Research Faculty/Mentors

Allergy/Immunology/ Rheumatology

Jane Burns, MD (Biomarkers in Kawasaki’s Disease)
John Bastian, MD (Anti IL-5 Therapy in Eosinophilic Esophagitis)
Seema Aceves, MD, PhD (Tissue remodeling in Eosinophilic Esophagitis)
Hal Hoffman, MD (Periodic Fever Syndrome)
Anthony Horner, MD (Environmental Influences in Pediatric Asthma)
Alessandra Franco, MD, PhD (B-Cell-T-Cell Crosstalk)

Cardiology

John Moore, MD, MPH ( STARFlex Septal Occlusion System in ASD, Catheterization Outcomes, Congenital Cardiovascular Interventional Study Consortium)
Christopher Davis, MD, PhD (Exercise Physiology, Sudden Death Syndrome in Athletes)
Paul Grossfeld, MD (Jacobsen Syndrome, Marfan Syndrome)
Vishal Nigam, MD (Signaling Pathways in Hypoplastic Left-Heart Syndrome)

Child Development and Community Health

Sheila Gahagan, MD, MPH (Biopsychosocial Determinants of Obesity/Cardiovascular Risk)
Shelia Broyles, PhD, MPH (San Diego EXPORT, Adaptation of Nutrition/Education)
Sandra Daley, MD (San Diego EXPORT, Health Disparities)
Patricia East, PhD (Effects of Adolescent Child-Bearing, Teen Violence)
Howard Taras, MD (School Health)
Martin T. Stein, MD (ADHD, Early Recognition of Developmental and Behavioral Conditions)
Maria Zuniga, PhD (Health Care Access and Utilization for Border Health, Latinos Living with HIV)

Critical Care

Brad Peterson, MD (Traumatic Brain Injury)
Susan Duthie, MD (Evaluation of Code Blue Data in External Trauma)
Brock Fischer, MD (Research Director for Critical Care)
Sandeep Khanna, MD (Pressure Monitoring in Critically Ill Patients)

Dermatology

Lawrence Eichenfield, MD (Atopic Dermatitis and Risk Factors)
Magdalene Dohil, MD (Therapeutic Treatments in Eczema)
Sheila Fallon-Friedlander, MD (Vascular Lesions, Hemangiomas)
Wynnis Tom, MD (T-Cell Signaling Psoriasis)

Emergency Medicine

Paul Ishimine, MD (Pediatrics Fevers)
John Kanegaye, MD ( Kawasaki’s Disease)
Jamil Madati, MD (Pain Management and Sedation)

Endocrinology/Diabetes

Michael Gottschalk, MD, PhD (Immune Modulation of Type 1 Diabetes, IGF-1 Therapy in Deficient Children, Beta-Cell Function in Type 1 Diabetes)
Alberto Hayek, MD (Pancreatic Modeling from Human Stem Cells)
Ulupi Jhala, PhD (Signaling Cascades and Regulation of Beta Cells)
Jane Kim, MD (Fox01 in Insulin Resistance)
Karen Klein, MD (Racial Diversity and Obesity Impact in Pubertal Onset)
Maike Sander, MD (Pancreatic Progenitor Beta-Cell and Development)
Jianhua Shao, MD, PhD (Transcriptional Regulation of Adiponectic Gene Expression)

Gastroenterology

Ranjan Dohil, MD, (Cystinosis, Pathogenesis and Treatment; Budesonide Treatment of EE)
Lars Bode, PhD (Glycobiology, Neonatal Nutrition and NEC)
Kerri Boutelle, PhD (Behavioral issues in Obesity, Interventions for Overweigh Adolescents)
Jeannie Huang, MD, MPH (Weight Management in ALL Survivors, Text use in Adolescent Health Management, Health Literacy in IBD)
Sherry Huang, MD (Genetics of Pediatric Polyposis Cancer Syndromes)
Mamta Sivagnanam, MD ( Congenital tufting enteropathy)
Jeff Schwimmer, MD (NAFLD, NASH, Risk and Treatment Options in Obesity)

General Academic Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

Brett Pickering, MD (Special Needs Primary Care)
Joyce Adams, MD (Teen Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders, Normative Anogenital Anatomy)
Eyla Boies, MD (Breastfeeding the Pre-term Infant)
Nancy Graff, MD ( Residency Training in Primary Care)
Karen Loper, MD (Adolescent Health and Violence Prevention)
Lyndia Willies-Jacobo, MD (Cultural Competence and Sensitivity in Pediatrics)

