FNNDSC Newsletter- November 3rd
- FNNDSC
- 23 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Upcoming Center-Wide events:
November Lecture Series Calendar
Speaker: Xi Yu, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Psychology at Beijing Normal University
Title: From nature to nurture: multimethod insights into language and conceptual growth in the developing brain
Date: Wednesday, November 12th, 10-11 AM, Landmark South Boston Conference Room & Zoom
Speaker: Bastien Guerin, PhD
Assistant Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Mass General Research Institute
Title: TBD
Date: Wednesday, November 19th, 10-11 AM, Landmark Hancock Conference Room & Zoom
If you are interested in suggesting a speaker for the FNNDSC Lecture Series, please use the form below to make your recommendation:
FNNDSC Thanksgiving Gathering:
Date: Monday, November 17th 11:30-12:30 PM, South Boston Conference Room
Holiday Closures:
Thursday, November 27 – Hospital Holiday (Thanksgiving)
Friday, November 28 – FNNDSC closed
Monday, December 22-Wednesday, December 24 - FNNDSC closed
Thursday, December 25 – Hospital Holiday (Christmas)
Friday, December 26 – FNNDSC closed
Wednesday, December 31 – FNNDSC offices close early at 3pm
Thursday, January 1 – Hospital Holiday (New Year's Day)
Monday, January 19th- Hospital Holiday (MLK Day)
Conferences & Workshops:
American Heart Assocition (AHA) Scientific Session | November 7-10 | New Orleans, LA Scientific Sessions - Professional Heart Daily | American Heart Association
American Epilepsy Society (AES) Meeting | December 5-9 | Atlanta, GA AES | Home (Hotel reservation deadline, registration refund deadline: November 10th, 2025)
American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology (ASPNR) Annual Meeting | January16-18 | Tampa, FL Home | American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology (Early bird Registration: Ends November 21st, 2025)
ISMRM 2025 Workshop on Unlocking the Potential of Prenatal MRI: Advances in Fetal Brain, Heart & Placenta Imaging |March 4-6 | Washington D.C. (Abstract deadline: December 5th, 2025)
Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) | April 24-27 | Boston, MA 2026 MEETING – PAS Meeting
Recent Center News:
Publications from our Team:
You S, Gondova A, Izaguirre CSA, Milo GT, Jeong S, Lee HJ, Tarui T, Rollins CK, Yun HJ, Grant PE, Im K. Conditional deep generative normative modeling for structural and developmental anomaly detection in the fetal brain. Read their work here
Hsiao CH, Foster AN, McDonald SA, Vyas R, Ashraf A, Bao R, Tran L, Kesri A, Darzidehkalani E, Soldatelli MD, Auman JO, Soul JS, Chalak LF, Cotten CM, Shankaran S, Laptook AR, Grant PE, Ou Y; Consortium Of MRI Biomarkers In Neonatal Encephalopathy (COMBINE). Data harmonization framework for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy studies. Read their work here
Leyla Ismayilova, Linyun Fu, Kamran Salayev, Shu-Hsiang Wang, Emma Heidorn. Pathways to child mental health: A structural equation model of economic deprivation, parenting, and internalizing problems. Read Kamran's work here
Ulviyya Guliyeva, Nana Nino Tatishvili, Kamran Salayev, Rauan Kaiyrzhanov, Semra Hiz, Kerim Munir, David A Williams, Cavid Isayev, Sughra Guliyeva, Henry Houlden, Olivier Dulac. Consanguinity and treatment strategy determine seizure outcome and mortality in infantile epileptic spasms syndrome in Azerbaijan. Read Kamran's work here
Laptook A, Garvey AA, Adams C, Grant PE, Molloy EJ, Groenendaal F, Weeke LC, Benders M, Hwang M, El-Dib M, Badawi N, Robertson NJ, Pang R, Thayyil S, Inder T, Andelius TCK, Kyng KJ; Neonatal MRI group; Brain, Development, and Imaging section of the European Society of Pediatric Research (ESPR). Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy in neonatal encephalopathy: current consensus position and future opportunities. Read Ellen's work here
Makaram N, Pesce M, Tsuboyama M, Bolton J, Harmon J, Papadelis C, Stone S, Pearl P, Rotenberg A, Grant EP, Tamilia E. Targeting interictal low-entropy zones during epilepsy surgery predicts successful outcomes in pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy. Read their work here
Khoury JE, Chasson M, Ahtam B, Fleming LL, Ou Y, Bosquet Enlow M, Grant PE, Lyons-Ruth K. Maternal Childhood Neglect is Linked to Greater Infant Cortisol Levels and Larger Infant Limbic Volumes. Read their work here
Presentations from our Team:
We are thrilled to share that members from the FNNDSC recently participated in the prestigious Department of Pediatrics AI Shark Tank Competition. We are proud to announce that their innovative project around the HIE ChatBot, earned the top prize for its groundbreaking work on “VeritasMD: A Precision Medicine Platform Empowering Care, Patients, and Novel Science.”
A huge congratulations to team members Ellen, Yangming, Erfan, Sheng, Sarah, Rutvi, Franklin, Stefanie, Rina, Arafat, Meng, and Ankush – whose efforts were supported by collaborations with BCH, MGH, and several other esteemed institutions!
