Colleagues, we are excited to announce the co-leads for the Children’s Pediatric Technology Center (PTC) at Georgia Tech’s Patient-Centered Care Delivery (Pillar 2) work: John Constantino, MD, and Munmun De Choudhury, PhD.

John Constantino, MD, is the Chief of Behavioral and Mental Health and Liz and Frank Blake Chair for Children’s Behavioral and Mental Health at Children’s; Vice Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics, and Genetics at Emory University; and Adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Morehouse School of Medicine. He is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of behavioral and mental health conditions of children and adolescents. He seeks to innovate behavioral health practice, resolve fragmentation in the delivery of care, enhance access to interventions of proven benefit, and improve long-term mental health outcomes for children and adolescents throughout Georgia.

While at the Washington University School of Medicine, Dr. Constantino developed a clinical and scientific program focused on understanding genetic and environmental influences on disorders of social development in childhood and their implications for treatment and preventive intervention. His Social Developmental Studies Laboratory was continuously federally funded for 25 years by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As one of the leading child psychiatrists in the country, Dr. Constantino’s holistic approach to mental health has had an industry-wide impact, and his published research is some of the most highly cited in the field.

Munmun De Choudhury, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech, where she directs the Social Dynamics and Well-Being Laboratory. Her work has led to significant advancements in the development of computational tools and techniques for early detection, intervention, and support in mental health care, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations across academia, industry, and public health sectors.

Dr. De Choudhury is considered a leading national and international voice in digital mental health. She has been recognized with a number of awards, including the 2023 SIGCHI Societal Impact Award. In 2024, she was inducted into the SIGCHI Academy, one of the highest recognitions from the Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction. Beyond significant academic impact, Dr. De Choudhury has collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on suicide prevention, supported mental health and gun control advocacy non-profit organizations, and contributed to a consensus report by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the impact of social media on the wellbeing of young people. Dr. De Choudhury was an invited contributor to the Office of U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 Advisory on The Healing Effects of Social Connection and to New York Governor Kathy Hochul's initiative on improving youth mental health services in the state. She currently serves as a member of the Technical Advisory Group of the Commission for Social Connection at the World Health Organization.

The Children’s PTC at Georgia Tech brings clinical experts from Children’s together with Georgia Tech scientists and engineers to develop technological solutions to problems in the health and care of children. Work is organized under three pillars and Drs. Constantino and De Choudhury will co-lead Pillar 2, which is focused on Patient-Centered Care Delivery (the other two pillars are Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Science and Technologies and Devices). We announced co-leads for the work in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Science in July and will announce co-leads for Technologies and Devices soon.

As we welcome Dr. Constantino and Dr. De Choudhury to their new roles as Pillar 2 co-leads, we thank Matt Hawkins, MD, and Nicoleta Serban, PhD, for their leadership during the visionary development of this Pillar. We appreciate their enthusiasm and expertise, and we look forward to working with Dr. Constantino and Dr. De Choudhury in this new capacity.

Sincerely,

The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center at Georgia Tech announces the call for applications for two Professorships supported by the G.P. “Bud” Peterson and Valerie H. Peterson Faculty Endowment Fund. These Professorships honor the former Georgia Tech President and First Lady, whose vision for the importance of research in improving pediatric healthcare has had an enormous positive impact on the two institutions and on the care of pediatric patients in our state and region. 

The goal of this program is to further energize the GT-Children’s partnership by engaging and empowering researchers currently involved in pediatric research and those who may be new to the field but have expertise and exciting perspectives to offer. Each Professorship will be supported by one million dollars of the Peterson Faculty Endowment Fund’s resources, with the proceeds (approximately $40,000 per year) to be used at Georgia Tech for the promotion of joint GT-Children’s pediatric-focused research. Professorship holders shall be research-active tenure-track faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology at any rank. The term of each Professorship shall be three years, with the option of one three-year renewal. 

Applications for the two Professorships are due by November 13, 2024, with the decision to be announced in January 2025. To apply, candidates are asked to submit the following materials to Ms. Trina Paden at tpaden3@gatech.edu: 

• A statement of no more than 3 pages describing past research and associated activities most directly related to pediatric medicine or healthcare. 
• A statement of no more than 3 pages describing the research to be supported by the Professorship. Preference will be given to plans that include collaborations with clinicians at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta or research activities that are judged to be of important potential significance to patient-centric GT-Children’s Pediatric Technology Center. 
• The names, titles, and contact information for three references. 
• A complete curriculum vitae 

Professorship holders will be required to provide an annual report of the activities supported by the endowment. In addition, Peterson Professorship holders should expect to be called upon to engage with other potential researchers and philanthropic supporters of the GT-Children’s partnership. 

