Victor Nizet, MD

UC San Diego School of Medicine

Victor Nizet, MD is Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair of Basic Research, Department of Pediatrics, and Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). A graduate of Reed College, Dr. Nizet received his medical training at Stanford University, completed a Residency and Chief Residency in Pediatrics at Harvard University’s Children’s Hospital in Boston, and a Fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington’s Children’s Hospital in Seattle. At UCSD, he leads a large basic and translational research laboratory studying bacterial pathogenesis, innate immunity, and novel approaches to treatment of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and sepsis. He has authored over 560 peer-reviewed publications and collaborated with several biotechnology companies to develop novel antibiotic and immune-based therapies and vaccines.

Dr. Nizet is particularly interested in graduate, postdoctoral, and junior faculty training and interdisciplinary research program development. In his laboratory, he has trained over 60 postdoctoral fellows and 20 PhD students, and more than 30 of his former trainees now hold independent faculty positions conducting extramurally funded research. At UCSD he is the PI of the NIAID T32 Training Program in Infectious Diseases and co-PI of the NICHD T32 Training Program in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology, both of which support postdoctoral scholars and clinical fellows, as well as co-PI of the NIAID R25 Raising Advancement and Parity for Infectious Diseases Researchers and Training Director for the NICHD K12 Child Health Research Career Development Award, both of which support junior faculty members. He is also on the leadership committees of the Medical Scientist Training Program, PharmD/PhD Program, IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellow Program, and the National Center for Leadership in Academic Medicine.

Dr. Nizet’s contributions have previously been recognized by the E. Mead Johnson Award for Research in Pediatrics from the Society for Pediatric Research, the DC White Award for Interdisciplinary Research and Mentoring from the American Society of Microbiology, Career Awards from the American Heart Association and American Lung Association, an NIH/NIAID Merit Award, and his election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), Association of American Physicians (AAP), American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), American Academy of Microbiology (AAM), and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Shetal Shah, MD, FAAP

Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, New York Medical College

The Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) is pleased to announce that Shetal Shah, MD, FAAP has been named the 2025 Thomas A. Hazinski Distinguished Service Award recipient. This prestigious award recognizes Dr. Shah’s outstanding service to SPR. Dr. Shah, a Professor of Neonatology in the Division of Neonatology, Stem Cell Liaison at the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital of New York Medical College, is widely respected for his advocacy and contributions to advancing child health research.

Press Release

Katherine Y. King, MD, PhD

Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital

Katherine Y. King MD PhD is Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, where she is part of the faculty for the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center and serves as Co-Director of the BCM Medical Scientist Training Program. Dr. King received her BA in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University and her MD and PhD degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. A board-certified pediatric infectious diseases physician, Dr. King’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms by which inflammation affects blood and immune cell production and clonal competition by hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow.

Dr. King discovered that infections activate hematopoietic stem cell division. She showed that persistent hematopoietic stem cell division during chronic infectious and inflammatory conditions can drive bone marrow failure. Further, she showed that Inflammatory activation of hematopoietic stem cells contributes to clonal hematopoiesis, a condition associated with cardiovascular disease and other diseases of aging. This body of work has made a significant impact on explaining disease phenotypes such as why infections impede stem cell engraftment after transplant, and why immunotherapy patients develop persistent cytopenias.

Dr. King also showed that the intestinal microbiome is a critical mediator of normal hematopoiesis. She has defined key molecular pathways and bacterial species that may contribute to maintenance of the blood system. Defining the mechanisms of microbiome-dependent hematopoiesis will aid in prevention of chemotherapy and transplant-associated neutropenia.

Current work in the King lab is directed at how infections and inflammation may generate lasting epigenetic changes in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, providing innate immune memory. This work will uncover new ways to enhance innate immune function against emerging pathogens.

