Department of Pediatrics

As Associate Chief Medical Officer of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Medical Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, my research is focused on generating innovative solutions to improve patient outcomes and quality of care, while fostering dynamic strategies to minimize waste, optimize resources, and streamline patient throughput and access to care. In particular, as Director of Innovation (IGNITE Innovation) I build multi-disciplinary innovative strategies and platforms for novel idea generation, solutions for costly systems including patient care processes, a...

My clinical focus is on the respiratory care of patients with neuromuscular weakness, and I am the pulmonologist who works in the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Clinic at Lurie Children's Hospital. My other clinical interests include asthma and chronic cough. Additionally, I am interested in medical education and curriculum development as well working to recruit a diverse medical workforce.

My primary research interest is in health outcomes following pediatric liver transplantation and acute liver failure. I lead a research group that studies all aspects of outcomes from survival to health related quality of life (HRQOL). Our research group has extensive experience examining HRQOL and cognitive outcomes in pediatric liver transplant survivors, long term complications related to immunosuppressive medications and the causes and treatment of acute liver failure. Our group has also actively involved in new trials of immunosuppression withdrawal in liver transplant recipients. I am...

As an academic neonatologist, Kerri is passionate about supporting infants and their families on their NICU journeys, both directly and through research and initiatives focused on improving family-centered care. She leads various initiatives in family support, telehealth, care of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and transition to home, both locally and nationally through the Children's Hospitals Neonatal Consortium. Her research in this domain evaluates family perspectives and patient outcomes related to continuity of care. Her longitudinal career goal is to identify and implement stra...

Mary E. Robbins received an B.S. degree in Biology from Wheeling Jesuit University and her M.D. at Georgetown University School of Medicine. She then completed both her General Pediatrics Residency and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at Nationwide Children's Hospital/The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. She joined the faculty here at Northwestern in August of 2014 following the completion of her clinical training. In addition to providing care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at both Ann and Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern Medicine's Prentice Wome...

The Paller lab studies the role of topically-applied, nanotherapy based gene therapy to treat skin disease, particularly diabetic ulcers, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis (eczema), skin cancer, and rare genetic skin problems. Her lab also focuses on unraveling the mechanism by which membrane-based glycosphingolipids modulate signaling, especially of the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and studying the mechanism of the abnormal innervation in skin related to pain. Dr. Paller is the PI of Northwestern's Skin Disease Research Center, whic...

Dr. Gertler completed her undergraduate degree in molecular biology and neuroscience at Princeton University, her medical school degree at Northwestern University Feinberg school of medicine, her graduate degree studying neuromodulation in altered dopamingeric states in the basal ganglia at Northwestern University in the lab of Dr. D. James Surmeier, and her pediatrics/child neurology residency at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.

My research mainly focuses on sepsis, inflammatory digestive diseases, pancreatitis and liver hepatocyte injury and repair by animal models and molecular biology methods. We are working on the identification of some novel targets for protection against tissue injury. MFG-E8 (Milk fat globule-EGF factor 8), a secreted glycoprotein regulating tissue homeostasis, possessing potent anti-inflammatory properties, and protecting against tissue injury, is continuously being studied. 

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 20% of US population. Primary causes for CKD varies from genetic disorder to metabolic problems, but many are unknown. Regardless of the primary cause, CKD progresses with two essential phases; injury to podocyte, the primary barrier for filtration units of kidney, and progressive scarring of kidney, which would eventually obliterate the filtration units and lead to loss of kidney function.My research goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlining these two features of CKD in order for developing novel therapeutic approaches for CK...