News and Events

A digital app successfully detected one of the telltale characteristics of autism in young children, suggesting the technology could one day become an inexpensive and scalable early screening tool, researchers at Duke University report.

Mai ElMallah, MD, MS, associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, associate professor in neurobiology and cell biology and director of the Duke Cystic Fibrosis Center, was recently named chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics, effective August 1, 2021.

Michelle White, MD, MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics with appointments in the Division of Hospital Medicine and the Duke Center for Childhood Obesity Research, has been named associate director of the Duke Pediatric Research Scholars Program for Physician-Scientist Development (DPRS), effective May 1, 2021.

The DCRI-based ABC Science Collaborative is launching a new study as part of the Safe Return to School Diagnostic Testing Initiative, an extension of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) program that is funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study will be led by DCRI faculty member and ABC Science Collaborative co-chair Kanecia Zimmerman, MD, MPH. Zimmerman, along with ABC Science Collaborative co-chair Danny Benjamin, MD, PhD, MPH.

This week’s Faculty Spotlight shines on pediatric infectious diseases physician Yeh-Chung “Daniel” Chang, MD. Chang talks to us about how he first became interested in becoming a pediatrician from a very young age, and specifically, infectious diseases during medical school and his pediatric residency; his interest in viral infections in pediatric transplant patients and in vaccine responses and the development of antifungals for this population; and the significance of his most important mentor, Dr. Bill Steinbach.

Kathleen A. McGann, MD, receives Leonard Palumbo Jr., MD Faculty Achievement Award for displaying dedication to compassionate patient care and excellence in the teaching and mentoring of young physicians. The Duke University School of Medicine congratulates all of the recipients of this year’s faculty awards.

New and competing renewal awards made to faculty in the Department of Pediatrics for the month of March 2021 are announced.

This week’s Faculty Spotlight shines on pediatric cardiologist Michael Camitta, MD. Camitta talks to us about how he first became interested in pediatric cardiology as an intern at Duke where he worked with his first research mentor who later became his mother-in-law(!); his insights into the current challenges and opportunities in the field of pediatric cardiology, specifically developing new ways to use technology; and the knowledge he gained from his most significant mentor, Dr. J. Rene Herlong.

The Duke Department of Pediatrics has received a Child Health Research Career Development Award (CHRCDA) from the National Institutes of Health entitled Duke Center for Advancement of Child Health (CAtCH). Duke CAtCH will be under the leadership of Principal Investigators Ann Reed, MD, Samuel L. Katz, MD Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Rheumatology, and Corinne Linardic, MD PhD, associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Hematology-Oncology.

Aimee Chung, MD, an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics has been recognized with a 2021 Golden Apple Award in the clinical faculty category by the Duke School of Medicine medical students.