Pediatrics Leadership

Bio

Dr. Joseph Neglia is the Head of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School and the Physician-in-Chief of the M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital. He holds the Ruben-Bentson Chair and a joint appointment as Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health in the School of Public Health.

Dr. Neglia's area of research involves the long-term effects of cancer therapy in cancer survivors and the occurrence of second malignancies following childhood cancer. He is nationally and internationally recognized for his contributions to the field of childhood cancer long-term effects. He currently is Principal Investigator at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota for the Children's Oncology Group (COG), and the vice-chair of the Voting Body of the COG. Dr. Neglia is also Principal Investigator of an American Cancer Society Grant investigating neuro-behavioral outcomes of children recently treated for leukemia.

Dr. Neglia has been involved in numerous service activities both within and outside of the University of Minnesota. He is an active member of Children's Oncology Group, American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, and Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota. He regularly reviews manuscripts for numerous journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and Cancer among others. At the University level, he has been elected as an alternate member of the University Senate and developed and directed the original Cancer Center Database.

Administrator Information

Administrative Phone: 612-624-3113
Administrative Email: pedchair@umn.edu

Bio

Emily Borman-Shoap joined the Department of Pediatrics in August, 2007, and is the Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program and Vice Chair for Education. She also works as a general pediatrician at the Fairview Children's Clinic and at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.
Dr. Borman-Shoap graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She then completed her pediatric residency at the University of Minnesota. She received the Susan B. Vincent resident teaching award at the completion of her residency in 2006. She served as a chief resident at the University of Minnesota from 2006-2007.
Her area of focus is medical education with a special emphasis on competency-based medical education, innovation in curricular design, and mentorship.

Administrator Information

Laurel Jefferson
Administrative Phone: 612-625-9178
Administrative Email: mchen022@umn.edu

Bio

Dr. Fischer is a pediatric critical care physician and Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. She is an alumna of Vassar College, completed her pediatric residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital Center, and her pediatric critical care fellowship at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Fischer's non-clinical focus is on pediatric medical devices and drug therapies. She is an alumna of the UMN Medical Device Center Innovation Fellows Program and is the founder and Director of the Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium (PDIC), which seeks to move pediatric technologies forward towards commercialization. Dr. Fischer also serves as Respiratory Care Director and ECMO Director for UMN Masonic Children's Hospital, as well as Associate Chair for Research Partnerships within the Pediatrics Department.
Her research interests include pediatric and adult medical device and drug development and clinical trials, ECMO, critical care, and regulation of medical devices.

Administrator Information

Jon Burke
Administrative Phone: 612-625-6678
Administrative Email: jpburke@umn.edu

Clinical Summary

Pediatric Critical Care; Pediatric Medical Device Technology

Bio

Michael K. Georgieff, MD, holds the position of the Martin Lenz Harrison Land Grant Chair in Pediatrics. He is a Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Developmental Psychology, the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and the Director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Development. He received his MD from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He served his internship, residency and neonatal fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a fellowship in neonatology at the University of Minnesota. In addition to caring for patients on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Dr. Georgieff is Director of the NICU Follow-up Program. Dr. Georgieff's research focuses on fetal/neonatal nutrition and brain development, specifically on the effect of early life iron nutrition and neurocognitive function. He has been continuously funded in this field by the National Institutes of Health for 30 years and has published over 250 scientific articles. He advises the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Institutes of Health and UNICEF on nutrition and early child development.

Clinical Summary

Iron and infant development; Maternal-fetal medicine; Neonatology; Perinatal iron metabolism

Bio

Professor Antoinette Moran, MD, is Division Chief of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at the University of Minnesota. She has been working with patients with diabetes since 1987, performing research and clinical care. Her research in cystic fibrosis-related diabetes resulted in her being named the first annual recipient of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Richard C. Talamo Distinguished Clinical Achievement Award, for "research contributions that have had significant influence on the course of the disease." She is a leader in the field of clinical trials to prevent and cure type 1 diabetes. Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and industry. She is involved in global health and has been working with a pediatric diabetes clinic in Uganda for more than 10 years.

