UT Southwestern Pediatrics

05/02/2026

We recently hosted our first annual Fellowship Fair, held over three days. The event brought together UT Southwestern medical students and pediatric residents with faculty and fellows representing 16 pediatric fellowship programs across the Department.

The Fellowship Fair was designed with three key goals in mind: to spark early interest in pediatrics among medical students, to help residents identify potential elective opportunities for the upcoming year, and to support residents who are still exploring their post‑residency plans by introducing them to the breadth of fellowship programs available at UT Southwestern. The strong participation and enthusiastic discussions highlighted the value of this new initiative in fostering early career exploration and mentorship within our Department.

04/30/2026

Congratulations to Dr. DeBerardinis on this well-deserved honor.

A proud moment today as three UT Southwestern faculty members – Elizabeth Chen, Ph.D., Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D., and Joel Elmquist, D.V.M., Ph.D. – are elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors in science.

UT Southwestern now has 27 National Academy of Sciences members – more than all other institutions in Texas and the most in UT Southwestern history. Please join us in congratulating these three exceptional scientists, whose research is advancing knowledge in molecular biology, cancer metabolism, and neuroscience, and driving innovation for patients and the future of medicine.

04/22/2026

A team led by pediatric rheumatologists Kristina Ciaglia, M.D., and Elizabeth Sloan, M.D., has published a new study titled “Unmet Social Needs in Pediatric Rheumatic Disease: A Study of Disparities” in Pediatric Rheumatology. Co-authors of this study include Hana Moosa (Research Coordinator, UT Southwestern) and Yuhan Ma (Biostatistician, Scottish Rite for Children).

Their work sheds light on the social determinants of health faced by children with rheumatic diseases, such as juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and juvenile dermatomyositis, and how these challenges differ by diagnosis, language, ethnicity, insurance, and neighborhood disadvantage.

04/13/2026

Lina Chalak, M.D., M.S.C.S., Professor and Chief of Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine, and the NeuroNICU team took the global stage at the 2026 International Newborn Brain Conference in Naples, Italy. Their accepted poster and oral presentations highlighted groundbreaking work in neonatal brain injury, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, neuroprotection, and quality improvement.

Congratulations to this incredible interdisciplinary team for advancing newborn brain health and representing the program with excellence. 🌍🧠

04/08/2026

Please join us welcoming the new Chief Residents for the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year:

-Isha Darbari, M.D.
-Christopher Keys, M.D.
-Harriet Leahy, M.B.B.Ch
-Kimberly Laird, M.D.

Each of them brings a unique set of ideas, perspectives, experiences, and strengths that will continue to enrich our UT Southwestern/Children’s Health residency program. We look forward to the impact they will make in the year ahead.

04/06/2026

J. Andrew “Drew” Bird, M.D., Professor and Interim Chief of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, and Jeffrey A. SoRelle, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology and Pediatrics, contributed to a new UT Southwestern study where scientists have identified gene variants that help explain why food allergies run among family members.

Published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the team’s findings could support improvements in food allergy testing and treatments.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3ZLdYtX

04/01/2026

Neurons in a part of the brain known as the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) appear to direct the body to boost endurance in response to exercise, a study co-led by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center shows.

03/30/2026

Rory Nicolaides, M.D., has been appointed Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

In this new role, she will work with all components of the medical school, clerkship directors, faculty, learners, and staff to further strengthen the quality, consistency, and impact of students’ clinical training experiences. The role will also allow her to provide strategic leadership for the clinical phase of the medical school curriculum.

03/25/2026

Neonatologists Imran Mir, M.D., and Margaret Hoge, M.D., have been selected for the 2026 UT Southwestern Thrive and Flourish Wellness Grants and Leadership. The program provides up to $5,000 in project support, in addition to coaching, mentoring, and project management assistance, to help faculty bring their local wellness initiatives to life.

Dr. Mir’s project, “Feedback That Works: Developing Feedback Literacy for Faculty,” is centered on faculty development at UT Southwestern, with the opportunity to offer the workshop across departments and contribute to a broader culture of effective feedback for both faculty and trainees.

With her project “Caring for Caregivers — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Trainee Resiliency,” Dr. Hoge aims to help pediatric faculty and medical trainees learn healthy coping skills and effectively manage their cognitive responses to stressful situations they encounter as a provider in medicine.

03/23/2026

Pamela J. Okada, M.D., has been appointed Chief of the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and will hold the Sarah M. and Charles E. Seay Endowed Chair of Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

A nationally recognized leader in pediatric emergency medicine, Dr. Okada has advanced the field through clinical innovation, research, education, and operational leadership. She has served as Site Principal Investigator for several landmark multicenter trials that have shaped pediatric emergency care. Dr. Okada has held several key leadership roles within UT Southwestern and Children’s Health. As Associate Program Director for the UT Southwestern Pediatric Residency Program, she developed the Community Pediatric Partners Program, strengthening collaboration between academic medicine and community pediatricians across the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

Through her leadership, scholarship, and commitment to collaborative care, Dr. Okada continues to advance the mission of improving outcomes for children and families through excellence in pediatric emergency medicine.

03/20/2026

Match Day is here! Congratulations to the over 230 UT Southwestern Medical School students who are entering the next phase of their medical journeys. Through the early mornings and late-night study sessions, you've done it! 🎉

Stay tuned for more moments and check out the full Match Day list: https://bit.ly/4lJi0x1