Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI)


Showing 701-720 of 996 Results

  • James Priest

    James Priest

    Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatrics - Cardiology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Priest lab seeks a better understanding of the genetics and pathogenesis of congenital heart disease using translational genomics, big-data, and vertebrate models of cardiac development.

  • Lance Prince

    Lance Prince

    Philip Sunshine, MD, Professor of Neonatology

    BioLawrence (Lance) S. Prince, MD, PhD, is the Philip Sunshine Endowed Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford School of Medicine. Dr. Prince was previously a Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Neonatology at the University of California, San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego.

    Dr. Prince has a long and distinguished career mentoring clinical and scientific trainees and students, many of whom have gone on to establish their own successful careers as academic physician investigators. As a physician scientist, Dr. Prince leads a basic science laboratory focusing on the mechanisms regulating developmental immunology and lung injury and repair. Dr. Prince received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from University of Miami, an MD/PhD with a focus in Cell Biology from University of Alabama at Birmingham, and postdoctoral fellowship, Pediatrics residency, and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship training at the University of Iowa. Before arriving in California, Dr. Prince was an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University.

    Dr. Prince’s research interests include the molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling lung development and the maturation of the fetal and neonatal immune systems. He has a particular clinical interest in managing and treating neonatal lung diseases, especially bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in babies born extremely preterm. Dr. Prince’s research team focuses primarily on the development of innate immunity during fetal life as it impacts health and disease in preterm infants. The laboratory is investigating how microbes including Group B streptococcus exploit the unique features of neonatal macrophages to avoid immune detection and cause disease, as well as leading a number of clinical and translational investigations.

  • Charles G. Prober, MD

    Charles G. Prober, MD

    Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and, by courtesy, of Microbiology and Immunology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interest is in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment of infections in children. Much of this research has focused on viral infections, especially those caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV). I have conducted a number of studies concerned with the epidemiology of HSV-2 infections in pregnant women, their partners, and neonates.

  • Judith Prochaska

    Judith Prochaska

    Senior Associate Vice Provost, Clinical Research Governance and Professor of Medicine (Stanford Prevention Research Center)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Prochaska's clinical trials research focuses on developing and testing evidence-based interventions for tobacco, other substance use, physical activity, and diet. She has led randomized controlled trials of treatments that combine motivational, behavioral, and pharmacologic strategies, including use of telemedicine, therapeutic relational agents, social-media–supported interventions, and tailored programs for socio-demographically diverse and at-risk groups to advance population health.

  • Jochen Profit

    Jochen Profit

    Wendy J. Tomlin-Hess Endowed Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsFunded by NIH R01 grants:

    1) Development and application of composite measure of NICU quality - Baby-MONITOR

    2) High reliability, safety culture and caregiver resilience as modifiers of care quality

    3) Modifiable racial/ethnic disparities in quality of care delivery

    4) Effectiveness of regionalized care delivery systems for preterm newborns

  • Stephanie Pun, MD

    Stephanie Pun, MD

    Clinical Associate Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Pun specializes in the treatment of complex hip disorders with surgical hip preservation options for children, adolescents, and adults. Her goal is to enhance hip function in active individuals and to prevent the early development of hip osteoarthritis.

  • Stanley Qi

    Stanley Qi

    Associate Professor of Bioengineering

    BioStanley Qi (publishing as Lei S. Qi) is a pioneer in the field of genome engineering and the architect of the foundational technologies that transitioned CRISPR from a "cutting" tool into a universal platform for Programmable Biology. As the inventor of CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR activation (CRISPRa), Qi established the first methods for the precise, reversible, and targeted regulation of the human genome without altering the DNA sequence.

    The Qi Lab integrates scalable genomic perturbation with live-cell and super-resolution imaging and computation-guided design to redefine the boundaries of cellular control. Under Dr. Qi’s leadership, the group has fundamentally expanded the genome engineering toolbox, evolving CRISPR from a single editing tool into a multidimensional platform for the precise control of dynamic and spatial cell states. This work includes establishing foundational technologies and architectures for precise epigenetic editing, multiplexed regulation of the transcriptome, programmable 3D genome organization, and spatial control of RNA logistics. By pioneering real-time visualization of chromatin dynamics and RNA in living cells, the lab provides an unprecedented window into the fundamental "control principles of life."