Research Summary

Cystic fibrosis related diabetes; Type 1 diabetes prevention; Pediatric diabetes care in East Africa

Clinical Summary

Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes mellitus; Pediatric diabetes; Type 1 diabetes; Pediatric diabetes care in East Africa

Bio

Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, PhD is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy. She is also a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. Dr. Panoskaltsis-Mortari is the Director of the Cytokine Reference Laboratory, the Director of the 3D Bioprinting Facility at the University of Minnesota and Vice Chair for Research for the Department of Pediatrics.
Dr. Panoskaltsis-Mortari received her PhD from the University of Western Ontario. She was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Pathology at the University of Alabama and a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota. She joined the University of Minnesota faculty in 1995.
Dr. Panoskaltsis-Mortari has board certification from the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology. She is a member of numerous immunology, pulmonary, and hematology professional societies, and the author of over 250 articles which have appeared in such publications as Journal of Experimental Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Blood, Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, American Journal of Physiology (Lung, Cell. & Mol. Physiol.),and Journal of Immunology.

Administrator Information

Nathasha Chandrasekharan
Administrative Phone: 612-626-2961
Administrative Email: nchandra@umn.edu
Administrative Fax Number: 612-625-2174

Research Summary

With 25 years of experience in animal models of stem cell transplant, lung injury, mesenchymal stem/stromal cell therapy and the biology of graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) after bone marrow transplant, Dr. Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari's work has evolved into the bioengineering field, and she is recognized as one of the thought leaders in lung bioengineering. Dr. Panoskaltsis-Mortari's laboratory research focuses upon 4 major themes: 1) bioengineering the lung using adult stem cells and decellularized whole lung scaffolds with the goal of creating autologous lungs for transplant; 2) bioengineering autologous tissues such as trachea and esophagus using 3D bioprinting and customized hydrogels; 3) 3D bioprinting of cancer models; 4) enhancing proper lung repair and regeneration by manipulating the extracellular matrix using mesenchymal stromal cells and other cell therapy strategies.
Dr. Panoskaltsis-Mortari established and directs the 3D Bioprinting Facility at the University of Minnesota. She also directs the UMN Cytokine Reference Laboratory (a CLIA-licensed facility) and is board-certified by the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology. She is a member of the Stem Cell Institute, the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, the Lillehei Heart Institute, the Masonic Cancer Center and the Center for Immunology. She is funded by the NIH, has mentored many post-docs, MD trainees, graduate students and undergrads in various training programs, and collaborates with ARMI-BioFabUSA. Her goal is to realize the potential of regenerative medicine by converging the fields of stem cell biology, mechanical & biomedical engineering, biomaterials, physiology and surgery to bioengineer autologous tissues/organs for transplant using a patient's own cells that would not be rejected by their immune system.

Bio

Dr. Pitt is a graduate from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in pediatrics at Northwestern University's Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Pitt believes that a good pediatrician must be a good educator and enjoys equipping medical students and residents with tools that improve bedside teaching, patient rapport, and parent's understanding of complex diseases in their children. He is an Associate Program Director for the University of Minnesota Pediatric Residency. An award-winning magician who has performed internationally since the age of 8, Dr. Pitt leads workshops for pediatricians on how to incorporate magic into the physical exam to ease anxiety, build rapport, and increase diagnostic yield.

Administrator Information

Cathy Centola
Administrative Phone: 612-625-6678
Administrative Email: kreme002@umn.edu
Administrative Fax Number: 612-626-1144

Bio

While cystic fibrosis is considered a pulmonary disease, attention to excellent nutrition and good growth is essential to optimal pulmonary function and extended survival. I consider my role in the management of children with cystic fibrosis to reduce pain and disability associated with gastrointestinal and liver disease in CF, and to offer aggressive interventions to improve nutrition in children unable to achieve normal growth. I am proud to be a member of a team of caregivers dedicated to both superior clinical care of children with CF, and to clinical research to improve survival in this disease.

Clinical Summary

Pancreatic disease; Chronic pancreatitis; Pancreatectomy/auto islet cell transplantation; Pediatric liver disease, particularly Hepatitis B; Gastrointestinal, nutritional and liver disease in cystic fibrosis