UPMC Children's Hospital 2022 Year in Review

Year in Review: 2023

A Note from the Division Chief

The Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at UPMC Children’s is pleased to share a look back at some of the research and clinical accomplishments from faculty and staff during 2023.

As our division continues to expand clinically, and our research laboratories embark upon new investigation we look forward to the new year ahead and sharing our contributions to the field.

We also invite you to get in touch with our division or our faculty members mentioned below to learn more about their research and clinical work or discuss ways to collaborate in the future.

Juan Celedon, MD, DrPH

Juan C. Celedón, MD, DrPH, ATSF

Division Chief, Pulmonary Medicine, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Niels K. Jerne Professor of Pediatrics
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Human Genetics
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

One of the best children's hospitals, ranked in pulmonology by U.S. News and World Report.

One of the best children's hospitals, ranked by U.S. News and World Report.

UPMC Children’s Ranks as the #8 Best Pediatric Hospital in the U.S.

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is recognized as one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country, earning the #8 position on the 2023-24 U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. The Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine ranked #9 in the nation among other pediatric pulmonary medicine programs.

Pediatrics Residency Ranked Among Top Ten In The Country

Ranked as among the top ten of residency programs in the country by Doximity. This incredible recognition highlights the strength and robustness of our residency program, which provides world-class faculty mentoring and advising to our residents, helping them develop into the next generation of leading pediatricians, clinicians, and scientists.

Published Research, Clinical Trials, Grants

Celedón Laboratory Publishes New Findings on Gene Expression Markers in Atopic Asthma. By analyzing both cis- and trans-eQTM pairs—where DNA methylation affects gene expression nearby or at a distance, respectively—the research team sought to identify markers within the nasal epithelial samples from Puerto Rican youth with atopic asthma.

UPMC Children’s Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine Research Team Receives $1M Grant from Institute for Precision Medicine for Asthma Research. The research project also will work to predict the response to biological therapies in patients with severe childhood asthma.

Exploring the Connection: Childhood Violence and Asthma Persistence in Puerto Rican Adults. Learn more about the Celedón Laboratory, the research team, and their ongoing investigations into the causes of asthma.
ATS Issues New Statement on Race, Ethnicity-based Equations Used in Pulmonary Function Tests. UPMC Children’s Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine faculty Daniel Weiner, MD, FAAP, FCCP, ATSF, and Erick Forno, MD, MPH, ATSF, contributed to the recent publication.

Can A Parents Numeracy Skills Affect Their Child’s Asthma Symptoms/Severity? New Study from UPMC Children’s Explores the Possibility. This study focused on children from San Juan, Puerto Rico, who have been diagnosed with asthma.

Can Children with Asthma Improve Control by Understanding and Using the Air Quality Index as a Component of Their Disease Management? A new pilot study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine from the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine sought to understand whether children with asthma who incorporated the use and understanding of the Air Quality Index into the management of their condition could improve their control and experience of symptoms.

Multidisciplinary UPMC/Pitt Research Team Uncovers Biomarkers Capable of Distinguishing Between Covid-19 and Influenza. John F. Alcorn, PhD, was the study’s senior author.

Li, et al., Publish On Trends In Radiologic Screening Of jSSc. Jonathan C. Li, MD, published “Pulmonary Nodules in Juvenile Systemic Sclerosis: A Case-Series from the National Registry for Childhood Onset Scleroderma (NRCOS)”. Li is currently a resident physician in the Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program. This paper was co-authored with Kathryn S. Torok, MD, of the Division of Rheumatology and Franziska J. Rosser, MD, MPH, of the Division of Pulmonology. Sameh Tadros, MD, of the Department of Radiology at UPMC also contributed.

Faculty News

UPMC Children’s Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine Welcomes Daniel Atwood, MD, to Division. Dr. Atwood joined as an attending physician on August 1, 2023, and he also holds the appointed of assistant professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
UPMC Children’s Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine Faculty Spotlight: Levent Midyat, MD. Dr. Midyat’s clinical focus has been caring for patients requiring lung transplantation and children who need advanced respiratory support due to underlying complex medical issues.
Advocating for Better Air Quality Control Guidelines. Franziska Rosser, MD, MPH, gave testimony to the United States Environmental Protection Agency on the necessity for improved guidelines governing air quality standards and environmental hazards.
Pediatric Pulmonary Faculty Elected as New ATS Fellows. Congratulations to Franziska Rosser, MD, Jane Taylor, MD, and Wei Chen, PhD, on being elected as new American Thoracic Society (ATS) Fellows.
The 2023 incoming fellows in the Division were Allen Joe and Kimberly Pereira.

Clinical Programs – New and Noteworthy Accomplishments

About the Multidisciplinary University of Pittsburgh Cystic Fibrosis Research Center. Division faculty have been part of the long-standing multidisciplinary Cystic Fibrosis Research Center since its inception. Read more about the center and its work in a recent article from the Department of Pediatrics.
Pediatric Sleep Medicine at UPMC Children’s – The Effects of COVID-19 and a Durable Shift Towards Telemedicine to Expand Access for Patients. Dr. Burman explains an interesting phenomenon that occurred in many, if not all, of the program's patients at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conferences, Symposia, and Annual Meetings – Sharing Knowledge with the Field

UPMC Children’s Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at 2023 American Thoracic Society Annual Meeting. The division led numerous sessions and symposia and presenting some of the latest research abstracts and clinical case reports.

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Year in Review: 2023

A Note from the Division Chief

UPMC Children’s Ranks as the #8 Best Pediatric Hospital in the U.S.

Pediatrics Residency Ranked Among Top Ten In The Country

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