Department of Pediatrics

Dr. Rahmandar is an attending physician in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Lurie Children's, the Medical Director of the Substance Use & Prevention Program, and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, with a secondary appointment in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She is board-certified in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. She joined the faculty at Lurie Children's Hospital in 2017, and her interests include adolescent substance use, mental health and long-acting reversible contraception.

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.

After my PhD studies at the University of Freiburg, Germany, and postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, I gained research experiences in academic and industrial settings. As a developmental biologist, at Northwestern University, I investigate the reactivation of developmental programs as a mechanism to restore damaged or missing tissues and/or organs in adults. At the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute I have built the Pre- and Postdoctoral Research Training Program to inspire and educate the next generation scientists.

I am a Pediatric Infectious Diseases specialist with an academic focus and clinical expertise in neonatal and congenital infections. I am passionate about understanding microbial exposures in utero, perinatally, and in the first months of life, the interaction of microbes (viruses, bacteria) and the developing immune system, and the role of the microbiome in health outcomes.

Isabelle De Plaen, MD, is an attending physician in the Division of Neonatology (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at Lurie Children’s, Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and the co-director of the Center for Intestinal and Liver Inflammation Research at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute.

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. Christina Barriteau is a pediatric hematologist and transfusion medicine specialist. She is Medical Director of the blood bank at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Barriteau's clinical interests include sickle cell disease, pediatric transfusion medicine and health equity. 

I am a pediatric endocrinologist with a specific interest in differences of sex development and puberty. I serve as the endocrinologist for the Gender & Sex Development Program, a multi-disciplinary program caring for children with differences in sex development and for those who are gender non-conforming. My research interests are in improving care for those with differences in sex development and those who are gender non-conforming, with an emphasis on fertility preservation for these populations.

I have dedicated my career to decreasing health and educational disparities among low income children, through clinical work, education and advocacy. I am a primary care pediatrician at Lurie Children’s Uptown Clinic, an academic community health center, where I also teach Northwestern residents and medical students. I am also the Immediate Past-President of the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. One of my main areas of expertise is literacy promotion in pediatrics. I am the Medical Director and Board Chair of Reach Out and Read (ROR) Illinois, providing technical and fina...