We also congratulate Navaneeth for contributing to another team that secured 5th place.
Being selected as one of the top five finalists and achieving victory is a fantastic achievement. Well done, everyone!
Congratulations to Gabby Guadalupe whose poster titled “Altered Brain Functional Connectivity in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease” was selected as the winner of the poster prize for the translational category for the M. Judah Folkman Research Day! The posters were judged by a panel of postdoc volunteers from the various departments, programs, and divisions across BCH. Great work, Gabby!
Giovanna Sabino, Graduate Student Intern working under the guidance of Dr. Eleonora Tamilia, recently delivered an insightful oral presentation titled “Overnight Fast Ripple Mapping prior to Epilepsy Surgery in Pediatric Patients.”
This presentation took place at the prestigious Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Annual Meeting held from October 11th-15th in Los Angeles. Congratulations to Giovanna for her work and for representing the FNNDSC at one of the largest neurosurgery conferences. Great job!
Reminders & Resources:
Helpful Links:
Research Announcements & News▴ Office of Sponsored Programs Updates▴ Grokker ▴ SupportLinc ▴ PeopleSoft/ERP ▴ Flu/COVID Vaccine Central ▴ Ombuds Office ▴ Health Well-Being Programs▴ Onboarding, Setup & Access ▴ eHelp Help Desk/IT: 617-355-4357, help.desk@childrens.harvard.edu
Funding Opportunities for Faculty and Fellows:
U.S. Immigration Resources:
Please check the Office of Immigration Services (OIS) page for regular updates and communication: Office of Immigration Services - Welcome!
2025 Divisional/FNNDSC Fleeces have arrived!
Fleeces are available for pick-up from Landmark 6552.10 and Enders 961, once payment is received.
Please see communication from caroline.schutz@childrens.harvard.edu & julia.jankowski@childrens.harvard.edu for more details.
Patient/Family Stories and Publications Sharing:
The Department of Newborn Medicine wants to stay informed about the exciting and impactful research happening in the FNNDSC. As part of this effort, the team is working to feature patient stories and publications that highlight both research and its clinical impact.
If you have a project or publication that you feel would be a good fit for this effort, please fill out the Research Highlight Form or reach out to caroline.schutz@childrens.harvard.edu with the details.
Studies Recruiting:
The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study at Boston Children’s Hospital (https://hbcdstudy.org/) are in need of parents and their infants to volunteer for an MRI scan (details below) as part of training/piloting.
In addition to the compensation described below, transportation costs are provided as needed. This activity would take place at Boston Children's Hospital at 300 Longwood Ave.
"Infant MRI Scan (30-minutes- 1 hour)"
A scan using magnetic resonance imaging to assist in developing a protocol for future infant scans. The scan would occur when the baby is naturally asleep under the supervision of trained scan technicians and researchers.
-Compensation: $160, a picture of your infant's brain, small gifts for baby + parent
HBCD is also in need of parents and their infants to volunteer in two play-based neurodevelopmental tasks with their 9- to 15-month-old infants/toddlers (details below) as part of training/piloting.
In addition to the compensation described below, transportation costs and childcare for siblings are provided as needed. These activities take place at 2 Brookline Place.
Please contact the HBCD Study (hbcd@childrens.harvard.edu) with any questions or interest in participating.
Bayley Assessment of Infant and Toddler Development (up to 2 hrs)
A play-based activity that assesses various domains of children's development, including motor, visual, and language abilities
Compensation: $50 + diapers, an Uber meal voucher, and small gifts for parent and infant
NIH Baby Tool Box (45 minutes)
This activity primarily uses an iPad, along with some play-based tasks, to assess cognition, executive functioning, language, numeracy/early mathematics, self-regulation, social functioning, and motor skills.
-Compensation: $20 + diapers, an Uber meal voucher, and small gifts for parent and infant
FNNDSC Fun!
The 2025 FNNDSC Faculty/Postdoc/Scientist Retreat was a great success!Thanks to all who attended and contributed to the mission of defining the FNNDSC’s role in advancing precision medicine.
It was amazing to gather in person, reflect on our successes, and strategically think about the future of our Center - raising the visibility of what we do and aligning our research visions and themes. We are excited for what’s ahead and will be using the participation from this year’s retreat to make progress towards our shared goals!
It was great to see all of the spooky costumes, enjoy festive treats, and welcome new members to our Center at our Halloween Social!
Congratulations to our costume competition winners!!
Most Creative Costume: Harumy as "Cleopatra"
Best DIY/Last-Minute Costume: Sofia as a "Witch"
Funniest Costume: German as a "Worker"
BCH Events & Involvement:
How to sign up for the Landmark Building Newsletter for updates on ARE events: Request An Account
Want to meet others with shared interests at BCH? Check out:
Boston Events 🎆🎉🪩:
Way to Shine!🌟
Have you seen a teammate or colleague do something exceptional? Have they gone out of their way to exceed someone's expectations? Let them know that you noticed and that you care! To send a Way to Shine, please follow this link: Bravo! Way to Shine - Boston Children's Hospital (harvard.edu)
Brain Games 🧠 📝
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE?
If you have something that you would like to see featured in the next newsletter, please contact Caroline Schutz caroline.schutz@childrens.harvard.edu.