UT Southwestern Pediatrics

05/02/2026

We recently hosted our first annual Fellowship Fair, held over three days. The event brought together UT Southwestern medical students and pediatric residents with faculty and fellows representing 16 pediatric fellowship programs across the Department.

The Fellowship Fair was designed with three key goals in mind: to spark early interest in pediatrics among medical students, to help residents identify potential elective opportunities for the upcoming year, and to support residents who are still exploring their post‑residency plans by introducing them to the breadth of fellowship programs available at UT Southwestern. The strong participation and enthusiastic discussions highlighted the value of this new initiative in fostering early career exploration and mentorship within our Department.

04/30/2026

Congratulations to Dr. DeBerardinis on this well-deserved honor.

A proud moment today as three UT Southwestern faculty members – Elizabeth Chen, Ph.D., Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D., and Joel Elmquist, D.V.M., Ph.D. – are elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors in science.

UT Southwestern now has 27 National Academy of Sciences members – more than all other institutions in Texas and the most in UT Southwestern history. Please join us in congratulating these three exceptional scientists, whose research is advancing knowledge in molecular biology, cancer metabolism, and neuroscience, and driving innovation for patients and the future of medicine.

04/13/2026

Lina Chalak, M.D., M.S.C.S., Professor and Chief of Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine, and the NeuroNICU team took the global stage at the 2026 International Newborn Brain Conference in Naples, Italy. Their accepted poster and oral presentations highlighted groundbreaking work in neonatal brain injury, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, neuroprotection, and quality improvement.

Congratulations to this incredible interdisciplinary team for advancing newborn brain health and representing the program with excellence. 🌍🧠

04/08/2026

Please join us welcoming the new Chief Residents for the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year:

-Isha Darbari, M.D.
-Christopher Keys, M.D.
-Harriet Leahy, M.B.B.Ch
-Kimberly Laird, M.D.

Each of them brings a unique set of ideas, perspectives, experiences, and strengths that will continue to enrich our UT Southwestern/Children’s Health residency program. We look forward to the impact they will make in the year ahead.

04/06/2026

J. Andrew “Drew” Bird, M.D., Professor and Interim Chief of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, and Jeffrey A. SoRelle, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology and Pediatrics, contributed to a new UT Southwestern study where scientists have identified gene variants that help explain why food allergies run among family members.

Published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the team’s findings could support improvements in food allergy testing and treatments.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3ZLdYtX

04/01/2026

Neurons in a part of the brain known as the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) appear to direct the body to boost endurance in response to exercise, a study co-led by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center shows.