For questions, please contact Trina Paden (tpaden3@gatech.edu) or Stanislav Emelianov (stas@gatech.edu).

To view the official call, click here.

GTRI’s Intersection of Biology and Engineering (IBE) portfolio is one of GTRI’s New Ventures, which support “big bets” into emerging research areas in support of national security. 

The IBE strategic vision is to leverage existing core technical competencies to open avenues of new research and establish GTRI/GT as a thought leader in emerging areas of the bio-space. 

The IBE IRAD portfolio provides internal funding to foster relationships between GTRI and GT resident instruction that aid our ability to grow sponsored research in biological science and engineering and to enhance the impact of our research serving the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and other sponsors.

The Pediatric Technology Center (PTC) brings together Georgia Tech’s leading science and technology research with the robust pediatric care experience at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – all to provide more lifesaving care for kids. This partnership provides extraordinary opportunities to develop technological solutions and create breakthrough discoveries to solve challenges in pediatric healthcare. The PTC supports collaborative activities and pediatric innovation between Georgia Tech and Children’s through three strategic focus areas, or pillars: 1) data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence; 2) patient-centered care delivery and 3) technologies and devices. 

The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center (PTC) at Georgia Tech is seeking visionary research-active faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology to co-lead Pillar 3 focused on technologies and devices involving physical hardware such as sensing systems, robotics, manufactured devices and point-of-care technologies. The need for innovation in this area is great, especially in the area of safety and quality to ensure that patients receive high-quality care while minimizing risks of infections and other harm. 

Together, the co-leads from Georgia Tech and Children’s are expected to establish the strategy and vision for the PTC Pillar, lead the selection and management of Pillar projects, oversee Pillar communications, engage in donor relations and stewardship, work collaboratively across Children’s, Georgia Tech, and other research institutions (e.g., Emory, Morehouse) to access needed resources and capabilities, including investigators, and provide regular updates to the PTC Co-Directors and relevant reporting structures within Children’s and Georgia Tech. 

Applications for the Georgia Tech Co-Lead are due January 30, 2025. Compensation will be equal to 1.5 months of the selected candidates annual salary. To apply, candidates are asked to submit one PDF file containing the following materials to Ms. Trina Paden at tpaden3@gatech.edu: 

• A statement of no more than 1/2 page briefly describing your technical, clinical, and other qualifications relevant to pediatric research and associated activities to be conducted under Pillar 3.
• A statement of no more than 1/2 page briefly describing why you are the best candidate to be the Georgia Tech Co-Lead for Pillar 3.
• A complete curriculum vitae 

The Pediatric Technology Center is at the forefront of innovation, bringing together leading minds from Georgia Tech and Children’s. Co-leads for Pillar 3 will have the opportunity to shape the future of pediatric healthcare, improve outcomes for young patients, and lead and contribute to groundbreaking advancements. For questions, please contact Wilbur Lam (wilbur.lam@choa.org), Stanislav Emelianov (stas@gatech.edu), or Trina Paden (tpaden3@gatech.edu).

Abstract submissions on any and all child health-related research topics are welcome and encouraged.

Submit your abstract here!

Colleagues,

We are thrilled to announce the winning project for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center (PTC) at Georgia Tech’s Pillar 3 Technology and Devices: the Pressure Injury Prevention System (PIPS) 2.0. Funding for this project was awarded by the Imlay Innovation Fund. 

PIPS 2.0 is an innovative, easy-to-use solution to prevent pressure injuries in young children (age 12 weeks to 20 months). It consists of fabric-based pressure and moisture sensor networks integrated into a fitted sheet that covers the mattress. The end-to-end system continuously and unobtrusively monitors both pressure and moisture at the child's contact points with the mattress. This data is harnessed to trigger an evidence-based alert to the caregiver along with the targeted intervention needed to relieve the pressure and moisture at the identified contact points to prevent a pressure injury. 

Pressure injuries pose real consequences for patients, impacting more than 2.5 million people in the U.S. per year, and prevention relies on vigilance. PIPS 2.0 was selected because Children’s physicians identified pressure injury prevention as a priority and this project as one that could impact pediatric healthcare at this moment and dramatically improve health outcomes, safety and quality in pediatric patients. 

