Research Leaders

The Pancreatic Disorders Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is improving lives through research. With many of the top clinical experts in the field, our research aims to improve the health and well-being of children and their families affected by pancreatic diseases, such as pancreatitis, pancreatic insufficiency and diabetes.

Our clinician-researchers have been investigating pancreatic disorders for more than 25 years. We are a site for the INSPPIRE (INternational Study Group of Pediatric Pancreatitis: In search for a cuRE) study, a consortium of pediatric centers around the world investigating ways to better diagnose and treat pediatric pancreatitis.

As leaders in the field, our expert clinician-researchers are widely-published and called upon to contribute to textbooks, national guidelines, position papers, and clinical trials.

Our research models

Our investigative research efforts focus on:

• Nutritional interventions
• Clinical trials with novel drug therapies
• Novel laboratory tests to improve diagnosis
• Improving quality of life in patients with pancreatic disorders

Our investigators in gastroenterology include:

• Jefferson Brownell, MD, MS
• Petar Mamula, MD
• Asim Maqbool, MD
• Maria Mascarenhas, MBBS
• Virginia A. Stallings, MD
• Alyssa Tindall, PhD

Collaborating with gastroenterology researchers are:

• Sudha A. Anupindi, MD, FSAR, Department of Radiology
• Ronald Rubenstein, MD, PhD, Division of Pulmonary Medicine
• Gary D. Wu, MD, who has expertise in molecular biology and studies

Research resources

The program's location within a hospital environment provides important resources to conduct successful clinical research.

• The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute is a facility specifically dedicated to the administration of all research conducted at CHOP.
• The hospital's Institutional Review Board ensures the protection of subjects and compliance with federal law.
• The clinical laboratory facilities in the hospital are state accredited by the College of American Pathologists and certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Recent publications

2018 Articles

Ac A, Perito E, Pohl J, Shah U, Abu-El-Haija M, Barth B, Bellin MD, Ellery K, Fishman DS, Gariepy C, Giefer MJ, Gonska T, Heyman M, Himes R, Husain S, Maqbool A, Mascarenhas MR, McFerron B, Morinville V, Lin TK, Liu QY, Nathan JD, Rhee SJ, Ooi CY, Sellers ZM, Schwarzenberg SJ, Serrano J, Troendle DM, Werlin SL, Wilschanski M, Zheng Y, Yuan Y, Lowe ME: International Study Group of Pediatric Pancreatitis:  In Search for a Cure Cohort Study:  Design and Rationale for the INSPIRRE 2 Study from the Consortium for the Study of Chronic Pancreatitis, Diabetes, and Pancreatic Cancer. Pancreas - Official Journal of the American Pancreatic Association, Japan Pancreas Society, and the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society 47(10), November 2018

Lowe M, Husain S, Morinville V, Fishman D, Perito E, Freedman S, Gariepy C, Pohl J, Giefer M, Abu-El-Haija M, Palermo J, Lin T. Nathan J, Liu Q, Mascarenhas M, Piccoli D, Shah U, Zimmerman M, Uc A: Recommendations for Diagnosis and Management of Autoimmune Pancreatitis in Childhood:  Consensus from INSPPIRE. JPGN 67(2): 232-236, August 2018.

Sellers ZM, Dike C, Zhang KY, Giefer MJ, Uc A, Abu-El-Haija M: A Unified Treatment Algorithm and Admission Order Set for Pediatric Acute Pancreatitis. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr March 2019 Notes: doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000002341.

2018 Books

Brownell J, McKnight-Menci H, Thornton P, Maqbool A: Pancreatic Insufficiency and Complications of Surgery. Congenital Pediatric Hyperinsulinism. De Leon-Crutchlow D, Stanley C (eds.). Springer, Page: 131-141, 2019.