Genetics/Metabolism

Albert La Spada, MD, PhD ( Molecular Genetics of Neurodegenerative Diseases)
Bruce Barshop MD, PhD (Newborn Screening for Metabolic Discorders)
Lynne Bird, MD ( Rare Diseases and New Therapy)
Christina Chambers, PhD, MPH (Autoimmune Diseases in Pregnancy, National Children’s Study, Nutrition Risk Factors in FASD in Russia)
Pam Itkin-Ansari, MD (Drug Development for Beta-Cell Regeneration)
Marilyn Jones, MD (Birth Defects and Developmental Disorders)
Kenneth Lyons Jones, MD (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Birth Defect Patterns, California Teratogenic Program, Maternal Dietary Fat in Gastroschisis)
Alysson Muotri, PhD (Neuronohomeostasis Autistic Spectrum Disorders)
Robert Naviaux, MD, PhD (Alpers Syndrome, Mitochondrial Disease in Autism
Bill Nyhan, MD, PhD (Center for Lesch-Nyhan Disease)

Genome Information Sciences

Kelly Frazer, PhD (Cancer Diagnostics)

Hematology/Oncology

Donald Durden, MD, PhD (PTEN Targets in Cancer Syndromes)
Bill Roberts, MD (Chemotherapy for Low-Grade Astrocytoma, Recurrent Neuroblastoma and Medullablastoma, Tumor Lysis Syndrome in ALL)
Eric Anderson, MD (Stem Cell Transplantation, Neuro-oncology Research)
Amy Geddis, MD, PhD (Megakaryocyte differentiation, Therapy for ITP)
Jenny Kim, MD (Sickle Cell Disease, Treatment for PNET and Medullablastoma)
Amy Lovejoy, MD (Hemophilia and von Willebrand’s Disease)
Deborah Schiff, MD (Refractory ALL Therapy)
Jennifer Willert, MD (Progression of Neuroblastoma)

Hospital Medicine

Erin Stucky, MD (Pediatric Research in the Inpatient Setting)
Cindy Kuelbs, MD (Child and Family Maltreatment)
Daniel Hershey, MD (Sports Injury in Adolescence)
Ami Doshi, MD (Palliative care)

Infectious Disease

Steve Spector, MD (Host-viral Interactions)
John Bradley, MD (Clinical trials of Antibacterials, Antifungals, and novel therapies in MRSA)
John Leake, MD MPD (Epidemiology of Tropical Medicine)
Alice Pong, MD (Phase 4 clinical trials on Treatment of Tuberculosis)
Mark Sawyer, MD (Immunization delivery, compliance and education)
Rolando Viani, MD (HIV and Pregnancy)

Neonatology

Neil Finer, MD (SUPPORT Trial for the Neonatal Research network)
Greg Heldt, MD (Surfactant replacement therapys; pathogenesis of GBS sepsis)
Jae Kim, MD, PhD (Neonatal Bowel Injury: modalities for diagnosis and treatment)
Tina Leone, MD (Functional Echocardiography in the Neonate)
Frank Mannino, MD (Mechanical Ventilation of the Neonate)
Evan Snyder, MD, PhD (Regenerative Stem Cell Initiative)
Yvonne Vaucher, MD, MPH (Nutrition aspects of neonate and Global Health Paradigms)

Nephrology

Robert Mak, MD, PhD (Uremic cachexia and osteodystrophy; biomarkers for VUR)
Sanjay Nigam, MD, PhD (Embryonic Kidney Development)
Vivian Reznik, MD (Prenatal Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Congenital Renal Disorders)
Elizabeth Ingulli, MD (Transplant Immunology)
Peter Jorgin, MD (Erythropoietin and Anemia)

Neurology

Doris Trauner, MD (Neurodevelopmental Disorders)
Jonathan Bui, MD, PhD (Neuroimaging and Vascular and Behavioral Neurology)
Jennifer Friedman, MD (Movement Disorders)
Joe Gleeson, MD, PhD (Neurogenetic Disorders)
Carla Grossman, MD (Neuromuscular Disorders and Electromyography)
Richard Haas, MD (Neurometabolic Disorders)
David Lieberman, MD, PhD (Role of Synapse Formation and Function in Neurodevelopmental Disorders)
Mark Nespeca, MD (Childhood Epilepsy)

Pharmacology and Drug Discoveries

Victor Nizet, MD (Microbial Pathogenesis and the Innate Immune System)
Brookie Best, PharmD (Antiretroviral Agents)
Edmund Caparelli, PharmD (Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Modeling)
Adriana Tremoulet, MD, MAS; (Pharmacology of Antiinfective Agents)

Respiratory Medicine

Gabriel Haddad, MD (Role of Ion Channels in Nerve Cells in Hypoxic Environment)
Jim Hagood, MD (Signaling Pathways in Pulmonary Fibrosis)
Robert Douglas, PhD (Role of Reactive Oxygen Species)
Mark Pian, MD (Translational and Clinical Research in Cystic Fibrosis)
Paul Quinton, PhD (Transport Defects in CF)
Julie Ryu, MD (Hypercapnia and Lung Development and Function)

One of our Department’s highlights is a strong academic program with readily-available opportunities and support to do clinical or bench research. The teaching clinical faculty are exceptional, and truly care about resident education and quality of life.
- Dr. Grant Keeney, Chief Resident, ’10-‘11