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Pediatrics names vice chairs in clinical investigation, clinical informatics

Dharnidharka, Lozovatsky named to newly created roles

by Kristina SauerweinOctober 2, 2020

The Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has named pediatricians Vikas Dharnidharka, MD, and Margaret Lozovatsky, MD, to the newly created roles of vice chair of clinical investigation and vice chair of clinical informatics. The positions aim to advance and integrate technology and research programs across the department and the Medical Campus.

Dharnidharka, a professor of pediatrics specializing in kidney health, has been named vice chair of clinical investigation. His top priority is to advance and integrate clinical and translational research programs across the department, the medical school and involving the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences. Dharnidharka is director of the Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Hypertension, and Pheresis and co-medical director of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where he treats patients. Additionally, his clinical and translational research projects are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Lozovatsky, an associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Hospitalist Medicine, has been named vice chair of clinical informatics. Her aim is to promote the use of technology by medical professionals to improve patient experiences and health outcomes. Lozovatsky serves as the chief medical information officer of child health for BJC HealthCare and the School of Medicine. Additionally, as co-director of the clinical informatics fellowship, Lozovatsky helps develop informatics curriculum for medical students and trainees.

“Drs. Dharnidharka and Lozovatsky, both nationally recognized in their respective fields, have demonstrated the highest level of professional expertise as well as outstanding leadership skills,” said Gary A. Silverman, MD, PhD, the Harriet B. Spoehrer Professor and head of the Department of Pediatrics. “We will all benefit greatly from their contributions.”

Washington University School of Medicine’s 1,500 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, ranking among the top 10 medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

Kristina covers pediatrics, surgery, medical education and student life. In 2020, she received a gold Robert G. Fenley Writing Award for general staff writing from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and in 2019, she received the silver award. Kristina is an author and former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Los Angeles Times, where she was part of a team of journalists that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for breaking news. Additionally, she covered the 2014 Ferguson unrest for TIME magazine and, for eight years, wrote a popular parenting column for BabyCenter.com.