Contributors

Deborah Ungerleider, MD, FAAP, earned her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)/Rutgers Medical School in Piscataway, NJ in 1985, following earning a BA in biology at Barnard College/Columbia University. She went on to complete a pediatric residency and chief residency at New York University Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital. She is an experienced pediatrician with more than 30 years of working in private pediatric offices and being on staff at several community hospitals. She is board-certified in Pediatrics and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Her medical writing and editing experience has included writing educational articles for her patients, in addition to editing medical journal articles for various specialty journals. Dr. Ungerleider now works as a freelance medical writer and editor, using her medical expertise, as well as her organizational and writing skills to assist clients with medical communication projects directed at both clinicians and lay audiences.

Elizabeth Varga, MS, CGC, is the director of Clinical Genomics Research and Development in the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and is a licensed genetic counselor and adjunct assistant professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University. She oversees development and implementation of genomic research protocols into various services lines across Nationwide Children’s and manages the Clinical Genomics research team comprised of genetic counselors, research coordinators and data/regulatory staff.

Elizabeth has almost 20 years of clinical experience as a genetic counselor, with specific expertise related to the genomics of pediatric hematologic, oncologic and immunologic disorders. She has served on the Board of Directors for the National Society of Genetic Counselors and was a founding Board member of the National Blood Clot Alliance.

Dr. Vrantsidis is a developmental psychologist and postdoctoral scientist in the Center for Biobehavioral Health at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dr. Vrantsidis’ research focuses on how parental behavior impacts the development of self-regulation in children at risk for behavior problems.

Pedro Weisleder, MD, PhD, is an attending pediatric neurologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital. He is Professor of Clinical Pediatrics. Dr. Weisleder serves as Director of the Center for Pediatric Bioethics at Nationwide Children's Hospital. He is also Co-Chair of the Nationwide Children's Integrated Ethics Committee.

Dr. Weisleder’s research interests include medical ethics and the interactions between medicine and the law. Dr. Weisleder has edited two books Current Topics in Pediatric Epilepsy, and the Manual of Pediatric Neurology. Dr. Weisleder is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Seminars in Pediatric Neurology.

Krista Wheeler, MS, is a manager (Project Development Specialist) at the Center for Pediatric Trauma Research and Center for Injury Research and Policy. In this position, Ms. Wheeler will lead our efforts to collaborate with the Trauma and Burn programs, Nationwide Children’s physicians, nurses, and other clinical researchers to strategically plan and develop new research projects and grants that promote the missions and goals of Nationwide Children’s, The Research Institute, Trauma/Burn Program and the CPTR/CIRP.

Dr. White champions data-driven innovation as the inaugural Chief Data Sciences Officer (CDSO) of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at Nationwide Children's Hospital and a Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

As a member of AWRI's senior leadership team, Dr. White is responsible for developing and implementing a robust data science strategy. This involves integrating and analyzing diverse big data sources, such as genomic data and electronic health records, to extract critical insights for diagnosing and treating pediatric diseases.

Natalie is a passionate and enthusiastic writer working to highlight the groundbreaking research of the incredible faculty and staff across Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Abigail Wexner Research Institute. Her work at Nationwide Children's marries her past interests and experiences with her passion for helping children thrive and a long-held scientific curiosity that dates back to competing in the Jefferson Lab Science Bowl in middle school. Natalie holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Wake Forest University, as well as minors in women's, gender & sexuality studies and interdisciplinary writing. As an undergraduate student, Natalie studied writing and journalism, engaged with anthropological and sociological research with a focus on race and ethnic relations, served as executive editor for the student newspaper, the Old Gold & Black, and gained marketing experience as an intern for a nonprofit entrepreneurial incubator, Winston Starts, as well as by working for Wake Forest University School of Law Office of Communication and Public Relations and its Innocence and Justice Clinic.