Maternal & Child Health Research Institute (MCHRI)
Showing 691-700 of 1,005 Results
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Dmitri Petrov
Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsEvolution of genomes and population genomics of adaptation and variation
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Trung Hoang Minh Pham
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and Immunology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsUncovering mechanisms of tissue immunity and immunophysiology during persistent infection
The immune system safeguards the health of complex organisms by rapidly eliminating invading pathogens, curbing infection-induced tissue disruptions, and maintaining tissue homeostasis. Many bacterial pathogens evade host antimicrobial mechanisms and persist in infected tissues at low levels for long periods of time even in the presence of innate and adaptive immune resistance. During persistent infection, the immune system simultaneously orchestrates antimicrobial responses to contain the pathogen, repairs damaged tissue, regulates nutrient resources, and maintains other tissue physiological functions to ensure host survival. Failure of any of these tasks leads to uncontrolled infection, devastating disease, and even death. The goals of our research are to understand:
1)What are the innate and adaptive immune cellular mechanisms that contain pathogens during persistent infection?
2)How are tissue physiological functions, such as tissue repair and nutrient regulation, maintained during persistent infection?
3)How do pathogens survive innate and adaptive antimicrobial mechanisms in infected tissues?
4)How does persistent infection impact host immunity to secondary infections of a similar or different pathogen?
Through investigating these fundamental questions, we may be able to decode the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms that can be harnessed to eradicate infections, promote tissue resilience, and restore health after an infectious insult. We integrate immunology, tissue biology, microbiology, and genetics to uncover the mechanisms of tissue immunity and immunophysiology during persistent infection from the molecular to organismal level.
Current areas of research:
•Development, maintenance, and plasticity of macrophage functional diversity in infected tissue
•Tissue repair and nutrient regulation during persistent infection
•Cellular dynamics and bacterial persistence in lymphoid organs -
Harold Westley Phillips
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery (Pediatric Neurosurgery)
BioH. Westley Phillips, MD is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University where he is a neurosurgeon-scientist specializing in pediatric neurosurgery with a special interest in epilepsy. Dr. Phillips received his undergraduate degree at Yale University where he was a member of the Varsity Football Team and received a Fulbright Scholarship. He completed an MD at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a certificate of distinction in the Clinical Neuroscience Training Program. He completed neurosurgical residency at UCLA where he received 2 years of NIH funding to investigate the genetic underpinnings of epilepsy. He received fellowship training in pediatric epilepsy surgery and genetics research at Boston Children’s Hospital as well as pediatric neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh before his arrival at Stanford. At Stanford, Dr. Phillips leads a molecular genetics laboratory and has a particular interest in defining and further understanding somatic mosaicism and its role in epileptogenesis. He has published manuscripts in leading academic journals including Nature: Genetics, JAMA Neurology, Journal of Neuroscience, Scientific Reports, Epilepsia and Neurology. He is dedicated to improving the treatment and outcomes for children with drug resistant epilepsy through innovative research and cutting-edge surgical techniques.
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Benjamin Pinsky
Professor of Pathology, of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDevelopment and application of molecular assays for the diagnosis and management of infectious diseases.
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Jena Pizula, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
BioDr. Pizula is a quadruple board-certified, fellowship-trained cardiologist with Stanford Health Care Cardiovascular Health. She is also a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. She completed a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine.
Dr. Pizula specializes in cardio-obstetrics. She works with women before, during, and after pregnancy to determine their risk of heart-related pregnancy complications and improve their cardiovascular health. She has experience managing complex cardiovascular conditions, including congenital heart disease, arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, valvular disease, and cardiomyopathy. Dr. Pizula develops a customized care plan for each patient she treats. As a leader in cardio-obstetrics, she’s at the forefront of the latest advances in women’s cardiovascular care.
Her research interests include the intersection of cardiovascular disease and pregnancy. She focuses on how pre-existing conditions like congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, or hypertension affect pregnancy. She has also explored how physiological changes during pregnancy affect existing heart disease and long-term cardiovascular risk. She uses her unique dual background in internal medicine and pediatrics to study how adult manifestations of cardiovascular disease impact pregnancy outcomes.
Dr. Pizula is active in teaching medical students, internal medicine and obstetrical residents, and cardiology fellows. She teaches them strategies to improve how they assess and manage risk and deliver postpartum care to people with high-risk cardiac pregnancies. Dr. Pizula is the director of the Finishing School for Future Cardiologists for the California chapter of the American College of Cardiology, which offers leadership development to cardiology fellows.
Dr. Pizula’s research has been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics. She has authored three book chapters on cardio-obstetrics and global emergency medicine.
Dr. Pizula has presented her research at conferences in the United States and internationally. As an expert in cardiovascular disease and pregnancy, she is frequently invited to speak to cardiologists, obstetricians, and anesthesiologists at the International Congress on Cardiac Problems in Pregnancy. She currently serves as a reviewer for the European Journal of Heart Failure and Heart Failure Reviews.
Dr. Pizula is a member of the American College of Cardiology, Stanford Medicine Cardiovascular Institute, and Stanford Medicine Maternal & Child Health Research Institute. -
Tino Pleiner
Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Pleiner lab combines mechanistic cell biology, structural biochemistry and protein engineering to dissect the pathways and molecular machines that mature human membrane proteins to a fully functional state. We also develop alpaca-derived and synthetic nanobodies as tools to modulate intracellular pathways that globally regulate protein homeostasis in health and disease.
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Celeste Poe, Ph.D., PMH-C
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Development
Clinical Assistant Professor (By courtesy), PediatricsBioDr. Celeste Poe is a licensed clinical psychologist with a certification in perinatal mental health. She completed her residency and fellowship training at the Yale Child Study Center. She received her Ph.D. from Palo Alto University, her master’s degree from Pepperdine University and she is a proud HBCU alumni of Xavier University of Louisiana where she received her bachelor’s degree.
Dr. Poe is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Attending NICU and Perinatal Psychologist at Stanford University School of Medicine. She is the program director of the maternal & infant critical care mental health services at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital where she provides psychological consultation and psychotherapy to parents requiring hospitalization due to high risk pregnancies and parents of infants hospitalized in the NICU. Dr. Poe’s clinical specialties include perinatal and infant mental health as well as maternal-infant critical care with a focus on child and caregiver trauma, grief, and bereavement. Her research focuses on Black perinatal mental health and mental health equity, infant and parent mental health in medical settings, and intergenerational trauma. Dr. Poe was a Zero to Three Fellow and currently serves as Co-Chair of the National Network of NICU Psychologists. In 2026 she was appointed to the American Psychological Association's committee on Children Youth and families.
Dr. Poe also holds a community faculty appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Child Study Center where she works on the Grief-Sensitive Healthcare Project which aims to enhance healthcare providers’ capacities to meet the needs of grieving families.
