Leaders 2026-2027

Steve Abman, University of Colorado

Kurt Albertine, University of Utah School of Medicine Todd Alexander, University of Alberta

Pankaj Agrawal, University of Miami

Brett Anderson, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Jennifer Bermick, University of Iowa

Vineet Bhandari, The Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper/CMSRU Lina Chalak, UT Southwestern, Children’s Health Dallas

Helen Christou, Harvard Medical School Christiane Dammann, Tufts University Jonathan Davis, Tufts Medical Center Brian DeBosch, Indiana University

Camile Fung, University of Utah School of Medicine Rani Gereige, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Miami

Michelle Gill, Washington University School of Medicine

Peter Gill, University of Toronto

Misty Good, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Scott Hadland, Harvard Medical School

Andrea Hahn, Children’s National Hospital/George Washington University James Jarvis, University of Washington, Seattle

Rohit Kohli, University of Southern California

Krithika Lingappan, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Steven Miller, University of British Columbia Anna Penn, Columbia University

Jochen Profit, Stanford University

Binoy Shivanna, Baylor College of Medicine Yogen Singh, UC Davis

Jessica Snowden, University of Tennessee Health Science Center Emily Tam, University of Toronto

Beth Tarini, Children’s National Hospital Christine Turley, Atrium Health

2026-2027 Cohorts

Abigail Rose Olson Arons, UC Davis

Abraham Gallegos, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine

Adam Blatt, Wake Forest University School of Medicine – Charlotte Campus

Aimée Vester, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Alicia Alcamo, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Aliza Olive, Cleveland Clinic Children’s

Alyssa Baccarella, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Bob Sun, University of British Columbia

Brad Constant, University of Colorado Anschutz and Children’s Hospital Colorado

Brigitta Gehl, Yale School of Medicine

Cal Robinson, Hospital for Sick Children

Carl Britto, Boston Children’s Hospital

Carmen Riggioni, SickKids Hospital

Cassie Grimsley Ackerley, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador

Catherina Pinnaro, McMaster University

Chang Lu, Boston Children’s Hospital

Christina Turn, Medical University of South Carolina

Cicero Willis-Pineda, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Clare Crosh, Advocate Children’s Hospital, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Clare Howard, Massachusetts General Brigham for Children

Cristina Tomatis Souverbielle, Nationwide Children’s Hospital/The Ohio State University

Daniel Zheng, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Danielle Callaway, UT Southwestern Medical Center

David M. Rub, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine/ UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital

Eileen Rife, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Ellen Kuenzig, Department of Paediatrics, Western University, London

Ellen McGinnis, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Ellen Schill, Washington University School of Medicine

Emily Ahn, Weill Cornell Medicine

Emily Beil, Wake Forest University School of Medicine – Charlotte Campus

Emily Montgomery, University of Louisville School of Medicine

Eyad Bitar, Queen’s University

Fatima Hussain, University of Saskatchewan

Genelle Lunken, University of British Columbia

Ghita Wiebe, University of Saskatchewan

Glenn Rapsinski, University of Pittsburgh

Hallie Coltin, Université de Montréal

Hananeh Fonoudi, Emory School of Medicine / Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Hannah Kinoshita, Children’s National and George Washington University

Hiroshi Uda, Children’s Hospital of Michigan

Ian Francis, University of Michigan

Imogen Clover-Brown, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Ivana Stojkic, Nationwide Children’s Hospital/The Ohio State University

Jensen Kracht, University Arizona College of Medicine

Jeremy Sandgren, University of Iowa

Jessica Breton, Université de Montréal

Jessica Daley, University of Pittsburgh

Jillian Smith, Children’s National and George Washington University

Jordan John, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Julia H. Raney , Stanford University School of Medicine

Karen Carr, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson

Katherine Schwartz, Cohen Children’s Medical Center and Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra / Northwell

Kathryn Weakley, Norton Children’s and the University of Louisville

Liana Nobre, University of Alberta

Lianna Wood, Boston Children’s Hospital

Margaret Jones, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Margaret Murphy, Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Kentucky

