Research

2023 fellow, Stephanie Cabler presenting at IDWeek

We believe that scholarship should be integrated into overall career interests and goals from the very outset of fellowship. The selection of a scholarly project for each fellow is highly individualized, focusing on his or her career goals in order to emphasize the development of skills and tools that he or she will need to succeed.

Fellows may choose to follow the career track of a master clinician, a clinician educator, a clinical/translational research scholar or a basic research scholar during their time in our program. Mentor selection is thoughtfully facilitated by fellowship program leadership during the first year of fellowship and may draw mentors from within the division and/or from the larger WashU community.

Faculty within our division have a wide range of interests, including:  

  • Traumatic and hypoxic/ischemic brain injury
  • Overwhelming infection
  • Immunity
  • Curriculum development and educational assessments
  • Long-term outcomes following PICU stays
  • Novel monitoring of cardiac output and arrhythmias
  • Acute kidney injury
  • Biomedical informatics and ECMO

Recent publications

2023
  • Cabler SS, Rosen DA. Pneumococcal empyema. N Engl J Med 2021; 385(6):548. doi: 10.1056/NEJMicm2035551 
  • Fortuny LR, Cabler SS, Hunstad DA, Yarbrough ML. Blueberry muffin rash, bilateral cataracts, and thrombocytopenia in a neonate. Clin Chem 2021; 67(3): 472-475. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvaa310 
  • Cabler SS, French AR, Orvedahl A. A cytokine circus with a viral ringleader: SARS-CoV-2-associated cytokine storm syndromes. Trends Mol Med 2020; 26(12): 1078-1085. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2020.09.012 
  • Falck AJ, Medina AE, CumminsOman J, El-Metwally D, Bearer CF. Mercury, lead, and cadmium exposure via red blood cell transfusions in preterm infants. Pediatr Res 2020; 87(4): 677-682. doi: 10.1038/s41390-019-0635-x. Epub 2019 Oct 24. 
2022
  • Chomat MR, Said AS, Mann JL, Wallendorf M, Bickhaus A, Figueroa M. Changes in sedation practices in association with delirium screening in infants after cardiopulmonary bypass. Pediatr Cardiol 2021; 42(6): 1334-1340. doi: 10.1007/s00246-021-02616-y. Epub 2021 Apr 23.
  • Greer SK, Jeffe DB, Manga A, Murray DJ, Emke AR. Cognitive Load Assessment Scales in Simulation: Validity Evidence for a Novel Measure of Cognitive Load Types. Simulation in Healthcare. Advance online publication. 2022. doi:10.1097/SIH.0000000000000665
  • Komeswaran K, Khanal A, Powell K, et al. Enteral feeding for children on bilevel positive pressure ventilation for status asthmaticus. J Pediatr Intensive Care 2021; Epub 2021 Jun 8. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1730901 
  • Basnet S, Musaitif R, Khanal A, et al. Effect of potassium infusions on serum levels in children during treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis. J Pediatr Intensive Care 2020; 9(2); 113-118. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1700981. Epub 2020 Jan 8. 
  • Khanal A, Sharma A, Basnet A. Current state of pediatric intensive care and high dependency care in Nepal. Pediatr Crit Care Med 2016; 17(11): 1032-1040. Doi: 10.1097/PCC. 0000000000000938 
  • Spears LD, Adak S, Dong G, Spyropoulos G, et al. Endothelial ether lipids link the vasculature to blood pressure, behavior, and neurodegeneration. J Lipid Res 2021; 62: 100079. doi: 10.1016/j.jlr.2021.100079. Epub 2021 Apr 21. 
  • Turner AD, Hamilton SM, Callif C, et al. Bedside postpyloric tube placement and enteral nutrition delivery in the pediatric intensive care unit. Nutr Clin Pract 2020; 35(2): 299-305. doi: 10.1002/ncp.10452 
  • Turner AD, Sullivan T, Drury K, et al. Cognitive dysfunction after analgesia and sedation: out of the operating room and into the pediatric intensive care unit. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15: 713668. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.713668. Epub 2021 Aug 16. 
2020
  • Rabinowitz EJ, McGregor K, O’Connor NR, et al. Systemic hypertension in pediatric veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. ASAIO 2021; 67(6): 681-687. Doi: 10.1097/MAT. 0000000000001267. 
  • Phares TW, Kotraiah V, Chung CS, Unsinger J, Mazer M, et al. A peptide-based checkpoint immunomodulator alleviates immune dysfunction in murine polymicrobial sepsis. Shock 2021; 55(6): 806-815. doi: 10.1097/SHK.0000000000001682. 
  • Mazer MB, Caldwell C, Hanson J, et al. A whole blood enzyme-linked immunospot assay for functional immune endotyping of septic patients. J Immunol 2021; 206(1): 23-36. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2001088. Epub 2020 Nov 25. 
  • Mazer MB, Turnbull IR, Miles S, t al. Interleukin-7 reverses lymphopenia and improves T-cell function in coronavirus disease 2019 patient with inborn error of toll-like receptor 3: a case report. Crit Car Explor 2021; 3(7): e0500. doi: 10.1097/CCE.0000000000000500. Epub 2021 Jul 14. 
  • Turnbull IR, Mazer MB, Hoofnagle MH, et al. IL-7 immunotherapy in a nonimmunocompromised patient with intractable fungal wound sepsis. Open Forum Infect Dis 2021; 8(6): ofab256. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab256. 
  • Turnbull I, Fuchs A, Remy K, Kelly M, Frazier E, Ghosh S, Chang SW, Mazer M, et al. Dysregulation of the leukocyte signaling landscape during acute COVID-19. Res Sq 2021. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-244150/v1. Epbu 2021 Feb 16. 
  • Rabinowitz EJ, Misra N, Meyer DB. A case of persistent left superior vena cava and left pulmonary venous drainage to the coronary sinus. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg 2020; 11(4): NP57-NP59. doi: 0.1177/2150135117701377. Epub 2017 Aug 20. 
  • Remy KE, Mazer M, Striker DA, et al. Severe immunosuppression and not a cytokine storm characterizes COVID-19 infections. JCI Insight 2020; 5(17):e140329. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.140329. 
  • Desai K, Rabinowitz EJ, Epstein S. Physiologic diagnosis of congenital heart disease in cyanotic neonates. Curr Opin Pediatr 2019; 31(2): 274-283. doi: 10.1097/MOP. 0000000000000742. 
  • Ortmann LA, Keshary M, Bisselou KS, et al. Association between postoperative dexmedetomidine use and arrhythmias in infants after cardiac surgery. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg 2019; 10(4): 440-445. doi: 10.1177/2150135119842873. 
  • Mazer M, Unsinger J, Drewry D, et al. IL-10 has differential effects on the innate and adaptive immune systems of septic patients. J Immunol 2019; 203(8): 2088-2099. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900637. Epub 2019 Sep 9. 
2019
  • Bolstridge J, O’Neil ER, Aden JK, Muisyo T, et al. Use of the BIG score to predict mortality in pediatric trauma. Am J Emerg Med 2021; 45: 472-275. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.09.060. Epub 2020 Oct 6. 
  • Chlebowski MM, Baltagi S, Carlson M, et al. Clinical controversies in anticoagulation monitoring and antithrombin supplementation for ECMO. Crit Care 2020; 24(1): 19. doi: 10.1186/s13054-020-2726-9. 
  • Muisyo T, Bernardo EO, Camazine M, et al. Mortality prediction in pediatric trauma. J Pediatr Surg 2019; 54(8): 1613-1616. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2018.08.045. Epub 2018 Sep 7. 
  • Sisk BA, Mack JW, Ashworth R, et al. Communication in pediatric oncology: state of the field and research agenda. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2018; 65(1): 10.1002/pbc.26727. doi: 10.1002/pbc.26727. Epub 2017 Jul 27. 
2018

