Laura Chiel, MD, MHPE
Program Director, Fellowship Training Program
Associate Program Director, Boston Combined Residency Program
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Research/Clinical Interests – Medical Education, Assessment, Competency-Based Medical Education
Fun Facts:
-Favorite spot/activity in Boston: Walking along the Charles River
-Destination you dream of visiting: Every National Park
-Guilty Pleasure: the occasional ice cream for breakfast
Ruobing Wang, MD
Associate Program Director, Fellowship Training Program
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Research Interest – Using regenerative biology for the study of pediatric pulmonary disease and to develop new therapeutic applications.
Fun Facts:
-I got married intern year post-call and woke up late to my wedding.
-I love traveling the world with my family, including our kitten.
Emily Barsky, MD, MBE
Pediatric Associate Director, Cystic Fibrosis Center
Instructor in Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – CF, asthma, bioethics
Research Interests – Pediatric involvement in shared decision-making, end of life care, patient-doctor communication, CF antimicrobial therapies
Fun Facts:
-I was a springboard diver.
-I lived in the Marshall Islands.
-My tomato plants are taller than I am.
Taylor Baumann, MD (completing peds/adult pulmonary fellowship)
Taylor.Baumann@childrens.harvard.edu
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine
Residency: Baylor College of Medicine
Research/Clinical Interests: Transitions of care for children with chronic lung disease as the age into adulthood
Fun facts: When I was 7 years old, my parents took me to the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi. My mom gave me a boost at the “shark & ray touch tank”, I wriggled out of her grip, and I fell head first into the pool. My family nickname has been “shark bait” ever since.
Christian Benden, MD, MBA, FCCP, FERS
Medical Director, Lung Transplant Program
Lecturer of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests: Lung Transplantation, Cystic Fibrosis, Rare Lung Disease
Academic Interests: lung transplant outcomes, chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), advanced Cystic Fibrosis lung disease (ACFLD)
Fun Facts:
-Since recently relocating from Zurich to Boston, my partner and I enjoy living in the historic South End. -I love travelling the world and working on my travel bucket list. -Given my German heritage, I enjoy baking German cakes. -I like swimming and biking.
Alicia Casey, MD
Co-Director Interstitial Lung Disease Program
Director, Pulmonary Complications of Vaping
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests: Interstitial Lung Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, and Pulmonary complications of vaping.
Academic Interests: chILD and Vaping. Genotype Phenotype correlations.
Fun Facts:
-I love to run, ski and practice yoga.
-My entire family lives in central MA about 1 hour away from BCH.
-I have two sons and spend most of my time out of the hospital in a hockey rink.
-I also enjoy making elaborate birthday cakes with my sons, but my husband is the cook in our house.
-We have the best 4th of July neighborhood party every year!
Manuela Cernadas, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Clinical Interests: cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, inflammatory lung disease, asthma
Research Interests: macrophage and dendritic cell biology, lung immunology, cystic fibrosis
Fun Facts:
-My favorite hobbies are cycling, cooking, and hiking, now that traveling is not an option.
Jaclyn Davis, MD
Instructor in Pediatrics
Research Interests: Healthcare delivery, Value-based healthcare
Fun Facts:
-Hidden talent: I dabble in homemade pasta-making
-Favorite spot in Boston: hard to choose just one, but probably the Public Garden- during any season!
-Favorite kid trend: Frozen (team Elsa)
Hank Dorkin, MD
Immediate Past Division Clinical Chief 2008-16
Corresponding Member of the Faculty of Pediatrics
Research Interests – Clinical trials for new therapies in pediatric lung disease, Development of new tests for early detection of lung disease
Clinical Interests – Cystic Fibrosis, Asthma, Artificial ventilation, The bedside physical exam of the patient with respiratory disease
Interesting Facts:
-I am Past President 2017-8, of the Massachusetts Medical Society
-In my early days I was Professor of Pediatrics at the Tufts University School of Medicine and Founding Chief for the Division of Respiratory Diseases at the Floating Hospital for Children
-Hobbies: I have been an amateur radio operator since 1963; I still play singles tennis (but doubles on occasion)
Martha Fishman, MD
Co-Director, Interstitial Lung Disease Program
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – Interstitial and Diffuse Lung Diseases (chILD Disorders), Genetically defined lung diseases, Pulmonary hemorrhage, Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis, Lung development disorders
Research Interests – Genetic causes of rare lung diseases: discovery of new genes through whole exome sequence analysis of well-phenotyped patients, Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic elements of Children’s Interstitial and Diffuse Lung Diseases (chILD), Active participation in the chILD research network (chILDRN) including participation in the National Registry for chILD, including clinical trials
Fun Facts:
-I love paddle-boarding, especially on Cape Cod
-I am a fan of in-person and phone conversations as preferable to electronic ones.
-I have two grown kids who are both teachers and two dogs who are unemployed.
