Melanie A. Ruffner, MD, PhD
Areas of expertise: Food allergy, Eosinophilic esophagitis, Food protein induced enterocolitis syndrome, Care of patients with inherited deficiencies of the immune system, Environmental allergies, Atopic dermatitis, Asthma, Anaphylaxis
Locations: Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care
About Melanie A. Ruffner, MD, PhD
Titles
Attending Physician
Certifications
Allergy and Immunology – American Board of Allergy and Immunology
Pediatrics – American Board of Pediatrics
Awards and Honors
2018, US Immunodeficiency Network Travel Grant
2017, Pennsylvania Allergy Educational Research Fund Travel Scholarship
2017, 4th CURED Research and Patient Education Conference Travel Award
2016-2017, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Young Faculty Award
2016, Clinical Immunology Society's (CIS) School in Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Attendee
2015-2018, American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology FIT Travel Scholarship
2015-2017, NIH Institutional T32 "Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Institutional Training in Pediatrics" Fellowship
2015, Pennsylvania Allergy Educational Research Fund Award
2014, CHOP CARES Community Action Grant Awardee for "Modeling Reading Behavior Through Video"
2014-2015, American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology FIT Travel Scholarship
2011, American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology Chrysalis Project Award
2009, Graduate Class Marshall, Swanson School of Engineering
2008-2011, NIH Individual NRSA F30, "IL-4 Overexpressing Dendritic Cells and Exosomes for Treatment of Type I Diabetes"
2006, George M. Bevier Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering
2006-2008, NIH Institutional T32 Fellowship "University of Pittsburgh/Carnegie Mellon Biotechnology Training Program"
2003, Johns Hopkins University School of Engineering general and departmental graduation honors
2003, Merit Award Undergraduate Division IV, Program for the Advancement of Arc Welded Design, Engineering and Fabrication. Entry: "Device to measure bioimpedance in tissue: Towards early detection of preterm labor."
2001-2003, Johns Hopkins University Dean's List
Leadership and Memberships
Memberships in Professional Organizations
International
2014-present, Clinical Immunology Society
National
2014-present, American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
2011-present, American Academy of Pediatrics
2011-present, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
2009-present, Biomedical Engineering Society
Editorial and Academic Positions
Editorial Positions
2018-present, Basic and Clinical Immunology, reviewer
2018-present, Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, ad hoc reviewer
2017-present, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, ad hoc reviewer
Academic and Institutional Committees
2017-present, Non-Admission Committee Interviewer, Pediatric Residency Program
Education & training
Graduate Degree
PhD in Bioengineering - University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Medical Degree
MD - University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
Internship
Pediatrics - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Residency
Pediatrics - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Fellowship
Allergy & Immunology - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Post-Doctoral Fellow - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA
Publications
Publications
2018
Godwin B, Liacouras C, Mehta V, Eisenberg J, Agawu A, Brown-Whitehorn TF, Ruffner MA Verma R, Cianferoni A, Spergel JM, Muir AB: A Review of Tertiary Referrals for Management of Pediatric Esophageal Eosinophilia Frontiers Pediatrics June 2018 Notes: https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2018.00173.
Ruffner Melanie A, USIDNET Body Weight Group, Sullivan Kathleen E: Complications associated with underweight primary immunodeficiency patients: prevalence and associations within the USIDNET Registry Journal of Clinical Immunology 38(3): 283-293, April 2018.
Fahey Lisa, Guzek Ryan, Ruffner Melanie, Sullivan Kathleen, Spergel Jonathan, Cianferoni Antonella: EMSY is Increased and Activates TSLP & CCL5 Expression in Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology April 2018.
Cianferoni Antonella, Ruffner Melanie A, Guzek Ryan, Guan Shabao, Brown-Whitehorn Terri, Spergel Jonathan M: Activated Th2 cells and milk-specific Th2 cells are increased in milk-induced eosinophilic esophagitis. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 120(2): 177-183.e2, February 2018. PMCID: PMC5875940
Crowley Terrence B, Ruffner Melanie A, McDonald-McGinn Donna M, Sullivan Kathleen E: Variable immune deficiency related to deletion size in chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A January 2018 Notes: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.a.38597.
