My passion is the development of novel technologies and methodologies to be used in minimizing the adverse effects of cardiovascular operations, mechanical circulatory support systems and cardiopulmonary bypass procedures in neonates, infants, and children.
I am a Professor of Pediatrics, Surgery, and Biomedical Engineering, at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, College of Engineering, Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania.
I am the founder and director of Penn State Pediatric Cardiovascular Research Center. This multi-disciplinary center combines translational, engineering, basic science research and clinical applications with a common focus on pediatric open-heart procedures and pediatric mechanical circulatory support systems. In particular, I focus on translational research in minimizing cerebral, myocardial, pulmonary and renal injury during and after pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass procedures and mechanical circulatory support. My translational research specialties include pediatric heart-lung machines, pulsatile versus non-pulsatile perfusion, pediatric mechanical circulatory support systems, complement, neutrophil, platelet, and cytokine inhibition during pediatric open-heart procedures, microdevices for measuring systemic inflammation in real-time, detection and classification of microemboli, and blood viscoelasticity.
