That's Pediatrics

Michael Morowitz, MD, is an associate professor of Surgery and an attending physician in the Division of Pediatric and General Thoracic Surgery. Dr. Morowitz’s research focuses on Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC), a mysterious disorder of intestinal inflammation in premature newborn infants. His lab studies the microbiome, the vast collection of microorganisms that cover our bodies, inside and out.

Kristin Ray, MD, director of Health Systems Improvements with Children’s Community Pediatrics (CCP), and a Mellon Scholar with the Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research, aims to improve the pediatric health care delivery system to make quality care more readily available to all. Dr. Ray discusses two interventions that can help with these challenges, telemedicine and electronic consultations, and the future of this specialty care delivery.

Thomas Diacovo, MD, is chief of the UPMC Newborn Medicine Program and director of Neonatal Cardiovascular Research at the Heart Institute. Dr. Diacovo discusses how he became interested in Thrombosis research, his journey to Pittsburgh, and his research testing new drugs for neonatal intensive care patients, particularly those with congenital heart disease who are at high risk for forming blood clots. Dr. Diacovo also credits the parents of our patients for the success of his clinical trials.

Bernhard Kühn, MD, is the director of research in Cardiology and an associate director for the Richard King Mellon Institute for Pediatric Research. The Kühn Lab focuses on cardiomyocytes and creating therapies that can help the heart muscle heal itself to recover from a heart attack or to help it restore a congenital heart defect to normal cardiac function without requiring surgery. He also reflects on the helpful collaboration with the cardiac surgery team here at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburg

Alejandro Hoberman, MD, chief of the Division of General Academic Pediatrics and president of Children’s Community Pediatrics, has contributed research on urinary tract infections and acute otitis media, and in this episode, the focus is on the ears. He discusses the role of antibiotics, duration of treatment, resistance, adverse outcomes, allergies, and more. Dr. Hoberman also talks about the role that new technologies and multimedia tools play in treatment and discussions with parents.

After six years of medical school in Romania, Mioara Manole, MD, came to the U.S. and discovered a passion for pediatric emergency medicine. In addition to seeing patients, she is also the director of Basic and Translational Research in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Learn how her research translates to clinical work, including the creation of the FLO2 NeuroCap, a noninvasive device that measures brain oxygenation and neuronal activity in children after cardiac arrest or other brain injuries.

In the late ’80s, George Mazariegos, MD, had a one-month rotation with transplant pioneer Thomas E. Starzl, MD. Today, he is chief of Pediatric Transplantation at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and director of Pediatric Transplantation at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute. Our hosts cover all things pediatric liver transplantation: What conditions require a transplant, what our center has accomplished, growing our transplant network, and improving care after transplantation.

Tim Shope, MD, professor of Pediatrics, has lived in many places, but common pediatric infections, including urinary tract infections (UTIs) are everywhere. His team created the UTICalc, available at uticalc.ptt.edu. This user-friendly tool prompts the clinician with five questions, providing an estimated risk of UTI to help reduce unnecessary catheterization and improve outcomes. Also, learn about Dr. Shope’s time with the U.S. Navy, and his famous family member in the world of infectious disease researc

Tim Hand, PhD, assistant professor with the Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research, takes samples from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to look at how antibodies in a mother’s breast milk may shape the relationship between an infant and their microbiome. Listen in as Dr. Hand discusses the unique microbiome of premature infants, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and how maternal IgA, an active component in a mother’s breast milk, can shape a child’s immune system.

Radhika Muzumdar, MD, chief of Pediatric Endocrinology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, wants to meet short-term and long-term goals of treatment and management of diabetes. In this episode, Dr. Muzumdar covers her career beginning with her earlier work on growth hormones and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), to her upcoming studies on the hypothalamus and the humanin peptide. Other current programs include a mobile test kitchen and video game-based nutrition education.

When George Gittes, MD, and his research team came across an outcome they weren't expecting, Dr. Gittes’ surgical background helped identify an amazing discovery — using gene therapy to reverse autoimmune type I diabetes without immunosuppression. Dr. Gittes has recently been appointed the director of the Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research and co-scientific director at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

This special episode of That’s Pediatrics tackles a subject currently on the minds of pediatricians and parents alike: Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). This rare childhood neurological disorder causes weakness in the arms or legs — sometimes even paralysis. John Williams, MD, our division chief of Pediatric Infectious Disease at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, talks about the recent outbreak of AFM with enterovirus virologist Carolyn Coyne, PhD, and Brian Martin, DMD, VP of Medical Affairs.

There are so many types of germs that cause illness, but so little we know about them. Terence Dermody, MD, physician-in-chief and scientific director, is motivated by the endless opportunities in Infectious Diseases to learn more about these little mysteries that affect our patients. Dr. Dermody also introduces the Pittsburgh Study, a multi-year population study that aims to follow children in Allegheny County from birth to completion of high school to answer the question: What determines health?

When our young patients are hurting, we can only guess what's causing the pain since they cannot speak for themselves. Rachel Berger, MD, chief of the Child Advocacy Center, wanted to ensure one possibility isn’t left off the table: a brain injury. Dr. Berger talks about a blood test to help physicians identify infants who may have bleeding of the brain as a result of abusive head trauma. UPMC is the first hospital system to have a universal screening for child abuse in their Emergency Departments.

"That's Pediatrics" will explore the latest discoveries and innovations in pediatric medicine and research at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Learn about what to expect from “That’s Pediatrics” and meet two of the hosts, Stephanie Dewar, MD, and John Williams, MD.