Dr. King has been the recipient of the NHLBI R35 Emerging Investigator Award and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). She is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research, the American Pediatric Society, and the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Aside from her research, Dr. King has been an advocate for equity in access to care and inclusion in the biomedical sciences. She was a founder of the non-profit Doctors for Change, which advocated for improved access to care for people in Houston, and she was the 2024 recipient of the Leadership Award in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by the International Society for Experimental Hematology.

Grace M. Aldrovandi, MD, CM

UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital

Dr. Grace Aldrovandi is a physician-scientist and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and a Professor of Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine of the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Aldrovandi received her undergraduate and her medical degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She completed an internship and residency at McGill, as well as a research fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at the University of California, Los Angeles.   She is a board-certified pediatric infectious diseases specialist with over 20 years experience in caring for both general pediatric infectious diseases as well as HIV infected children and their families. Dr. Aldrovandi’s research interests include pediatric HIV, the effects of breast milk on child health and infections in immunocompromised children. She has published more than 200 peer review publications in such journals as Nature, Journal of Virology, and the New England Journal of Medicine and multiple book chapters. She has been a member of many National Institutes of Health study sections and lectured throughout the world.

Dr. Aldrovandi has had continuous NIH funding for over 20 years, and in recognition of her significant contributions was honored with the prestigious Elizabeth Glaser Scientist Award. She and her collaborators were the first to describe increased morbidity and mortality among HIV-exposed uninfected infants, an essential discovery with potential implications for improving health outcomes in this vulnerable population. Dr. Aldrovandi’s laboratory is at the forefront of investigating microbial communities’ role in various compartments, ranging from mucosal (breast, vagina, rectum, oral) to non-mucosal (skin) regions. Their pioneering work demonstrated the presence of perturbations in the microbiome of infants born to HIV-infected women, despite the infants not being infected with HIV. Employing sophisticated bioinformatics approaches, they have skillfully modeled microbial maturation and strain transfer from breast milk to infant stool, unveiling new insights into this crucial area of research.

Having played prominent leadership roles in several NIH-funded clinical trials Networks, Dr. Aldrovandi has a deep understanding of the collaborative efforts essential for transformative research in the field. This unique perspective allows her to identify opportunities for innovative and impactful investigations

Dr. Aldrovandi is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of scientists and has actively engaged in mentoring activities to encourage underrepresented Latino and African-American high school students to pursue careers in STEM fields. Her mentoring efforts have garnered attention and recognition, with a feature on Despierta America, highlighting the impact of their work in inspiring and guiding young minds towards scientific excellence. Moreover, Dr. Aldrovandi has had the privilege of mentoring numerous talented individuals, guiding them through their academic and research journeys. Her mentorship has been instrumental in helping these individuals secure prestigious awards and grants, including T32, K08, K23, K99, R01, and a Doris Duke Award.

Shannon Adams-Hartung, MD

Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Dr. Shannon Adams-Hartung is a first-year fellow in the Division of Neonatology at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, she attended college at Duke University where she graduated cum laude, double majoring in History and Global Health. She then went on to receive her medical degree from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University before completing her residency in pediatrics at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University/Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Shannon’s academic interests lie at the intersection of neonatology and medical ethics, including topics in maternal-fetal management, neonatal end-of life decision making, prenatal counseling in the case of extreme prematurity or congenital anomaly, and health equity. As a medical student, she conducted research looking at parent and physician interpretations of quality of life for neonatal patients through the Scholarly Concentration in Medical Humanities and Ethics at Brown, and was later selected to participate in the interdisciplinary Fellowship at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE). She continued her work in residency where she completed the McGaw Bioethics Scholars Program at Northwestern and engaged in research and writing related to the use of DNR orders in the NICU, abortion and perinatal palliative care provision in the wake of the Dobbs decision, and institutional culture on the topic of periviability. She is currently launching a multi-center mixed-methods study building on her previous ethical cultures work.

Evan Rajadhyaksha, MD

Indiana University School of Medicine

Evan is a first-generation American, shaped by a rich cross-cultural upbringing. His parents, who immigrated from opposite sides of the world, blended their cultures and instilled in him a deep pride in his identity as both Hispanic and Indian-American.

