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Department of Pediatrics

About Us

Dedicated to understanding and promoting child health.

What We Do

Faculty Spotlight

Lacey L Kruse

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Dermatology) and Dermatology

I practice general pediatric dermatology with special interests in pediatric skin cancer, pigmented lesions in children, and atopic dermatitis.  My other clinical interests include pediatric melanoma, other forms of pediatric skin cancer, birthmarks, and inflammatory skin disorders.

Larry K Kociolek

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases)

I am a pediatric infectious diseases physician-scientist and Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control. My research interests are in the areas of healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention and control, with a focus on healthcare-associated infections and infections caused by emerging high-consequence pathogens. My translational research program is currently focused on Clostridioides difficile, Clostridium innocuum, and COVID-19. Our research team is exploring various aspects of C. difficile infection, including clinical and molecular epidemiology, diagnosis, antibiotic resista...

Kiona Y Allen

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology)

Dr. Kiona Allen is the Medical Director of the Regenstein Cardiac Care Unit, Medical Director of the Single Ventricle Center of Excellence, and Associate Director of the NICU-Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital. Her clinical and research focus is in the longitudinal medical, neurodevelopmental, and psychosocial care of patients with critical cardiac disease in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.

Maria H Rahmandar

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Adolescent Medicine)

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.

Paul Tannous

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology)

Dr. Tannous was born and raised in Iowa City, IA, and completed his undergraduate education at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He then joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center where he completed medical school and earned his PhD studying mechanisms of myocardial remodeling. Dr. Tannous remained in Dallas for pediatric residency, and then relocated to Boston Children’s Hospital for general cardiology fellowship, followed by a senior year in interventional cardiology. As a member of Invasive Cardiology, Dr. Tannous specializes...

Leena Bhattacharya Mithal

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases)

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.

Amanda Marma Perak

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Cardiology) and Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology)

Dr. Perak is committed to preventing cardiovascular diseases (e.g., heart attack) by promoting optimal health from the beginning of life. Her research centers on defining and intervening at the origins of cardiometabolic function. Specific areas of focus include molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular health development (e.g., microbiome), maternal-fetal cardiometabolic health, and behavioral intervention. Her clinical and teaching interests are in preventive cardiology and noninvasive cardiac imaging.

Hiroyuki Hirai

Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Dr. Hirai joined Northwestern University in July 2018 from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Dr. Hirai completed his postdoctoral training in Molecular pharmacology at Northwestern University, Chicago and Stem cell biology at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Craig F Garfield

Professor of Pediatrics (Hospital-Based Medicine) and Medical Social Sciences

Child health within the context of the family, with particular emphasis on the social determinants of health, the role of fathers and special attention to the ability of technology to support parenting.

Kirsten M Simonton

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Child Abuse)

I joined the Child Abuse Division at Lurie Children’s Hospital in December 2016. I completed residency training in pediatrics at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte NC, and remained there as Chief Pediatric Resident. I then completed fellowship training in Child Abuse Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where I developed a particular interest in the health of children in foster care. Since joining the faculty at Lurie Children’s, I have developed projects focused on clinical quality improvement and understanding the experiences of marginalized youth within foster ...

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Our faculty is one of our greatest resources. To support them on the paths to successful, fulfilling careers, we make faculty development a priority.<

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