Jonathan Gaffin, MD, MMSc.
Director, Severe Asthma Program
Director, Clinical Research and Clinical Trials Program
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Research Interests – Asthma, Severe Asthma, Environmental epidemiology, Clinical Trials.
Fun Facts:
-Enjoys skiing and hiking.
Kenan Haver, MD
Director, Asthma Program
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – asthma, pneumonia, primary ciliary dyskinesia
Research Interests – complicated pneumonia, primary ciliary dyskinesia, flexible bronchoscopy training
Fun facts:
– I completed my pediatric pulmonary fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital, joined the faculty and then worked at Tufts/NEMC and MGH before returning to BCH 15 years later- I really enjoy working with the next generation of pediatric pulmonologists
-Linda (my wife) and I have been enjoying a great, new (for us), socially distancing activity – kayaking (photo)
Lystra Hayden, MD, MMSc
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – BPD
Research Interests – BPD, genomic epidemiology of complex respiratory disease, early origins of COPD
Umakanth Katwa, MD
Director, Sleep Center and Sleep Laboratories
Director, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Program
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – Infant sleep apnea, pediatric OSA, disorders of respiratory control, primary ciliary dyskinesia
Research Interests – Phenotyping and precision diagnosis in Pediatric Sleep Apnea, technology integration in sleep medicine.
Fun Facts:
-I am from India and speak 4 languages.
-I am a good cook and enjoy cooking for friends
-I love ancient history and love traveling to historical places
John Kennedy, MD
Instructor of Medicine
Clinical Interests – Lung transplant, Cystic Fibrosis, and Interstitial lung disease, as well as refractory hypoxemia and ARDS in the COVID19 era.
Research Interests – the molecular mechanisms and cell signaling events involved in the development of cystic lung diseases, including mTOR, WNT, and TFEB/TFE3 signaling in Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome and interstitial lung disease associated with lysosomal storage disorders.
Fun Facts:
-I lived in Dublin, Ireland while attending grad school and worked briefly as a bartender at a Hospice over there.
-Last year I got to spend a week as a visiting lecturer at Kitasato University in Japan.
-I used to be a surfer and am trying to get back into it post-COVID.
Timothy Klouda, DO
Instructor in Pediatrics
Research/Clinical Interests: Lung Transplant, Sickle Cell Lung Disease
Fun Facts:
-Guilty Pleasure: Ice cream
-Favorite Boston Activity: Walk around Storrow Drive, the North End and other areas in the city!
-Favorite Restaurants: Pammys and Sarma
Julia Lee, MD
Instructor in Pediatrics
Research/Clinical Interests: Asthma, BPD, Oscillometry
Fun Facts:
I love traveling, eating, and playing with my dog, Bandit. My other low-maintenance pet is my sourdough bread culture, which is 20+ years old and has tenaciously survived my medical school and residency years.
Jonathan Levin, MD, MBI
Director, Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Program
Director, Center for Healthy Infant Lung Development
Co-Director, Chronic Pulmonary and Ventilator Program
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – Bronchopulmonary dysplasia, neonatal pulmonology, informatics
Research Interests – Long term respiratory outcomes of prematurity, severe BPD, medical innovation
Fun Facts:
-We have two young kids, and my wife is in medicine also (an allergist).
-I am a big Yankees fan (despite living in Boston for 7+ years).
-I love to run around the area – Boston is a great city for running!
Thomas Martin, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – Cystic Fibrosis, Asthma, Exercise
Research Interests – Asthma mechanisms; respiratory physiology
Fun Facts:
-My father taught me to dare to be different.
-I used to ride a motorcycle, now I stick to a bicycle.
-Among the hobbies which I enjoy, but I don’t do at all well, are ceramics, French, and guitar.
Kara May, MD
Instructor in Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – Aerodigestive, aspiration, croup, vocal cord dysfunction
Research Interests – Aerodigestive, aspiration
Fun Facts:
-I love talking to fellows about their careers and work-life balance.
-I have 3 kids who are my everything.
-I’ve been in Boston my whole life, so big Boston sports fan.
-I love all things active and social.
Kelly Quinn, MD
Instructor of Pediatrics
Research/Clinical Interests: Asthma, BPD, Medical Education
Fun facts: I own over 40 board games. Other than studying abroad in Barcelona, I’ve lived in Massachusetts my whole life! I am happiest when: spinning, eating a charcuterie board, hanging with my family, someone laughs at my dad jokes
Elliot Rabinowitz, MD
Director, Inpatient Service
Director, Safety and Quality Improvement
Instructor in Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – Intersection of pulmonary medicine and palliative care. Children with medical complexity.
Academic Interests – Quality improvement and safety.