    This principle-driven technology lineage has moved into the clinic, with the lab's compact epigenetic editor currently in first-in-human clinical testing for FSHD muscular dystrophy (NCT06907875). This milestone represents a core mission of the lab: translating foundational engineering into next-generation therapeutics that act predictably as dynamic, complex systems.

    Beyond single-cell control, the Qi Lab is building a framework for synthetic cell–cell communication, with a particular emphasis on the bidirectional interplay between immune cells and neurons. The lab’s goal is to move beyond describing molecular parts to discovering fundamental control principles in living systems: how regulatory landscapes create stable states and memory, how spatial genome–RNA organization shapes dynamic responses, and how engineered cell–cell interactions can generate emergent multicellular behaviors.

    By integrating computational design with experimental biology, Dr. Qi aims to identify the generalizable rules linking molecular programs to systems-level physiology. He is a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator and an Institute Scholar at the Sarafan ChEM-H, and is dedicated to shaping the technical and ethical frameworks that will define the future of human genome engineering.

  • Xiaojie Qiu

    Xiaojie Qiu

    Assistant Professor of Genetics and, by courtesy, of Computer Science

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsAt the Qiu Lab, our mission is to unravel and predict the intricacies of gene regulatory networks and cell-cell interactions pivotal in mammalian cell fate transitions over time and space, with a special emphasis on heart evolution, development, and disease. We are a dynamic and interdisciplinary team, harnessing the latest advancements in machine learning as well as single-cell and spatial genomics by integrating the predictive power of systems biology with the scalability of machine learning,

  • Thomas Quertermous, MD

    Thomas Quertermous, MD

    William G. Irwin Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsUnderstanding genetic basis of cardiovascular function and disease.

  • Jennifer Anne Rabbitts

    Jennifer Anne Rabbitts

    Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine (Pediatric) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics

    BioJennifer Rabbitts, MD is Professor and Chief of Pediatric Pain Management at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Rabbitts directs an NIH-funded research laboratory focused on improving long-term pain and health outcomes in children and adolescents undergoing surgery. Her research is devoted to understanding and preventing chronic postsurgical pain, a disabling condition affecting 20% youth undergoing major surgery. Her current research studies investigate the role of biopsychosocial mechanisms including child psychosocial factors, parental/family factors, and psychophysical processes underlying acute to chronic pain transition. Current clinical trials focus on testing feasibility and efficacy of psychosocial and complementary and integrative interventions to improve acute postsurgical pain and prevent transition to chronic pain.

    Dr Rabbitts is passionate about mentoring, and is a PI for the NIH HEAL PAIN Training grant in Maternal and Child Pain and Health at Stanford. She serves as section editor for Psychology, Psychiatry and Brain Neuroscience Section for Pain Medicine, and serves on the editorial boards for Pediatric Anesthesia and Journal of Pain.

    Read more about the Rabbitts Lab and opportunities here: https://rabbittslab.stanford.edu/

  • Marlene Rabinovitch

    Marlene Rabinovitch

    Dwight and Vera Dunlevie Professor of Pediatric Cardiology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research program seeks to identify the cellular and molecular programs regulating vascular and lung development, through the use of cultured cells and tissues and mouse and rat models. We then determine how these programs are perturbed by genetic abnormalities or injurious processes associated with disease, focusing on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a fatal complication in children with heart defects, and a condition of unknown etiology primarily in young women.

  • Ram Rajagopal

    Ram Rajagopal

    Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, of Electrical Engineering and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioRam Rajagopal is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, where he directs the Stanford Sustainable Systems Lab (S3L), focused on large-scale monitoring, data analytics and stochastic control for infrastructure networks, in particular, power networks. His current research interests in power systems are in the integration of renewables, smart distribution systems, and demand-side data analytics.

    He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and an M.A. in Statistics, both from the University of California Berkeley, Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Texas, Austin and Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, Powell Foundation Fellowship, Berkeley Regents Fellowship and the Makhoul Conjecture Challenge award. He holds more than 30 patents and several best paper awards from his work and has advised or founded various companies in the fields of sensor networks, power systems, and data analytics.

  • Nitya Rajeshuni

    Nitya Rajeshuni

    Clinical Instructor, Pediatrics - Critical Care

    BioDr. Rajeshuni is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University. She is faculty with the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE), the Center for Innovation in Global Health (CIGH), and the Maternal Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI). Dr. Rajeshuni earned her BS, MS in Epidemiology and Clinical Research, and MD from Stanford University. She completed residency training at the University of Pennsylvania and a Biodesign innovation fellowship at Harvard University.

