Early Career Researcher Conference

Conference Program
Abstract Book 

Keynote Presentation: 

"The Kids Are Why We Stay: Lessons in Resilience from a Career in Child Health Research"

Stephen W. Patrick, MD, MPH, MS, FAAP
O. Wayne Rollins Distinguished Professor and Chair
Department of Health Policy and Management
Co-Director, Center for Health Services Research
Rollins School of Public Health
Emory University
Neonatologist
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

2025 Clinton Joiner Career Development Awardees

Best Basic Science/Translational Research Oral Presentation
YAP Suppresses HRK Through the PRC2 Complex Leading to Neuroblastoma Cell Survival
Jenny Shim (Presenting Author), Pamela Hernandez, Soha Sewani, Morgan McCraw, and Kelly Goldsmith

Best Clinical/Outcomes Research Oral Presentation
Complement Dysregulation During Vaso-Occlusive Episodes Can Predict Development of Acute Chest Syndrome in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease
Akshaya Arjunan (Presenting Author), Maya Maarouf, Adrianna Westbrook, Justin Yoo, Jayre Jones, Will Briones, Nwanna Ifendu, Michael Briones, Seema Patel, Clinton Joiner, Sara Graciaa, Sean Stowell, Michelle Schoettler, and Satheesh Chonat

Top Rapid-Fire Presentation
Novel Mobilizer EMU116 and an Anti-sickling Agent Osivelotor on Stem Cell Mobilization in the Sickle Mouse
Justin Yoo (Presenting Author), Ashwin Patel, Kennedy Goldsborough, Britney Hernandez, Mary Aliche, Jedidah Titus, Larry Wilson, Dennis Liotta, and Vivien Sheehan

Top Rapid-Fire Presentation
Deep Neutrophil Phenotyping Unveils the Impact of Complement Activation in Sickle Cell Disease
William Briones (Presenting Author), Seema Patel, Maya Maarouf, Jayre Jones, Michelle Schoettler, David Archer, Sean Stowell, Rabindra Tirouvanziam, and Satheesh Chonat

Sponsored by the NICHD-supported Atlanta Pediatric Scholars Program, K12HD072245.

• Conference Program
• Abstract Book
• Video Recording of Keynote Presentation

Keynote Speaker

"Academic Alchemy: Transforming Unforeseen Paths into a Scholarly Journey"

Kristy Murray, DVM, PhD
Chief Research Officer
Executive Vice Chair for Research
Professor of Pediatrics
Emory University School of Medicine
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

2024 Clinton Joiner Career Development Awardees

Best Basic Science Research Oral Presentation
Antenatal Butyrate Supplementation Improves Intestinal Barrier in Neonatal Murine Offspring
Andrea Colarelli (Presenting Author) and Maria Estefania Barbian

Best Basic Science Poster Presentation
Neat1 Inhibition Alleviates the Pathology of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Kyungmin Kim (Presenting Author), Sarang Arun, Sangyoon Lee, and Hyojung Choo

Best Clinical Research Oral Presentation
Kyotorphin: A Novel Mechanism-of-action for Arginine Therapy Targeting Pain in Children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)
Rawan Korman (Presenting Author), Dunia Hatabah, Lou Ann Brown, Frank Harris, Nitya Bakshi, David R Archer, Chris A Rees, Mark A Griffiths, Laura Benedit, Carlton Dampier, and Claudia R Morris

Best Clinical Research Poster Presentation
The Association Between Peri-operative Management Strategies and Post-operative Acute Kidney Injury in Surgical Neonates
Matthew Gillen (Presenting Author), Zhulin He, Theresa Gauthier, Ravi Patel, Laurence Greenbaum, Brenda Poindexter, and H Stella Shin

Sponsored by the NICHD-supported Atlanta Pediatric Scholars Program, K12HD072245.

• Program and Conference Schedule
• Abstract Book
• Keynote Speaker

Grace Aldrovandi, MD, CM
Professor, Pediatrics
Chief, Division of Infectious Disease
UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital

2023 Clinton Joiner Career Development Awardees

Best Basic Science Oral Presentation
Dual GD2 and PTK7 Targeted γδ T cell Immunotherapy for Neuroblastoma
Hunter Jonus (Presenting Author), Jasmine Lee, Jordan Silva, Jenny Shim, Trent Spencer, and Kelly Goldsmith

Best Basic Science Poster Presentation
Evaluation of the Immune Checkpoint Siglec-15 in Promoting Immune Dysregulation in Pediatric Lymphomas
Dailia Francis (Presenting Author), Jodi Dougan, Claire E. Pillsbury, Sunita Park, Linda N. Liu, and Christopher Porter

Best Clinical Research Oral Presentation
Are children with sickle cell disease at particular risk from the harmful effects of air pollution? Evidence from a large, urban/peri-urban cohort.
Paul George (Presenting Author), Alexander Maillis, Yijing Zhu, Yang Liu, Peter Lane, Wilbur Lam, Joseph Lipscomb, and Stefanie Ebelt

Best Clinical Research Poster Presentation
Investigating Rurality and its Association with Initiation of Childhood Cancer Survivor Care
Liberty Strange (Presenting Author), Rebecca Lewis, Xu Ji, Ann Mertens, and Karen Effinger

Sponsored by the NICHD-supported Atlanta Pediatric Scholars Program, K12HD072245.