Some of you may know this project as the prototype was developed and tested in 2019 at Egleston Hospital. At that time, it was known as PUPS for Pressure Ulcer Prevention System, but nomenclature in the field has changed from pressure ulcer to pressure injury. Since then, the team has continued extensive work to enhance the technology. In addition to PIPS 2.0, this funding will allow for additional prototype refinements, e.g., PIPS 2.0 D to prevent device-related pressure injuries, and testing, including a clinical pilot followed by a large-scale implementation in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Arthur M. Blank Hospital. 

Sundaresan Jayaraman, PhD, and Sungmee Park, PhD, MFA, are leading the project from the engineering, design and product development perspective, and Srikant Iyer, MD, MPH, Jana Stockwell, MD, and Matthew Paden, MD, are providing medical and clinical leadership.  

The Children’s PTC at Georgia Tech brings clinical experts from Children’s together with Georgia Tech scientists and engineers to develop technological solutions to problems in the health and care of children. Children’s PTC provides extraordinary opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration in pediatrics, creating breakthrough discoveries that often can only be found at the intersection of multiple disciplines. These collaborations also allow us to bring discoveries to the clinic and the bedside, thereby enhancing the lives of children and young adults. The mission of the PTC is to establish the world’s leading program in the development of technological solutions for children’s health, focused on three strategic areas that will have a lasting impact on Georgia’s kids and beyond. 

Congratulations to the project team for earning funding for PIPS 2.0—a device that could certainly have a lasting, positive impact on young children in Georgia, across the country and around the world. We also express gratitude to the Imlay Innovation Fund for supporting this important work. 

Sincerely,
  

Stanislav Emelianov, PhD

Co-Director, Children's Pediatric Technology Center at Georgia Tech 

Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD
Co-Director, Children's Pediatric Technology Center at Georgia Tech 

The Nakatani Research and International Experience for Students (RIES) program provides an opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at Georgia Tech labs to mentor funded scholars for valuable mentoring, international exchange, and project management experience.

• Application deadline: March 9th @ 11:59PM
• Program start date: August 10th, 2025
• Program end date: September 25th, 2025
• Nakatani RIES Program host labs receive $3,300 discretionary funding
• Scholars will work in your lab full-time for the duration of the program
• The Best Mentor Award winners will be announced at the Nakatani RIES Program Alumni Event in the fall and awarded cash prizes.
• Former participants are welcome to apply.

Interested in becoming a Nakatani RIES mentor? Click here to apply!

Join us for the Georgia Tech Pediatric Innovation Network Invited Speaker Series, featuring Kristen Mittal, MS, RAC, PMP, Founder and CEO of Mittal Consulting. In her talk, "Decoding FDA Regulations: Pitfalls and Pearls for Medtech Entrepreneurs," Kristen will share her extensive expertise in regulatory affairs for Class I, II, and III medical devices. Learn key strategies to navigate FDA regulations, avoid common pitfalls, and set your medtech venture up for success. This session is perfect for entrepreneurs, innovators, and healthcare professionals eager to excel in the medical device industry.

Join us for an enlightening episode of the Pediatric Tech Talk Webinar featuring Dr. Gabriel Kwong, a pioneering expert in bioengineering and immunology. Dr. Kwong, an Associate Professor at Georgia Tech and Emory University, will discuss cutting-edge advancements in immune cell engineering and biosensors that are transforming pediatric healthcare. Discover how these innovations enhance cancer treatment precision and expand access to life-saving therapies. Whether you're a specialist or a science enthusiast, this session offers valuable insights into the future of biomedical technology. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a leader in the field!

A small but powerful invention could make life in the NICU easier for the tiniest patients.

Newborns must have their vitals checked frequently, and one of the most critical measures of newborn health is electrolyte levels. Right now, the only way to monitor electrolytes is to draw their blood multiple times a day. This can be painful and frightening for babies, and challenging to perform for medical staff, who can have trouble drawing blood from tiny, underdeveloped blood vessels.

Now, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a pacifier designed to monitor a baby’s electrolyte levels in real time, potentially eliminating the need for repeated invasive blood draws.

Hong Yeo, associate professor and Harris Saunders Jr. Endowed Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, came up with the pacifier idea at a pediatric technology conference. Doctors described daily challenges they face in caring for sick newborns, and the lack of noninvasive monitoring systems.

Click here to read the full story!