    Her research centers on advancing health equity among racial and ethnic minorities, with a particular focus on Asian populations. She investigates health disparities, access to care, and the implementation and evaluation of public and digital health solutions in the U.S. and low- and middle-income countries. Current projects include studying the impacts of maternal education and intimate partner violence on child outcomes. Her broader interests encompass promoting resilience and well-being in vulnerable communities worldwide and leveraging digital health to reduce health disparities. She is a recipient of a career development award through the CHIME Health Equity Scholars program funded by PCORI and will be studying the effects of social supports on resilience in pregnant people of minority descent. Her global collaborations include work with NGO Arogya World on diabetes prevention in India as a collaborator and member of the Board. She is also the Director of South Asia Outreach at Stanford CARE. She also serves as a Product Advisor to healthcare startup Yuimedi.

    Dr. Rajeshuni is deeply committed to teaching and mentorship. At Stanford, she serves as Associate Program Director for CARE Scholars and the Team Science Fellowship, year-long data science programs that provide emerging researchers with structured mentorship, advanced analytical skills, and interdisciplinary collaboration to drive health equity research. She is Faculty Co-Director of FAMMED 210: The Healer’s Art, an international program offering a reflective, experiential course designed to nurture compassion, resilience, and the humanistic values essential to medicine. She mentors graduate, undergraduate, and high school students at Stanford and beyond, and serves as Faculty Advisor in the Department of Human Biology.

    Outside academia, Dr. Rajeshuni is an accomplished vocalist, performing professionally with world music ensembles Wobbly World and San Francisco’s Peña Pachamama Carnaval Arts Program.

  • Asheen Rama

    Asheen Rama

    Clinical Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine

    BioDr. Asheen Rama is a member of the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology. He regularly organizes and conducts medical simulations across various hospital units, utilizing both traditional in-situ methods and advanced immersive technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality. He also collaborates with the Stanford CHARIOT program, leading efforts to integrate immersive technologies into medical education and working to scale these innovations nationally and internationally.

    Dr. Rama teaches a diverse range of learners, including medical students, residents, fellows, and nurses. His academic interests focus on simulation, medical education, and artificial intelligence. Additionally, he has a strong interest in the medical humanities and has taught several Stanford undergraduate and medical student courses that explore the intersection of art and medicine.

  • Sneha Ramakrishna

    Sneha Ramakrishna

    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology)

    BioSneha Ramakrishna obtained her B. A. from the University of Chicago and her M.D. from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. In medical school, through the Howard Hughes Medical Research Scholar Award, she joined Dr. Crystal Mackall’s laboratory, where she designed and developed various GD2 CAR-Ts and tested them in preclinical models. During her residency training in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she cared for some of the first patients treated with CD19 CAR T cells, learning the power of this therapy first-hand. During her fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the Johns Hopkins/National Cancer Institute combined program, she worked with Dr. Terry Fry. She evaluated the mechanism of CD22 CAR T cell relapse in patients by developing an antigen escape model and establishing a deeper understanding of the effects of antigen density on CAR-T phenotype, expansion, and persistence (Fry…Ramakrishna…Mackall Nat Med, 2018; Ramakrishna, et al., Clinical Cancer Research, 2019). Since arriving at Stanford, Dr. Ramakrishna leads an interdisciplinary team that designs, develops, and successfully implements a robust correlative science platform for our novel CAR-T therapies. Analyzing patient samples from our first-in-human GD2 CAR-T trial (NCT04196413) treating a universally fatal cancer, diffuse midline glioma (DMG), we identified that intracerebroventricular CAR-T administration correlates with enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduced immunosuppressive cell populations in cerebrospinal fluid as compared to intravenous CAR-T administration (Majzner*, Ramakrishna*, et al., Nature 2022 *co-first authors). Her research program evaluates unique sets of patient samples using novel single-cell immune profiling to identify the drivers of CAR-T success or failure. Building on these findings, her team assesses approaches to enhance CAR-T efficacy and translate these findings to the clinic.

    Clinically, Dr. Ramakrishna cares for children with solid tumors and treats hematologic, solid, and brain tumor pediatric patients with CAR T cell therapies in the Cancer Cellular Therapies program.