Maria Deza Leon, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City

Maria Gabriela Espanol Mendez, Tulane University School of Medicine

Mariana Brewer, University of Miami

Marielys Collazo-Roman, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Marisa Stahl, University of Colorado Anschutz and Children’s Hospital Colorado

Mary Jensen Kracht, Banner University / University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson

Matthew Henry, University of Alberta/ Stollery Children’s Hospital

Matthew O’Brien, Yale School of Medicine

Maximilian Horlbeck, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

McKenna Parnes, University of Washington School of Medicine

Meredith R. Hickson, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Michael Jiang, Cleveland Clinic Children’s

Michael Luke, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Nabil Saleem, Emory University School of Medicine / Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Natalie Guerrero, Indiana University School of Medicine

Nicholas Beam, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Nicholas Hasle, University of Washington

Nina Hill, University of Michigan Medical School

Paige Condit, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health

Patrick Peebles, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health

Rachna Mamidi, University of Missouri, School of Medicine

Rebecca Gibson, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Rebecca Koch, Duke University School of Medicine

Rita Yu Wang, Stanford University

Rui Dong, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Ryan Kilpatrick, Tufts Medical Center

Sameer Thadani, Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine

Sarah Swenson, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Shannon O’Connor, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Srinivasan Mani, University at Buffalo

Stephanie Adaikalam, Indiana University School of Medicine

Sudeep D. Sunthankar, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Tarin Bigley, Washington University School of Medicine

Tess Smith-Thomas, Golisano Children’s at UK

Ting Wei, University of South Alabama, Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine

Vivian Valcarce Luaces, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Vonita Chawla, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences / Arkansas Children’s

Zoe Michael, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Sara Berkelhamer, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington | Seattle Children's Hospital

Dr. Sara Berkelhamer is a Neonatologist and Professor of Pediatrics at University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital. She is a former chair of the AAP’s Helping Babies Breathe Planning Group, a contributing editor of the Essential Care for Every Baby program and co-editor of Essential Care for Small Babies. In these roles, she has led implementation and evaluation of educational programming on newborn care globally and advocated for equity in newborn care. Her research in newborn resuscitation has spanned from optimization of resuscitation education and practices in low-resource settings to translational work on resuscitation physiology. She currently leads the International Pediatric Association’s Committee on Newborn Care, contributes as a member of the AAP’s Global Newborn Advisory Committee and is a co-investigator on studies evaluating novel strategies for education dissemination including use of AI-based applications, virtual simulation and remote training in low resource settings.

Dr. Berkelhamer’s research interests further include the impact of perinatal exposures, defining the contribution of oxidative stress in the development of BPD with exposure to hyperoxia, as well as the impacts of in utero nicotine and cannabis exposures. She is a co-investigator on two NIH RO1s at University of Washington evaluating the neurodevelopmental impact of gestational cannabis alone (Kleinhans, PI), and on investigations of nicotine and cannabis cessation practices in pregnancy (Wen, PI).

Olga H. Toro-Salazar, MD, EMBA, Professor of Pediatrics, Director of Dimensional Imaging and Cardio-Oncology Programs, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

Dr. Olga H. Toro‑Salazar is a Professor of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center School of Medicine and a nationally recognized leader in pediatric cardio‑oncology and advanced cardiac imaging. A graduate of Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, she completed pediatric residency training at the University of Connecticut, followed by a Pediatric Cardiology fellowship at the University of Minnesota and advanced cardiac MRI training at Boston Children’s Hospital. She previously served as Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at Fundación Clínica Valle del Lili in Cali, Colombia, where she established a comprehensive regional pediatric cardiology program.

Dr. Toro‑Salazar’s unwavering commitment to health equity and global child health has shaped her career. A bilingual pediatric cardiologist, she has consistently leveraged her clinical and academic expertise to improve outcomes for children in under‑resourced communities worldwide. In 2004, she created an institutional partnership between Connecticut Children’s and the National University of Asunción in Paraguay to build sustainable pediatric cardiology capacity. Through this collaboration, she helped develop a self-sustaining program that provides early diagnosis and surgical repair for children with congenital and rheumatic heart disease, regardless of socioeconomic status. Dr. Toro‑Salazar co‑directed four Paraguayan‑American pediatric cardiac surgical missions—in 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2011—working closely with local clinicians. These efforts delivered life‑saving surgeries and established durable training pathways for Paraguayan physicians and surgeons, creating long‑term infrastructure for cardiac care.

