Janice Staber, MD

Janice Staber, MD is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the division of Hematology/Oncology/BMT at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City, IA. The goal of her work is to improve treatment options for patients with hemophilia and other heritable bleeding disorders. Dr. Staber’s current research aims to understand the impact of factor VIII deficiency on brain structure and function as well as determine the mechanism behind these changes. Dr. Staber has been a member of SPR since 2018 and previously served as a speaker for the APS SPR Virtual Chat/Webinar Series on Career Development. Dr. Staber is a previous National Hemophilia Foundation Career Development Awardee and has received funding from multiple societies including American Society of Hematology. Currently, her work focuses on factor VIII deficiency and its neurophenotype. She is currently funded by an NIH R01. At her institution, Dr. Staber facilities a faculty grant preparation group called ‘K Club’ where senior and junior faculty meet every other week to evaluate grant proposals and manuscripts written by junior faculty. She would prioritize career development activities that support junior faculty successful transition to independent research.

Sara Van Driest, MD, PhD

Sara Van Driest, MD, PhD, is the Director of Pediatrics for NIH’s All of Us Research Program, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in the Division of General Pediatrics. Prior to joining the NIH, Dr. Van Driest’s laboratory at VUMC was focused on pediatric precision medicine, specifically using electronic health records and other clinical data to fill knowledge gaps in pharmacogenetics. Now, as Director of Pediatrics for All of Us, she will lead efforts to enroll pediatric and adolescent participants who reflect the diversity of the United States. An SPR member since 2015, Dr. Van Driest has been an active participant in annual meetings, presenting primary scientific findings and proposing and leading innovative sessions. If selected for SPR’s Council, she would represent the viewpoint of a general pediatrician providing primary care in an academic setting, while also serving as a vital channel to inform, provide feedback to, and learn from the experiences of the All of Us Research Program. She would look to collaborate with Council members and others, tapping their collective expertise to inform recruitment of pediatric participants from diverse backgrounds and ensure the collection of high-yield data for the All of Us dataset. Lessons learned from this effort would be shared to help inform and improve the program’s future research efforts.

Jacqueline Ho, MD, MSc

Jacqueline Ho, MD MSc is the Division Director of Pediatric Nephrology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, as well as an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Ho leads an investigative team focused on understanding how microRNAs regulate kidney development, acute kidney injury, and renal fibrosis. An SPR member since 2016, Dr. Ho is passionate and committed to mentoring the next generation of physician-scientists. She has been co-Director of the CHP pediatric physician-scientist training program since 2016 and is active in the National Pediatrician-Scientist Collaborative Workgroup. She has previously served on the American Society for Pediatric Nephrology Program Committee to contribute to PAS programming, and chaired the ASPN Research Committee 2015-2016. Dr. Ho is enthusiastic to lead efforts to re-envisage physician-scientist training, think creatively about supporting trainees and increasing diversity.

Emily Tam, MDCM, MAS, FRCPC

Emily Tam, MDCM, MAS, FRCPC, is a Child Neurologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Tam leads a CIHR- and NIH-funded program of clinical research focused on understanding metabolic and nutritional risk factors for neonatal brain injury. She also directed the Neonatal Neurology fellowship training program at SickKids since 2014, training 25 neurologists and neonatologists to date. Dr. Tam has played a key role in the standardization of training in neonatal neurocritical care in the US and Canada. She is also actively involved in hospital DEI working groups within Pediatrics and Neurology. An SPR member since 2013, she has consistently had an active involvement at PAS meetings, including abstract review, symposia moderation, poster facilitation, and invited lectures. Dr. Tam has served on the PAS Program Committee since 2021, playing a lead role in coordination of neurology programming at the PAS annual meeting, as well as organizing and chairing pre-conference postgraduate courses. As an Asian Canadian woman, Dr. Tam is passionate about mentoring, incorporating principals of diversity, equity, and inclusivity to promote success in the next generation of clinician-researchers.