents. He joined the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics at WCM in 2014.

Dr. Oliver Barry Named Site Director For Pediatric Catheterization Lab and Program

November 4, 2024

Dr. Oliver Barry is a leader in pediatric cardiac catheterization and interventions and has been a faculty member at Columbia University since 2019. Dr. Barry received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his medical degree from Yale School of Medicine. He did a pediatric residency at Columbia University/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, followed by fellowships at Boston Children’s Hospital in pediatric cardiology and in sub-specialization in congenital interventional cardiology. He is active in several areas of clinical research, including the development of new devices and technology as well as quality improvement and outcomes research to measure and improve quality of care in the pediatric catheterization lab. Join us in welcoming Dr. Barry to his new leadership role.

Celebrating the Success of Suffs and Inspiring Advocacy for Children’s Health

October 31, 2024

The Department of Pediatrics joined forces with other New York City pediatrics department chairs and the Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs (AMSPDC) in a recent event combining the Tony-winning Broadway show Suffs with an engaging panel discussion on children’s health. The evening was not just an enjoyable night of theater, but a powerful reminder of the importance of advocacy, especially in support of our children’s health. In attendance were Weill Cornell and New York Presbyterian leadership, healthcare professionals, policy makers, medical students, and community members, all dedicated to transforming the future of children’s health.

Suffs, which portrays the courage and determination of early 20th-century suffragists, tells the story of women who fought to change the course of history and underscored the potential of dedicated individuals working together to address systemic issues—a perfect backdrop for discussing the urgent health challenges faced by children today.

Dr. Chani Traube Receives Grant to Fund Pain Control Research for Critically Ill Children

October 31, 2024

Dr. Chani Traube, the Gerald M. Loughlin, MD Professor of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded a $3.4 million grant, with the possibility of extending to a total of $17 million over five years, from the National Institutes of Health, for a large-scale clinical trial called Optimizing Pain Treatment in Children on Mechanical ventilation (OPTICOM).

OPTICOM, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, is part of the NIH’s HEAL KIDS PAIN initiative. The OPTICOM study will enroll 644 children in 14 pediatric intensive care units across the United States that are part of the institute’s Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network. This randomized clinical trial is designed to determine if adding acetaminophen or ketorolac, together or separately, to opioid-based pain control reduces pain in children with acute respiratory failure.

Dr. Sean Cullen Appointed as the Friedman Family Foundation Clinical Scholar in Newborn Medicine

September 27, 2024

Dr. Sean Cullen has been appointed as the Friedman Family Foundation Clinical Scholar in Newborn Medicine effective from August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2027. This appointment recognizes his significant scholarly work in neonatology research, with an emphasis on RNA expression with potential implications for understanding risks for inheriting obesity and metabolic dysregulation.

Dr. Sallie Permar Receives $4.2M Program Project Grant for CMV Vaccine Development

September 27, 2024

Weill Cornell Medicine was awarded a $4.2 million Program Project Grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). This will fund the development of a vaccine that can prevent the cytomegalovirus (CMV) from being transmitted from mother to baby during pregnancy—the most common congenital infection worldwide.

The prestigious Program Project Grant has the possibility to be extended for a total of five years and $20.4 million to support collaborative, multi-project research toward effective information sharing and research synergy that may speed the path to a vaccine.

Several companies, like Moderna and Merck, are testing vaccines for their ability to protect pregnant women from CMV infection, thereby reducing the chances of transmission to the fetus. However, Dr. Sallie Permar, the chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, is leading the program to test vaccine approaches that will prevent transmission of the virus to protect the developing fetus.

Worldwide, about one in 200 babies is born with CMV and one-quarter of them experience long-lasting impairments, including hearing loss, smaller than average head size (microcephaly), developmental delays and seizures.

All Children’s Pediatric Sub-Specialty Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

September 18, 2024

Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital are deeply committed to ensuring that every child in our community has access to the care they need to thrive. This reimagined Pediatric Subspecialty Practice represents a significant step forward in making specialized care accessible to all, particularly our most vulnerable populations. The way we fund healthcare can lead to inequity of care, but by consolidating care of commercially and Medicaid covered patients in one facility, we eliminated disparities in access to care. By expanding access to pediatric subspecialties, we address gaps in healthcare access and early indicators show we have positive health outcomes. We improved access to quality healthcare for all children with the push of a button, an elevator button. This change underscores our commitment to inclusivity and equity at WCM and NYP.

Childhood HIV Vaccination Strategy Shows Promise in Study

September 18, 2024

Research at Weill Cornell Medicine suggests that childhood immunization against HIV could one day provide protection before risk of contracting this potentially fatal infection dramatically increases in adolescence.

The study, published Aug. 30 in Science Immunology, demonstrated that a series of six vaccinations containing a modified protein from the surface of HIV particles stimulated initial steps of a potent immune response in young non-human primates. This difficult-to-achieve response represents an important step toward providing full and potentially life-long protection against the virus, the researchers say.

Immunizing young children, rather than adults, makes sense because risk factors for HIV infection rise steeply when adolescents become sexually active, according to senior author Dr. Sallie Permar, the Nancy C. Paduano Professor in Pediatrics and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine.