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This Month In Pediatrics
January 2026
Part 2
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The Department's 2025 Annual Report is Now Available!
We’re proud to share highlights from the past year and celebrate the outstanding achievements of our faculty, staff, and trainees. Take a moment to explore the report and see how our collective efforts continue to advance care, research, education, and advocacy. Read more here!
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Introducing the Children's Health of Weill Cornell Mascot
We’re excited to introduce the Children’s Health mascot in celebration of National Rubber Ducky Day. Representing approachability, community, and engagement, the rubber ducky mascot will be a friendly and familiar presence at upcoming Children’s Health events and initiatives. Read more here!
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We are pleased to announce that Dr. Melody Zeng has been appointed as the Jane and Frederic Hamilton Clinical Scholar in Lipids, effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028. This prestigious appointment recognizes Dr. Zeng as an outstanding immunologist whose work has significantly advanced the understanding and application of the gut–lung immune axis in pediatric immunity and disease. The award was granted following a rigorous review by the Clinical Scholar Award Review Committee and reflects Dr. Zeng’s exceptional merit and contributions, which bring distinction to Weill Cornell Medicine. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Zeng on this well-deserved honor. | | | |
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2026 Department of Pediatrics Research Awards – Call for Applications
The Department of Pediatrics is now accepting applications for the 2026 Research Awards. Funding opportunities include the Pediatric Young Investigator Award, Continued Research Program, Pilot Awards, and Awards for Healthcare Disparities Research in Newborn Medicine. These programs support faculty and fellows at various career stages to launch, sustain, or expand impactful research.
Application deadline: January 31, 2026. For eligibility details and application requirements, please refer to the RFA materials.
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| | Pediatric Fellows' Research in Progress takes place on the first Thursday of each month. Third and second-year fellows present their ongoing academic scholarship work. Stay tuned for next month's presenters. | | | |
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Bring Your Voice to Albany on February 23rd!
Join pediatricians from across the state to advocate for the many pressing issues impacting children’s health today. There is no charge to attend, and space is limited. Registrations will be made on a first come, first served basis.
The registration deadline is Wednesday, January 28. Click here to register.
Your legislator appointments will be made for you. Contact Dr. Laurie Gordon or Ilina Das Ewen if you have questions about advocacy best practices, key messages, or anything else that will make this a meaningful experience.
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Dr. Sallie Permar was recently featured in Shot@Life, sharing her perspective on what advocacy truly means. In the piece, she highlights the importance of using our voices, expertise, and influence to advance child health and create lasting impact—both locally and globally. Watch video here! | | | |
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Do You Want to Be an Ambassador for Children?
First Focus on Children, a bipartisan advocacy group centered on the importance of federal policies and budgets that drive child health and wellbeing, makes it easy to speak up for children. Sign up to be an ambassador to receive monthly activations to champion federal policies that support children. They do the homework for you and provide turnkey action steps to advocate.
| | | | Click here to view publications by faculty members published in the last 30 days! | | |
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New Episode Alert: Explore the complexities of youth psychiatric emergencies with Wilfred Farquharson, PhD, Clinical Director of the NewYork-Presbyterian Center for Childhood and Adolescent Behavioral Health. Dr. Farquharson discusses the role of policy, care pathways, and strategies to improve access and equity in acute mental health care for children and teens. Listen here!
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Join the Faculty Wellness Committee!
As we kick off the new year, we’re inviting faculty members to get involved with the Faculty Wellness Committee. This group plans events throughout the year that promote connection, collaboration, and fun, gathers faculty feedback and ideas, and works closely with department leadership to support wellness initiatives and opportunities.
If you’re interested in joining, we meet every other month on Thursdays at noon. Please reach out to Dr. Susan Bostwick for more information—we’d love to have you!
Upcoming Events:
- 💖 Faculty & Staff Valentine’s Day – Hot cocoa and treats
- 🧠 Trivia Night – Sign up with a team!
- 📚 Book Club – February 2nd
- 🍽️ Ronald McDonald House – Serving/providing dinner for families
More to come—stay tuned!
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Are you interested in sharing your expertise or telling your story? We invite you to contribute to our department blog. You can submit post ideas to Ilina Das Ewen. Whether you have an idea, bullet points, an outline, or a fully written blog post, reach out to Ilina. She can help your draft or edit a blog post. Your personal stories and insights are valuable. We, and our patients, want to hear from you!
Our newest post explains why vaccines are one of the best ways to keep kids protected.
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State of the Department & Children's Health at WCM
Join us for the State of the Department meeting with Dr. Sallie Permar. Get updates on key initiatives, hear about what’s ahead, and take part in an important conversation about our department’s direction.
Date: January 27, 2026
Time: 12-1pm
Location: Hybrid | Uris Auditorium | Zoom
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Schedule your Professional Headshot
External Affairs has established "headshot days" to fill the business need for standardized institutional headshots, particularly for clinical faculty profiles.
Employees in need of headshots may sign up for a 10-minute time slot through Microsoft Bookings (login required).
Stay tuned for upcoming headshot days here!
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Save the Date for the 5th Annual Pediatrics Research Day
Join us for a day filled with research presentations and scholarly exchange, showcasing cutting-edge basic, translational, and clinical projects.
Date: May 12, 2026
More details to come!
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Global Infectious Diseases Across a Woman's Lifespan Course
Date: May 13-15, 2026
Email wgh@med.cornell.edu for more information.
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Congratulations to the medical genetics team on the successful submission of the PCORI application! Special recognition goes to Esther and Shelby from the Grants Office for their exceptional support and dedication in managing this complex process. Their hard work was essential to this achievement, and their efforts are greatly appreciated by the team.
Drs. Lilian Cohen, Denis Donovan and Adriana Perez were among the top pediatric physicians with stellar Google review ratings this month!
Share your appreciation for colleagues by submitting a shout-out for inclusion in the department newsletter here!
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