Congratulations to 2026 Pediatric Research Alliance Pilot Awardees!

• October 8, 2026

We are excited to announce our 2026 Pediatric Research Alliance Pilot Awardees. Congratulations to the following investigators:

Congratulations to the Poster Award Winners from Building Bridges: A Workshop to Advance Pediatric Obesity Research at Emory and Children’s

• October 5, 2026

On October 2, 2026, GENI, REACH, and Strong4Life co-hosted Building Bridges: A Workshop to Advance Pediatric Obesity Research at Emory and Children’s, bringing together researchers, healthcare providers, and community partners to strengthen collaborations and advance pediatric obesity and cardiometabolic health research. A keynote presentation by Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, Food is Medicine in the 21st Century, along with research presentations, roundtable discussions, poster sessions, and networking opportunities, fostered new ideas and future research partnerships. The workshop concluded by recognizing outstanding poster presentations from Ana Arana, MPH, for The NOURISH Project: Potential for Obesity Prevention through School-Based Food Pantries in Georgia and Rina Shou, BS, for Notch Signaling Disrupts Ghrelin-cell Identity During Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, underscoring the importance of collaboration in improving child health outcomes.

Congratulations to the poster award winners from the 2026 Pediatric Neurosciences Research Symposium!

• September 21, 2026

The 2026 Pediatric Neurosciences Research Symposium was held on Friday, September 18, 2026 at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Support Center. It was exciting to see so many people come together to celebrate our neuroscience community and share advancements in pediatric brain and nervous system research. Congratulations to our poster award winners:

Franklin Chien, MD – “Medulloblastoma Spatial Transcriptomics Reveals Tumor Microenvironment Heterogeneity with High-Density Progenitor Cell Regions Correlating with High-risk Disease”

Armina Fani, BS – “Robust Neonatal Brain Segmentation in the Privacy and Convenience of the Browser”

Jorge Luis Jimenez Macias, PhD – “Targeting of the YAP/TAZ-TEAD axis Restricts Intra-tumoral Heterogeneity in Pediatric High-Grade Glioma”

Sofia Oliver, MS – “Gut Microbiome Metagenomic Profiles and Associated with Psychoneurological Symptoms in Children with Solid Tumors Undergoing Chemotherapy”

Hao Xing, PhD – “EP2 Receptor Antagonism Preserves Inhibitory Interneurons and Reduces Long-Term Seizure Burden After Status Epilepticus in an Adolescence Seizure Mouse Model”

Thank you to all who presented their research and participated in this day of learning. Please click here for more information on the symposium. 

Congratulations to Child Health Researchers Honored for 2026 Emory School of Medicine Researcher Appreciation Day!

• September 21, 2026

Congratulations to our Southeastern Pediatric Research Conference abstract competition winners!

• September 1, 2026

Congratulations to our Southeastern Pediatric Research Conference abstract competition winners, Kaveeta Kaw and Nabil Saleem (rapid-fire presentations) and Kaleaha Davis (poster presentation)! 

Spotlight on Andi L. Shane, MD, MPH

• August 17, 2026

As a pediatric infectious disease physician, Andi Shane cares for children with serious illnesses. As a researcher, she focuses on how to prevent the spread and lessen the incidence of these diseases.

That “bench-to-bedside-to-bench” mindset has defined Shane's nearly two decades at Emory.

“One of the amazing things about being a clinician researcher is that you’re able to solve patient problems and challenges by doing research, and vice versa,” she says. “Doing research helps inform the care of patients. And taking care of patients helps to raise interesting research questions.”

Few medical interventions have transformed human health more dramatically than vaccines, says Shane. As chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Emory School of Medicine and medical director for hospital epidemiology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, she has seen their impact firsthand.

“Next to sanitation, vaccines are the most important public health intervention we’ve had in the past century and this current century,” says Shane

Vaccines have prevented severe illness in billions of people and saved millions of lives, but their impact on children is especially significant.

Click here for more. 

Congratulations to the 2026 Warshaw Fellow and Buchter Resident Research Awardees!

• June 24, 2026

Congratulations to the following fellows and residents whose research projects were selected for funding in the ninth cycle of the Warshaw Fellow Research Awards and Buchter Resident Research Awards. These awards are named in honor of Dr. Barry Warshaw, Vice Chair of Education and Dr. Susie Buchter, Residency Program Director, for their pioneering and tireless efforts cultivating fellows and residents in pediatric research at Emory University School of Medicine. 

The Warshaw Fellow Research Award and Buchter Resident Research Award were created in 2017 to encourage pediatric trainees to engage in high-quality research, provide a mechanism to fund trainee projects, and enhance the research environment at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Funds may be used for any type of child health-related research, including basic, clinical, translational, and outcomes research.

Moving Evidence to Action: Dr. Chris Rees Works to Improve the Lives of Children at Home and Abroad

• June 3, 2026

At Children’s and around the world, Dr. Chris Rees is helping shape the future of pediatric clinical care through childhood mortality prevention research, international partnerships, and physician education.

When asked what led him to pursue a career in medicine, Chris Rees, MD, MPH, doesn’t pause to consider his answer—it comes quickly. He was a teen on a family trip to El Salvador at a time when there were stories on the news that made him realize that not everyone had the same access to healthcare as his family. 

Click above to read the full spotlight on Dr. Chris Rees. 

Early Career Researcher (ECR) Conference showcases research conducted by child health researchers in the early stages of their career

• May 25, 2026

The 8th Annual Pediatric Early Career Researcher (ECR) Conference was held on Friday, May 15, 2026 at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Support Center. The agenda included oral presentations, rapid-fire presentations, and poster presentations from early-career investigators across all pediatric disciplines. Shari Barkin, MD, MSHS, Pediatrician-in-Chief for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and George W. Brumley Jr. Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicines, delivered the keynote address. 

Congratulations to this year's Pediatric Early Career Researcher Conference award winners: Vani Sridhar, MS and Ran Xiao, PhD for rapid-fire/poster presentations, and Hananeh Fonoudi, PhD and Noor Alzraikat, MD for oral presentations. Thank you to all of the presenters, attendees, judges, mentors, and partners for making this year’s event a success!

REACH is excited to announce the Ann C. Mertens REACH for the Stars Women in Science Lecture

• May 5, 2026

REACH is excited to announce the Ann C. Mertens REACH for the Stars Women in Science Lecture, an annual distinguished lecture established to honor the legacy of Ann Mertens, a visionary leader, dedicated mentor, and passionate advocate for women in science. This lecture series celebrates exceptional women whose research, leadership, and mentorship are advancing pediatric health and shaping the future of scientific discovery. REACH was honored to welcome Dr. Sonja Rasmussen as the inaugural speaker for the Ann C. Mertens REACH for the Stars Women in Science Lecture on April 30, 2026. Click here for more information.