Fun Facts:
I grew up outside of Boston, and routinely bike the Minuteman Bikeway with my dad to the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown – go for the blue cornmeal pancakes; you won’t be disappointed. I also enjoy camping and getting outdoors as much as possible (except maybe not as much as Katie Krone, my prior BCH pulmonary co-fellow).
Benji Raby, MD, MPH
Chief, Division of Pulmonary Medicine
Leila and Irving Perlmutter Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical interests: Pulmonary Genetics and Rare Lung Disease
Research interests – Genetics and Genomics of Asthma and Chronic Airways Disease; Computational and Functional Genomics of inherited lung disease; Rare Lung Disease; Integration of genetics and genomics in clinical practice
Fun Facts:
-Love cycling, playing piano and keyboards (and now taking up drumming).
-Avid podcast listener and e-book reader.
-According to my kids, my dad humor is pretty awful.
-My first bronchoscopy was as a resident, alone, on-call at 2AM in the ICU without an attending, in a patient with one lung and massive hemoptysis. She lived.
Dennis Rosen, MD
Medical Director, Pulmonary Function Testing Lab
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical interests: treatment of children with sleep-disordered breathing, and specifically those with underlying medical complexity
Research interests: Population-specific sleep disorders in children with Down syndrome. I have written a book about physician-patient communication and the obstacles which can compromise it, and developed interactive workshops for physicians to improve outcomes through better communication with their patients. Finally, over the last several years I have worked closely with Compañeros en Salud, the Mexican affiliate of Partners in Health. I have been going to Chiapas 1-2 times/year, mentoring and teaching young physicians doing their year of national service in rural mountain communities; teaching the Helping Babies Breathe course to the physicians and nurses; and I am hoping to co-develop a tuberculosis diagnostic and treatment program where none currently exists (once COVID recedes).
Ashley Saint-Fleur, MD
Ashley.Saint-Fleur@childrens.harvard.edu
Hometown: Hempstead, NY
Medical School: Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education/New York Medical College
Residency: Stony Brook Children’s Hospital
Research/Clinical Interests: Severe Asthma, Social Determinants of Health, ILD, Access to Health
Fun facts:
I love painting (always down for a paint night!), making pottery, and traveling. I’m also a proud pineapple pizza enthusiast :)
Gregory Sawicki, MD, MPH
Director, Cystic Fibrosis Center
Director, Safety and Quality Improvement
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – Cystic fibrosis, quality improvement
Research interests – Health services / outcomes research, Adherence / Self-management, Transition from Pediatric to Adult Care
Fun Facts:
-I grew up in NYC.
-I enjoy travel, tennis, and cooking.
Chandra Swanson, MD
Chandra.Swanson@childrens.harvard.edu
Hometown: Kansas City, Kansas – though I also lived in Minnesota, Texas, and New Mexico growing up.
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Residency: Children’s Mercy Pediatric Residency Program
Research/Clinical Interests: I am interested in clinical research, and some areas of interest include interstitial lung disease, health disparities, and global health.
Fun Facts:
My claim to fame is winning star baker in a residency holiday bake-off. In addition to baking, I also love spending time outdoors, traveling, and relaxing with my cat, Taika.
Tregony Simoneau, MD
Interim Associate Chief
Co-Director, Chronic Pulmonary and Ventilator Program
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – severe asthma, aerodigestive disorders
Research Interests: severe asthma, adherence, implementation science and program development
Fun Facts:
-My first name is Celtic, named after a small village in Cornwall, England.
-I have three daughters.
-My college summer jobs were as a lifeguard and a White House Intern.
Ahmet Uluer, DO
Director, BRIDGES Adult Transition Program
Director, Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – CF care, Bronchiectasis, chronic lung disease in general, transitional care needs of adult survivors of congenital or pediatric acquired chronic disease.
Research Interests – Translational (urinary biomarker, voice biomarker) clinical research involving CF patients (corporate and investigator initiated studies and North American Lead for two CF related studies) and QI related work
Fun Facts:
-I paint murals.
Gary Visner, DO
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Clinical Interests – Lung transplant, anatomic airway disorders, bronchoscopy
Research Interests – Transplantation, tracheobronchomalacia
Fun Facts:
-I am a soccer fan.
-I play tennis.
Ke Yuan, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Research Interest – My research focuses on defining the role of pericytes (PCs) in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a devastating disorder caused by uncontrolled proliferation of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), which progressively occludes precapillary pulmonary arteries. It is unclear what initiates the growth of PASMCs in PAH vascular lesions. PCs are the mural cells of blood microvessels and they regulate homeostasis in the blood-brain barrier, promote tumor metastasis and function in vascular morphogenesis and development. Because of their plasticity, PCs are also known as mesenchymal stem cell-like cells and can differentiate into other cell types. Thus, our particular focus in PAH is to determine whether PCs can differentiate into vascular PASMCs.
Fun Fact:
-Running is one of the few times I organize my thoughts. I also enjoy painting and believe that science is a form of art.