Abraham M, Collins CA, Flewelling S, et al. Mitochondrial inefficiency in infants born to overweight African-American mothers. Int J Obes 2018; 42(7): 1306-1316. doi: 10.1038/s41366-018-0051-z. Epub 2018 Mar 3. 

Presentations

2022
  • Michael Chomat, MD 
    Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society (PCICS) 2019, London, UK 
    “Association of Delirium Screening with Changes in Sedation Practices in a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit” 
  • Sara Greer, MD
    Greer SK, Jeffe DB, Sewell JL, Manga A, Calhoun AW, Emke AR.  Validity Argument for the Cognitive Load Assessment Scales in Simulation (CLAS-Sim) Extraneous Load Scale. 14th International Pediatric Simulation Symposia and Workshops. Oral Presentation. Anticipated June 2022.  St. Petersburg, Florida. 
  • Greer SK, Jeffe DB, Manga A, Murray DJ, Emke AR. Cognitive Load Assessment Scales in Simulation: Validity Evidence for a Novel Measure of Cognitive Load Types. Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Education Affairs Virtual Joint Regional Conference.  Oral Presentation. April 2021.
  • Greer SK, Jeffe DB, Manga A, Murray DJ, Emke AR. Cognitive Load Scales in Simulation: Performance of the Extraneous Load Scale ALERT. International Pediatric Simulation Symposia and Workshops Virtual 2020. Oral Presentation. April 2020.
  • Aayush Khanal, MD
    Pediatric Acute Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI) 2021, Virtual 
    Oral Presentation 
    “Hemodynamic Response and Systemic Oxygen Delivery in Sepsis” 

    Critical Care Canada Forum 2021, Virtual 
    E-Poster 
    “Fluid Overload in Pediatric Sepsis” 

    RTC-PCCM, Upcoming 2022, Virtual 
    Oral Presentation 
    “Fluid Overload in Pediatric Sepsis” 

    Society of Critical Care Medicine Annual Congress, Upcoming 2022, Puerto Rico 
    Oral Presentation 
    “Fluid Overload in Pediatric Sepsis” 
  • Ashley Turner, MD 
    Neurocritical Care Society Annual Meeting 2021, Chicago, IL 
    Poster Presentation 
    “Pediatric ECMO Survivors Experience Mild Neurobehavioral Impairment Years After Decannulation” 

    Society of Critical Care Medicine Annual Congress 2019, San Diego, CA 
    Oral Presentation 
    “Post-Pyloric Enteral Nutrition Practices in the PICU: A Retrospective Study” 
2021
  • Rene Roy, MD, PhD 
    Jeffrey Modell Translational Immunology Conference 2021, St. Louis, MO 
    “A Fatal Case of Familial Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis” 
  • Aspen Lung Conference 2021, Aspen, CO 
    Abstract 
    “L-Lactate Mediated Metabolic Cross-Talk Between Alveolar Type 2 Cells and  Alveolar Macrophages Attenuates Inflammation in Acute Lung Injury” 
  • Experimental Biology 2020, San Diego, CA
    Abstract 
    “Alveolar Type 2 Cell Dependent Lactate Resolves Alveolar Inflammation via  Crosstalk with Resident Alveolar Macrophages in Two Models of Acute Lung  Injury” 
  • American Thoracic Society 2017, Washington, DC 
    “Glycolysis is Required for Alveolar Epithelial Cell Mediated Suppression of Airway Macrophages in Acute Lung Injury” 

Research resources