Featured Researcher – Julie Leonard, MD, MPH

From developing prediction rules for hemorrhage and blood transfusions in pediatric trauma patients to establishing an infrastructure for collaboration with emergency medical services (EMS) providers to conduct prehospital research studies, Dr. Leonard’s approach to improving outcomes demonstrates a unique combination of practicality, innovation and impact. If the BARDA-funded Massive Transfusion in Children-II (MATIC-II) Phase III trial, which uses strategies developed in a large part by Dr. Leonard, demonstrates efficacy, it will be the second time in her career that her work closes a major gap in clinical knowledge and transforms emergent management of pediatric trauma patients.

As Dr. Leonard looks forward to a new year of research and care, she foresees some shifts in her focus, including more prehospital work. One such endeavor is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and involves primary prevention of adverse outcomes for Ohio children by targeting parents with a resource-based app. Dr. Leonard also plans to extend her mentorship efforts by aiding young faculty and fellows in the pursuit of their own trauma research passions through her roles at Nationwide Children’s as well as a leader of the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN).

Read on to learn more about Dr. Leonard’s work and research career.

Why did you decide to pursue a career in your field?

I knew I wanted to be a pediatrician, but in my fourth year of medical school, I rotated on trauma surgery and emergency medicine and really enjoyed it — it was an “aha” moment for me. My first patient as a medical student was a teenage trauma victim that I was caring for on the rehabilitation unit. I remember thinking about how much her injuries were going to impact her life, and she had so much of it ahead of her. On my trauma surgery and emergency medicine rotations I realized how important those early care decisions are to a patient’s recovery from injury. I also recognized the gap in our knowledge for the trauma patient population.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Trauma research requires interdisciplinary collaboration. Team science is rewarding in that you are bringing together multiple perspectives which ultimately leads to novel and successful solutions.

How does your research serve our patients and our community?

Injury is the leading cause of death and disability in children outside of infancy. Advancing the care and outcomes for this population will not only have lifelong benefits for the patients, but for society at large.

What’s next? What do you hope to accomplish in your research and professional development going forward?

I’m entering my fourth decade as a physician, and my plan is to work to develop the next generation of trauma scientists. One way to mentor is to drag them into the work you’re doing personally, but I think helping young faculty members think through what they’re passionate about—what problems they see and want to solve—and helping them build a team that will help solve that problem, is more important. I use that model whenever I mentor. Likewise, now that I’m wearing a hat of leadership with PECARN, I’m trying to establish opportunities for young people to be mentored within our network, assist them with submitting grants for large studies, help them navigate our research network and find senior faculty to help them with their science.