Contributors

Lauren Dembeck, PhD, is a freelance science and medical writer based in New York City. She completed her BS in biology and BA in foreign languages at West Virginia University. Dr. Dembeck studied the genetic basis of natural variation in complex traits for her doctorate in genetics at North Carolina State University. She then conducted postdoctoral research on the formation and regulation of neuronal circuits at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan.

Karen A. Diefenbach, MD, is the director for Minimally Invasive Surgery at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

Alaina Doklovic is a Marketing Specialist for Research Communications at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She received her BS in medical anthropology and English from The Ohio State University. Her passions for science and health, combined with her desire to help others, motivated her to pursue a career in which she could actively help improve patient outcomes and scientific research through writing.

Dennis R. Durbin, MD, MSCE, is president of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, a professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and vice chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics.

As president of AWRI, Dr. Durbin oversees the vision and strategic direction for the research institute, including the further integration of research and clinical care at Nationwide Children's as highlighted in the hospital’s recently announced new five-year strategic plan. Dr. Durbin represents the research institute in its ever-growing relationship with The Ohio State University and with the evolving biotechnology ecosystem developing in central Ohio. He also continues to support the recruitment of basic scientists; clinical investigators; and behavioral health and health equity researchers to AWRI.

Previously, as AWRI’s first CSO, Dr. Durbin managed a broad portfolio of research initiatives, leading including the formation of Andelyn Biosciences, the hospital’s first chief clinical research officer position, currently held by pediatric surgeon Kate Deans, MD; the recruitment of over 40 new research-intensive faculty; and the construction of a fourth research building on the Nationwide Children's campus, scheduled to open in 2023. Prior to joining Nationwide Children's in early 2018, Dr. Durbin was the assistant vice president and chief clinical research officer for The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute. He was also a professor of Pediatrics and an associate scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He was on the university’s faculty for over 20 years as a clinician and scientist. Dr. Durbin has mentored dozens of trainees and junior faculty, supporting them in becoming thriving physician-scientists in independent research careers

Dr. Durbin is an internationally recognized injury epidemiologist whose research has focused on the prevention of motor vehicle occupant injuries to children and the prevention of teen driver crashes. He has published nearly 200 articles and editorials in peer-reviewed journals that established the evidence base for child and adolescent traffic safety interventions and he has extensive experience translating research findings into policy and practice. He served on the Committee for Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention of the American Academy of Pediatrics during which time he was the lead author on the Academy’s revised policy statement on child passenger safety. His research has been recognized by several organizations, including the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Bailey is a PhD candidate in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at The Ohio State University, pursuing her graduate studies in the Center for Cardiovascular Research in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Her present research is dedicated to determining the molecular mechanisms of heart valve disease. She enjoys promoting science education to a broad audience through elementary and middle school classroom visits, mentoring high school and undergraduate students, and adult science outreach programs, with the goal of improving science accessibility for everyone. Bailey earned her BS in Biology at Otterbein University, where she conducted research in plant pathology, focusing on red maple toxicosis in equines. She contributes to Pediatrics Nationwide and PediatricsOnline.

Jonathan L. Finlay, MB, ChB, FRCP is the program director of Neuro-Oncology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dr. Finlay is a tenured professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is an internationally recognized expert in pediatric brain tumors and has authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications in leading medical journals and over 80 review articles and book chapters.