Dr. Toro‑Salazar is a pioneer in identifying subclinical cardiotoxicity in childhood cancer survivors, utilizing cardiac MRI and myocardial strain imaging to detect early myocardial injury not captured by traditional metrics. Her work has informed modern surveillance strategies, contributed to national guidelines—including the American Society of Echocardiography’s 2023 recommendations—and supported cost‑effective screening approaches for centers without MRI access. She has authored 25 peer‑reviewed publications and serves as an investigator in multiple multicenter research collaborations.

As Director of Non‑Invasive Cardiac Imaging at Connecticut Children’s, she developed one of the region’s leading congenital and cardio‑oncology imaging programs. She is also a dedicated educator who teaches across all stages of medical training and has earned multiple awards for clinical teaching and mentorship. Her guidance has enabled residents and fellows to secure competitive grant funding and pursue successful careers in pediatric cardiology.

At Vanderbilt, Dr. Toro‑Salazar leads Pediatric Cardio‑Oncology and Dimensional Cardiac Imaging, spearheading the strategic development, clinical integration, and research advancement of cardiovascular imaging and survivorship care in cardio‑oncology. Building on her prior experience, she is establishing a comprehensive precision cardio‑oncology program that integrates advanced imaging, genomics, and clinical data analytics to deliver personalized care for individuals at risk for—or experiencing—cardiotoxicity. This initiative is designed to drive innovation, enhance early detection, improve risk stratification, and optimize management strategies for treatment‑related cardiac dysfunction.

Refika Ersu, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Division of Pediatric Respirology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

Refika Ersu, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Division of Pediatric Respirology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Dr. Refika Ersu is a pediatric respirologist with a clinical and research expertise in sleep disordered breathing and chronic respiratory failure in children. After completing medical school and pediatrics residency in Istanbul, Turkey, she worked as a research fellow with Prof. Bush at Royal Brompton Hospital in London, UK. She then finished a 3-year pediatric respirology fellowship in Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, California, US. After working in Marmara University in Turkey, she moved to Canada and is currently working as a pediatric respirologist and director of sleep laboratory and home ventilation programs in Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada. She is also a senior researcher at the Research Institute and teaches and holds a professor position at University of Ottawa.

Christine E. Barron, MD Division Director, Aubin Child Protection Center, Associate Fellowship Director, Child Abuse Pediatrics Director, Academic Fellowship Programs, Department of Pediatrics at Hasbro Children’s Professor of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Dr. Christine E. Barron received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from State University of New York Binghamton University in 1990 and received her medical doctorate from the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn in 1995. She completed her pediatric residency at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence Rhode Island in 1998 and a Fellowship in Child Abuse Pediatrics (CAP) at Hasbro Children’s Hospital from 1998-2000. Dr. Barron established the Child Protection Program at UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center in Worcester Massachusetts and led that program until she was recruited back to Rhode Island in 2004. At the Lawrence A. Aubin Sr. Child Protection Center (Aubin Center), Dr. Barron has served in several positions, including serving as the Division Director since 2013. The Aubin Center completes comprehensive medical evaluations for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults when there are concerns of any form of childhood abuse or neglect. Dr. Barron provides direct clinical care to patients, teaching additional learners (medical students, residents and fellows), and completes research across an array of topics within the field of CAP. Dr. Barron has led hospital and community wide multidisciplinary teams to address all aspects of child maltreatment including prevention, recognition, and response. She has received several teaching and community service awards and has over 30 peer-reviewed publications. Nationally, she has facilitated leadership and collaboration among CAP fellowship programs through the process of applying for ACGME accreditation, creating CAP EPAs and Milestones 2.0 for the CAP subspecialty. Throughout her career, pediatric medical education and clinically related research has remained a primary focus.

APS 2020 Howland Award Tribute Video – Kathryn M. Edwards. MD