2017
Ruffner MA, Aksamit TR, Thomashow B, Choate R, DiMango A, Turino GM, O'Donnell AE, Johnson MM, Olivier KN, Fennelly K, Daley CL, Winthrop KL, Metersky ML, Salathe MA, Knowles MR, Daniels MLA, Noone PG, Tino G, Griffith DE, Sullivan KE.: Frequency of untreated hypogammaglobulinemia in bronchiectasis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol May 2017.
Ruffner Melanie A, Brown-Whitehorn Terri F, Verma Ritu, Cianferoni Antonella, Gober Laura, Shuker Michele, Muir Amanda B, Liacouras Chris A, Spergel Jonathan M: Clinical tolerance in eosinophilic esophagitis. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice 6(2): 661-3, March 2017.
2013
Ruffner Melanie A, Ruymann Kathryn, Barni Simona, Cianferoni Antonella, Brown-Whitehorn Terri, Spergel Jonathan M: Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome: insights from review of a large referral population. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. In practice 1(4): 343-9, Jul-Aug 2013.
2012
Yang Chenjie, Ruffner Melanie A, Kim Seon-Hee, Robbins Paul D: Plasma-derived MHC class II+ exosomes from tumor-bearing mice suppress tumor antigen-specific immune responses. European journal of immunology 42(7): 1778-84, Jul 2012. PMCID: PMC3471134
2011
Ruffner Melanie A, Finegold David N, MacGinnitie Andrew J: Infant with unusual food reactions. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) 100(10): 1289, 1394-5, Oct 2011.
2010
Ruffner Melanie A, Robbins Paul D: Dendritic cells transduced to express interleukin 4 reduce diabetes onset in both normoglycemic and prediabetic nonobese diabetic mice. PloS one 5(7): e11848, Jul 2010. PMCID: PMC2912295
2009
Ruffner Melanie A, Kim Seon Hee, Bianco Nicole R, Francisco Loise M, Sharpe Arlene H, Robbins Paul D: B7-1/2, but not PD-L1/2 molecules, are required on IL-10-treated tolerogenic DC and DC-derived exosomes for in vivo function. European journal of immunology 39(11): 3084-90, Nov 2009. PMCID: PMC3075967
Bianco Nicole R, Kim Seon Hee, Ruffner Melanie A, Robbins Paul D: Therapeutic effect of exosomes from indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-positive dendritic cells in collagen-induced arthritis and delayed-type hypersensitivity disease models. Arthritis and rheumatism 60(2): 380-9, Feb 2009. PMCID: PMC3491653
2003
Kim T-K, Sharma B, Williams C G, Ruffner M A, Malik A, McFarland E G, Elisseeff J H: Experimental model for cartilage tissue engineering to regenerate the zonal organization of articular cartilage. Osteoarthritis and cartilage 11(9): 653-64, Sep 2003.
Editorials, Reviews, Chapters
2018
Ruffner MA and Brown-Whitehorn TF: "A 5-month old with vomiting, lethargy, and pallor" Pediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Nima Rezaei (eds.). Springer, 2018.
2010
Ruffner MA, Plevy SE, Cheung AT: "Applications of Nucleotide-based Therapy in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease." Gene Therapy for Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases Y. Chernajovsky and P. Robbins (eds.). Basel, Switzerland: Birkhäuser Verlag AG, Page: 19-34, 2010.
Gaddy DF, Ruffner MA, and Robbins PD: "Autoimmune disorders" A Guide to Human Gene Therapy. R. Herzog and S. Zolotukhin (eds.). New Jersey, USA: World Scientific, Page: 295-308, 2010.
2006
Elisseeff J, Ruffner MA, Kim TK, Williams CG. : "Cellular Photoencapsulation in Hydrogels" Culture of Cells for Tissue Engineering I. Freshney and G. Vunjak-Novakovic (eds.). New Jersey, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Page: 214-236, 2006.