When an infant is born, their first introduction is to a new immune system and new bacteria. Tim Hand, PhD, assistant professor with the Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research, takes samples from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, 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.

Tim Shope, MD, professor of Pediatrics at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, 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 research.

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. Hosts Stephanie Dewar, MD, and John Williams, MD, discuss the details of this fascinating study and more with Dr. Gittes. 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.

A family history, working with children, and a love of math motivated Radhika Muzumdar, MD, chief of Pediatric Endocrinology, to choose a career focused on diabetes. Her research and clinical care aim to meet the short- 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 and studies include a mobile test kitchen and video game-based nutrition education.

This special episode of That’s Pediatrics tackles a subject currently on the minds of pediatricians and parents alike: Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). This is a rare childhood neurological disorder that 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 at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, is motivated by the endless opportunities in Infectious Diseases to discover more about these little mysteries that affect our patients. Hosts Carolyn Coyne, PhD, and Brian Martin, DMD, ask Dr. Dermody about what drew him to Virology and Infectious Diseases and how he balances his research and clinical work. Dr. Dermody also introduces the Pittsburgh Study, a multi-year longitudinal 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 their pain since they cannot speak for themselves. Rachel Berger, MD, chief of the Child Advocacy Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and her team want to ensure one possibility isn’t left off the table: a brain injury. Dr. Berger talks with hosts Stephanie Dewar, MD, and John Williams, MD, about a blood test to help physicians identify infants who may have bleeding of the brain as a result of abusive head trauma, sometimes referred to as shaken baby syndrome. 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.

In the late ’80s, a young 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 in Pittsburgh: What conditions require a transplant, what our center has accomplished, growing our transplant network, improving care after transplantation, and more.

The cells in our body work together as a system to help us function and Amanda Poholek, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Immunology, is interested in what happens when these cell interactions “go wrong” and result in diseases. Dr. Poholek discusses transcription factors, the proteins that help direct our genetic information, and the breakthrough technology of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS or NextGen), which provides rapid and accurate genome analysis.

Kathryn “Cassie” Torok, MD, director of the Pediatric Scleroderma Clinic at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, is one of the few doctors in the nation that is considered an expert on pediatric scleroderma and patients will travel from other cities to meet with her. Learn about this uncommon condition and the clinical work and research coming from the Pediatric Scleroderma Clinic.