Contributors

David A. Axelson, MD, is chief of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Nationwide Children's Hospital, chief of the Section of Psychiatry at Nationwide Children's Hospital and the John W. Wolfe Endowed Chair in Pediatric Psychiatry. He is a professor of psychiatry at The Ohio State University School of Medicine and chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Lauren Bakaletz, PhD, is the director of the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, Tillie E. Coleman Endowed Chair in Pediatric Research and vice president for Basic Sciences Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She is also the recipient of the
2021 Steve Allen Distinguished Scholar Award.

Erica Banta, MBA, LDSS, is the director of Talent Management at The Ohio State University.

John A. Barnard, MD, is chief of Pediatrics at Nationwide Children's Hospital, president of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's and holds the Ann I. Wolfe Endowed Chair in Pediatric Research Leadership. He is chair of the Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine where he is also a professor of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. As a physician-scientist, he held National Institutes of Health and other grants for more than twenty years of his career. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, reviews and book chapters.

Mary a freelance science writer and blogger based in Boston. Her favorite topics include biology, psychology, neuroscience, ecology, and animal behavior. She has a BA in Biology-Psychology with a minor in English from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, and a PhD from Brown University, where she researched bat echolocation and bullfrog chorusing.

Allan C. Beebe, MD, is director of Pediatric Orthopedic Trauma in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Nationwide Children's Hospital and the director of the Center for Comprehensive Spine Care at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Dr. Beebe is also an assistant professor of Orthopedics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and the assistant program director of the Mount Carmel Residency Training Program. Dr. Beebe received his medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, and completed a pediatric orthopedic fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Beebe's primary clinical interests include pediatric orthopedics; scoliosis and spinal deformity; hip, knee and foot issues; pediatric trauma; and sports medicine.

Gina is the director of Media Relations at Nationwide Children's Hospital. She has a background in health care public relations. She previously worked at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and is a graduate of Otterbein College.

Dr. Berlan is a physician in the Section of Adolescent Medicine at Nationwide Childcare’s Hospital and associate professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.  She is a researcher, educator, clinician and advocate for young women’s reproductive health. As founder and director of the BC4Teens/Young Women’s Contraception Program at Nationwide Children’s, she leads the hospital’s diverse efforts in teen pregnancy prevention. Dr. Berlan is also an active participant in local efforts in public health to reduce infant mortality.

O. N. Ray Bignall II, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Nephrology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Bignall received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Howard University, a Doctorate of Medicine from Meharry Medical College, and a Certificate in Health Policy at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at Meharry. He completed his general pediatrics residency, clinical fellowship in nephrology, and a National Institutes of Health T32 post-doctoral research fellowship in the Center for Treatment Adherence and Self-Management, all at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Dr. Bignall’s academic interests include social determinants of health, population health, and health disparities in pediatric kidney disease and transplantation. He is a recipient of the American Academy of Pediatrics Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) award, and was appointed a John E. Lewy Fund Advocacy Scholar of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN). He currently serves as a member of the Public Policy Committee of the ASPN, and the Policy and Advocacy Committee of the American Society of Nephrology. In addition, Dr. Bignall is involved in a variety of community and child health advocacy efforts, including the Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Families initiative, and the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust.