Committee Members

Dr. He is currently a professor, section head and fellowship director of pediatric pathology, in the Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, USA with research interest in digital pathology, artificial intelligence, pediatric tumor markers, placental and perinatal pathology. Dr. He attended former Shanghai Medical University (now Fudan University Medical Center, Shanghai, China, 1988-1993), and finished his PhD training in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ, now Rutgers University, Graduate School of Biomedical Scince, Newark, NJ, USA; 2001). Dr. He finished his Anatomic & Clinical Pathology residency in the same department (2002-2006), Pediatric Pathology fellowship in SUNY Downstate Medical Center (2006-7), and Molecular & Genetic Pathology fellowship in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA (2007-8). Dr. He then joined in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Alpert Medical School, Brown University as an assistant professor and an attending physician in the Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. In 2016, Dr. He joined the Washington University in St. Louis in 2016 and became the Pathologist-in-chief, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and the Editor-in-chief, Fetal & Pediatric Pathology in 2024. Dr. He identified the EGFR Exon 19 insertion as a new family of EGFR mutation sensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and has pioneered in the study of immune checkpoint markers in pediatric tumors. Dr. He received the Gilbert-Barness Award in 2015 from the Society for Pediatric Pathology (SPP) for his study of placental pathology in pregnancy complicated with maternal diabetes mellitus.

Jose A. Castro-Rodriguez, MD, PhD, ATSF.
I was born in Peru and graduated in Medicine from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
(Lima) where also completed my residency in Pediatrics. I trained as a Fellow in Pediatric
Pulmonary at the Universidad de Chile (Santiago). I took a position as a Research Fellow at
the University of Arizona (Tucson, US).
One of my major contributions was the creation of the Asthma Predictive Index (PMID:
11029352) with more than 1,800 citations and incorporated in several asthma guidelines. I
was designed an “ATS Fellow” (2020) and “Master of Latin American Pediatric Pulmonology”
from the Latin American Pediatric Pulmonology Society (2018). I was awarded the “Worldwide
Scientific Prize” from the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (2002),
the “Pediatric Year in Review Paper” at ATS (2001) with more than 1,300 citations (PMID:
10954761), and the “Peruvian Scientific Prize” from CONCYTEC (1993).
Currently, I am Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of Research at the Department of Pediatric
Pulmonology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Santiago). My main areas of interest
are acute bronchiolitis, recurrent wheezing, and asthma (phenotypes, treatment, epigenetic,
and fetal programming). I am frequently invited to give keynote presentations at international
meetings in more than 30 countries. My research and vision are well detailed in more than
200 papers. My H-Index is 57

Juliet Haarbauer-Krupa, PhD, FACRM is a Senior Health Scientist on the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Team, in the Division of Injury Prevention (DIP), at NCIPC. As a health scientist, her role on the TBI team
is to devise research projects and products to better understand trends in TBI in the U.S., to improve
health outcomes for individuals living with a TBI and develop prevention strategies for TBI. She is project
lead on the Report to Congress on the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury in Children, and a
scientific collaborator for funded projects addressing clinical decision support and return to school
projects in the division.
Dr. Haarbauer-Krupa has over 30 years of experience and has authored over 100 publications and
presentations in TBI, with specialties in rehabilitation and pediatric populations. Prior to coming to CDC
she was a researcher at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory. She has a tenured career as a
therapist in rehabilitation. She currently holds an adjunct position in the Department of Pediatrics at
Emory University’s School of Medicine.

Korber is an Assistant Professor and Physician Associate with 20+ years of clinical and education experience. He is the author of “Effective Patient Communication” in the October 2024 issue of PA Clinics (Elsevier) and an advocate of patient education and empowerment for better health outcomes.

Xinxin Wang is currently a lecturer and postdoctoral researcher at Guangzhou University, focusing on the construction of an evaluation system for deep learning in early childhood. She holds an EdD from The Education University of Hong Kong and a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Toledo, USA, both specializing in early childhood education. Her research interests include deep learning in early childhood, children’s play, play-based curricula, parental involvement, and child development. With a deep passion for early childhood education, she has dedicated 10 years to advancing research and practice in the field.

Jih-Huah Wu received his Ph. D. degree in Optical Sciences at National Central University in Taiwan in 2005. After served as one year post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Power Mechanical Engineering in National Tsing Hua University, he joined Ming Chun University served as an assistant professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He has become an associate professor since 2010. He has become a full professor since 2014. His research interests include laser acupuncture, light therapy, electro-optical system design, and the applications of semiconductor lasers in biomedical researches. Since 2024, he is the dean of the school of Health and Biomedical Engineering at Ming Chuan University.

Dr. Farah Aziz is a distinguished biochemist with over 13 years of experience in academia and research. She holds a Ph.D. and serves as an Assistant Professor at King Khalid University. Her research focuses on critical topics such as pregnancy-associated disorders and endocrinology. Dr. Aziz has published 35 articles with an h-index of 15 and is an author of book chapters with Elsevier. She is involved with esteemed professional organizations like the Association of Clinical Scientists (USA) and the Royal Society of Biology (UK). Additionally, she serves as a section editor for the Annals of Clinical and Analytical Medicine and has received awards for her teaching excellence. Dr. Aziz actively participates in international conferences, thereby enhancing her influence in the field.

I graduated from King Abdulaziz Medical and Health Sciences University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 2003. 2007 I obtained the Saudi and Arab Board Degrees in General Pediatrics. In 2017 I obtained the Saudi Board in Pediatric Neurology. Subsequently, in 2017, I joined a 2-year fellowship program in pediatric multiple sclerosis and neuroinflammatory disorders at the Hospital for Sick Kids, Toronto, Canada. I obtained the Royal College Fellowship Certificate in Pediatric Neuroimmunology in 2019. I also obtained a Royal College Degree Fellowship Certificate in Pediatric Stroke in 2020. Upon my return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I started weekly pediatric neuroimmunology and pediatric stroke clinics. I  served as program director for 2 successive years from 2021 until 2023 and was awarded a Program Director Recognition award for two successive years, 2022 and 2023. My publications include subjects of MOGAD and Rituximab use, ADS characterizations in Saudi Children, a single center 5- year study, atypical vasculopathies in pediatric stroke cases, and Autoimmune encephalitis multicenter study characterization and prognostication.

Dr. Leandro is a Brazilian obstetrician specializing in high-risk pregnancies, with a focus on preeclampsia. He combines clinical practice with basic science research, mentoring students at various levels. An active member of the Global Pregnancy Co-Laboratory, he led the PREPARE study on prematurity and is now collaborating with Professor Andrew Shennan on the PAPAGAIO study, which focuses on preterm preeclampsia across Brazil, Africa, and India. Dr. Leandro holds positions as an Associate Professor at São Paulo State University (UNESP) and a Senior Consultant at Santa Joana Hospital in São Paulo.

Graduated in Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto at the University of São Paulo (1986), Master’s degree in Medicine (Pediatrics) from the University of São Paulo (1995), Doctorate in Medicine (Pediatrics) from the University of São Paulo (1999), LWPES International Scholarship in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto (2002), Post-doctorate in Pediatric Endocrinology at FMRP-USP (2010-2012) and Full Professorship in Pediatrics at the University of São Paulo (2012). He is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Childcare and Pediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto at the University of São Paulo. Head o Pediatric Endocrinology Division. He has experience in the area of Medicine, Pediatrics, with an emphasis on Endocrinology and Pediatric Metabolism, working mainly on the following topics: diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia and dyslipidemia.

Marcelo Fernandes Costa has completed his Neuroscience PhD in 2004 from Universidade de São Paulo and postdoctoral studies from Coimbra University Faculty of Medicine. He is the director of Experimental Psychology Department, and the Neuroscience Graduate Program. He has published more than 100 papers in high reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of about 30 journals including Scientific Reports, and Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Hela Oueslati is a fourth-year resident specializing in pediatric surgery. She earned her medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine at Tunis University, Tunisia, and completed her training at Béchir-Hamza Children’s Hospital and Habib Thameur Hospital. Hela is dedicated to pediatric surgical care and actively contributes to clinical research and medical education.

Dr. Akram is a consultant surgeon specializing in paediatric and adult trauma, with a particular focus on ECMO. He currently works as a Senior Consultant at the departments of ECMO snd Trauma at the Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, where he has been practicing since 2014. Dr. Akram holds a PhD from Karolinska Institutet (2011) and has completed fellowships in thoracic and paediatric surgery, including an international fellowship at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. His expertise extends to trauma and mass injury management. His research areas are mainly focused on both trauma and ECMO.

Dr. Nawinda Rueang-amnat earned her Diploma of the Thai Board of Pediatrics at the age of 28 from the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Thailand. She is currently pursuing a neonatology fellowship at the same institution. Passionate about advancing neonatal care, she has published research and continues to engage in ongoing studies to contribute to the field.

Donato Bonifazi is an Economist and the CEO of CVBF, a non-profit research consortium with 25 years’ experience in health and pharmaceutical research, acting as a Sponsor or a Partner/CRO in clinical research.  He is involved in several projects aimed at enhancing research for paediatric and rare diseases patients (i.e. OrphaDev4Kids aimed to foster the development of paediatric medical devices for the treatment of children with rare diseases) and is Coordinator of EPTRI. He is Board Member at TEDDY – European Network of Excellence for Paediatric Research, Member of the Coordinating Group at Enpr-EMA, Member of the ACT EU multi-stakeholder platform Advisory Group, Member of the international Children Advisory Network Advisory Group.

Prof. Paskorn Sritipsukho has completed his Thai Board of Pediatrics and Thai Board of Pediatric
Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He also earned his Master of Epidemiology from the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London. He has been the director of the
Center of Excellence in Applied Epidemiology at Thammasat University since 2015. He has
published more than 53 papers in reputable journals and serves as an editorial board member of the
Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology.

Professor Yehuda Shoenfeld is a renowned expert in autoimmune diseases and rheumatology, formerly leading the Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases and the Department of Medicine at Sheba Medical Center, affiliated with Tel-Aviv University. He also served as President of Ariel University in 2021 and 2022. With over 2,280 published papers and more than 90,000 citations, his influential work spans numerous prestigious journals. He has authored and edited 40 seminal books, including “The Mosaic of Autoimmunity” and “Autoantibodies.” Shoenfeld is the founding editor of IMAJ and Autoimmunity Reviews and has edited Harefuah for two decades. His accolades include the EULAR Prize, Nelson’s Prize, and the EFIM Life Achievement Award. He is a Professor of Medicine at Reichman University and has mentored over 70 students who have become department heads.

Reta Tsegaye Gayesa is a PhD student at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He has published more than 40 papers in reputed journals and served as a reviewer for academic journals. Prior to joining the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, he worked as a lecturer and researcher in Ethiopia.