Keynote Speaker:

Leslie S. Kean MD, PhD
Director, Stem Cell Transplantation Program
Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital
Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Robert A. Stranahan Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

• Full Program
• Recording of Keynote

Recipients of the Clinton Joiner Career Development Awards:

Best Basic Science Oral Presentation:

Multi-omics Study of Lung-recruited Pathological Neutrophils in Cystic Fibrosis ​

Cammarata-Mouchtouris, Alexandre; Moncada Giraldo, Diego; Collins, Genoah L.; Chandler, Joshua D.; and Tirouvanziam Rabindra​

Best Basic Science Poster Presentation:

IgM Drives CD4 T Cell Responses to Factor VIII in Mice​

Zerra, Patricia; Patel, Seema; McCoy, James; Parker, Ernest; Baldwin, W. Hunter; Cox, Courtney; Healey, John; Lollar, Pete; Meeks, Shannon; and Stowell, Sean​

Best Clinical & Outcomes Research Oral Presentation:

Changes In Pediatric Injuries Sustained While Engaged In Activities Where Helmet Usage Is Recommended During The COVID-19 Pandemic 

Troy, Brent; FraserDoh, Kiesha; Xiang, Yijin; Linden, Allison; and Agarwal, Maneesha​

Best Clinical & Outcomes Research Poster Presentation:

Positive Bacterial Blood Cultures and Time to Positivity in Children: Should Empiric Antibiotics be Reconsidered Sooner?​

Patel, Pratik; Locsin, Miguel; Xiang, Yijin; Lu, Lydia; Fernandez, Alfred; and Jaggi, Preeti​

Sponsored by the NICHD supported Atlanta Pediatric Scholars Program, K12HD072245

Keynote Presentation: “Developing a Personal Playbook for Addressing Unanswered Questions in Your Field” 

Shannon L. Meeks, MD
Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist,
Program Medical Director of Hemostasis/Thrombosis,
Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Professor of Pediatrics,
Emory University School of Medicine

• Recording of Keynote Presentation
• Photos from the event 
• Program Guide

Recipients of the Clinton Joiner Career Development Awards:

Best Basic Science Oral Presentation

• Antenatal Butyrate Supplementation Reduces Postnatal Gastrointestinal Injury in a Murine Model of Colitis 
  Barbian, Maria; Owens, Joshua; Naudin, Crystal; Denning, Patricia; Patel, Ravi; and Jones, Rheinallt.

Best Basic Science Poster Presentation

• F5-Atlanta: A novel mutation in F5 associated with enhanced East Texas splicing and FV-short production
  Zimowski, Karen; Petrillo, Teodolinda; Ho, Michelle D;  Wechsler Julie; Shields Jordan; Denning, Gabriela Denning; Jhita, Navdeep; Rivera, Angel A; Escobar Miguel A; Kempton, Christine L; Camire, Rodney M; and Doering Christopher B.

Best Clinical & Outcomes Research Oral Presentation

• Complement Activation during Vaso-Occlusive PainCrisis in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease 
  ​Yoo, Justin; Graciaa, Sara; Jones, Jayre; Zuo, Zoey; Arthur, Connie; Leong, Traci; Joiner, Clinton; Stowell, Sean; and Chonat, Satheesh

Best Clinical & Outcomes Research Poster Presentation

• Feasibility of the Virtual Reality (VR) based  Pediatric Display Enhanced Testing for Cognitive Impairment (PeDETECT) and mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) tool to assess concussion in the pediatric emergency department (ED)
  Grell, Robert; LaPlaca, Michelle; Wright, David; Simon, Harold K.; Yu, Austin; Hurley, Dylan; Murthy, Naina; Kulkarni, Megha; Santos, Justin; Sarnaik, Avnee; Waldon, Emma; Zafar, Farzina; Egbosiuba, Maureen; and Morris, Claudia R

Sponsored by the NICHD supported Atlanta Pediatric Scholars Program, K12HD072245

Materials from the August 4, 2020 Pediatric Research and Career Development Symposium where we showcased the local clinical, basic and translational research conducted by our fellows and junior faculty.

• Post Survey Link
• Recording of Morning Clinical Research Session
• Recording of Key Note and Basic Science Session
• Program/Detailed Agenda
• Abstract Book
• Clinical Posters and Zoom Room Links (11:20 am - 12:20 am)
• Basic Science Posters and Zoom Room Links (3:15 pm to 4:00 pm)
• Directory of Participants
• Oral and Poster Award Winners

Agenda Overview:

9 am to 12:30 pm— Clinical Research Poster & Oral Presentations

12:30 pm to 1:30 pm—Key Note Speaker- Ann Chahroudi, MD, PhD, Director, Center for Childhood Infections & Vaccines, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, Emory Healthcare, Associate Professor, Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine

"My path as a pediatric physician scientist: the tortoise and the hare"

1:30 pm to 4:15 pm —  Basic Science Research Poster &  Oral Presentations

Sponsored by the NICHD supported Atlanta Pediatric Scholars Program, K12HD072245

Special Keynote Speaker:
“Reflections on a Career in Pediatric HIV/AIDS:  From America to Africa and Back Again”

Mark W. Kline, M.D.
Physician-in-Chief
Texas Children’s Hospital

J.S. Abercrombie Professor and Chairman
Ralph D. Feigin Endowed Chair
Department of Pediatrics
Baylor College of Medicine

• Agenda
• Oral Presenter Biographical Sketches
• Abstract Book 
• Recording of the Oral and Keynote Presentations

Sponsored by the NICHD supported Atlanta Pediatric Scholars Program, K12HD072245