Evan completed his undergraduate and medical education at the University of Virginia (UVA), where his passion for immunology blossomed as he investigated the impact of allergic asthma on the innate immune response to rhinovirus. Staying at UVA for pediatric residency, he was drawn to the spectrum and complexity of diseases treated in nephrology. He chose to specialize in nephrology for the way it combines features of immunology and rheumatology with critical care physiology, while allowing for long-term patient relationships—one of his favorite aspects of pediatric medicine.

Now in his second year of pediatric nephrology fellowship at Indiana University, Evan continues to explore how immune responses can become maladaptive and cause harm. Through his T32 in clinical pharmacology, he has utilized single cell transcriptomics, developing a keen interest in applying gene expression and pathway analyses to pediatric nephrology research. The PROSPER award has significantly supported his project, which investigates the effect of Vitamin D deficiency on the immune response to pyelonephritis within the unique cellular microenvironment of the kidney, building on his previous research experiences.

Amanda Muir, MD, MTR

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Muir’s clinical and research goal is to improve the lives of children with eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease and prevent the devastating consequences of eosinophilic inflammation including weight loss feeding disorders, dysphagia and esophageal stricture.  Following training in general pediatrics,  a strong foundation in mucosal immunology led to a natural interest in pediatric gastroenterology, in which perturbations in the balance between environmental factors and host innate immune responses have a profound impact upon human growth and development. Among its many complications, disruptions in the esophageal epithelial homeostasis is the most striking histologic feature of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).  Dr. Muir has been able to grow expertise in esophageal epithelial biology and 3-D culture systems.  Using primary culture methods, she has developed an esophageal organoid platform to recapitulate the EoE microenviroment and has been able to utilize this model to understand the role of the esophageal epithelium in propagating inflammation and fibrosis.  She has been able to build a robust platform for biobanking, growing primary organoid, air liquid interface and organotypic cultures, and performing in depth genetic and transcriptomic evaluations.  In addition to this disease modeling in vitro, Dr. Muir also has a clinical research portion of her lab. A major knowledge gap in the field of EoE is how to identify esophageal fibrosis prior to the onset of a frank stricture. She has pioneered the use of a novel tool, the endoluminal function imaging probe or EndoFLIP, in clinical and research practice in the pediatric GI community. EndoFLIP uses high-resolution impedance planimetry to determine the pressure-geometry relationship or distensibility of the esophagus. Using this tool, she has found that EoE patients have decreased esophageal distensibility compared to healthy non-EoE controls. Furthermore, this difference is exacerbated by disease complications including esophageal fibrosis and food impactions.

Daniel Corwin, MD, MSCE

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Daniel Corwin, MD, MSCE is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Attending Physician, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Director of Clinical and Translational Research for the Division of Emergency Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Associate Director and Emergency Department Lead of the CHOP Minds Matter Program, and Scholar and Leadership Council Member for CHOP’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, medical school at the New York University School of Medicine, and his pediatric residency, pediatric emergency medicine fellowship, and pediatric emergency medicine research fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

His research focuses on: (1) improving mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnosis across care settings, including utilizing objective physiologic markers of injury to facilitate timely and accurate diagnosis; (2) improving mild TBI risk stratification for pediatric patients evaluated shortly following injury, to appropriately guide referral and intervention strategies; (3) improving equity in TBI care by exploring novel care pathways, with a specific focus on digital health and remote patient monitoring as tools to optimize care equity; and (4) evaluating early therapeutics for mild TBI, including leading the first randomized trial of a nutraceutical to improve mild TBI symptoms in the pediatric population. His work is supported by grants from the NIH, CDC, BARDA, Department of Defense, and Toyota Way Forward Fund. The hallmark of his work is high quality research resulting in impactful peer-reviewed publications, coupled with translation and implementation of that research at the point-of-care.