December 2, 2025, Filed Under: carousel, NewsBiobank Collection Advances Pediatric Neurological Research Despite decades of research, our understanding of the pathophysiology of many central and peripheral nervous diseases and disorders remains limited. Analysis of histology, biomarkers, and genetic markers is needed to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of neurological-related diseases. Furthermore, cell lines derived from these diseased tissues are needed to create animal models and other in vitro testing. The Neurosurgery Biobank at Dell Medical School is a repository of biological specimens collected from adult and pediatric patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures at Dell Children’s Medical Center, Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, and Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin. The biobank allows researchers to better understand the biochemical, genetic, and biomechanical mechanisms behind neurological diseases and paves the way for innovative genetic treatments and breakthroughs. This is particularly important for children, who are often underrepresented in research and therapeutic innovation for many of these conditions. Led by Vincent Wang, MD, PhD, of the Department of Neurosurgery with contributions by pediatric neurosurgeon Kevin Kumar, MD, PhD, the biobank has received thousands of samples from more than 200 patients, primarily consisting of various central nervous system tumor specimens. The specimens, including tissues used to generate tumor cell lines, are processed and stored in the Department of Neurosurgery. “The biobank highlights our commitment to advancing research and improving patient care,” said Pierrick Millet, MD, biobank senior research program coordinator who works in the Kumar lab at UT Austin. “Its growth will allow us to contribute to the scientific community and further solidify Dell Medical School as a leader in this field.”
November 18, 2025, Filed Under: carousel, NewsKumar Awarded Research Grants to Study Pediatric Brain Tumors Gliomas are the most common type of pediatric brain tumor, and median survival for children with high-grade gliomas is only one to two years. Due to the paucity of research on pediatric gliomas, most therapies are based on adults and have limited efficacy. Recent studies of pediatric microglia have demonstrated the critical role these resident immune cells of the central nervous system play in tumor growth and progression and have prompted research into microglia replacement as a promising therapeutic for patients with gliomas. Pediatric neurosurgeon Kevin Kumar, MD, PhD, who joined the Dell Medical School faculty as an assistant professor of neurosurgery in 2024, is pioneering innovative microglia replacement protocols to deliver therapeutics designed to limit tumor progression, thereby reducing the adverse effects of more traditional therapies such as radiation and improving outcomes for children. Kumar recently received a K12 award from the National Institutes of Health to study this novel therapeutic approach for pediatric gliomas. The award will help to launch his independent research career under the guidance of his senior mentoring team: Kimberly Nixon, PhD, professor of pharmacology and toxicology; Amy Brock, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering; Tom Yankeelov, PhD, director of the Center for Computational Oncology and director of cancer imaging research within the Livestrong Cancer Institutes; and Marius Wernig, MD, PhD, professor of pathology and chemical and systems biology at Stanford University. Additionally, Kumar will receive funds for ongoing professional development and will be supported for a third year by the Department of Neurosurgery. Kumar also received a 2025–27 Dell Medical School Health Transformation Research Institute and Cain Foundation Award of $175,000 to develop predictive modeling of neurocognitive outcomes in pediatric brain tumor patients. Kumar and co-awardee Sage Green, DO, a pediatric neuro-oncologist at Dell Children’s Medical Center, will collaborate with Paul Rathouz, PhD, professor of population health and founding director of Dell Medical School’s Biomedical Data Science Hub, and Rachel Bridges, PhD, pediatric neuropsychologist and assistant professor of neurology who specializes in evaluating children with brain and spinal cancers. Kumar’s mission to provide new hope to these medically complex children would not be possible without the commitment and expertise of his Austin colleagues. “By leveraging the incredible resources at The University of Texas at Austin and Dell Children’s Medical Center, we can integrate basic science research and clinical expertise to develop novel approaches to pediatric brain tumors,” said Kumar. “This unique collaborative environment enables us to ask important scientific questions that could improve patient care.”
October 7, 2025, Filed Under: carouselUT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s Ranked 25 by U.S. News & World Report Only six years after the program’s founding, UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s was ranked 25 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2025–2026 list of best U.S. pediatric neurology and neurosurgery programs. “The external validation of this ranking mirrors the rapid progress we have made since the program’s founding and underscores our commitment to providing exceptional care for the children who are entrusted to us,” commented neurology chief Dr. Steve Roach. “This milestone reflects the relentless dedication of our team and its leadership,” said neurosurgery chief Dr. Elias Rizk. “I’m deeply honored to now be part of this journey, and I’m immensely grateful for everyone’s hard work in making UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s a national leader in pediatric neuroscience care.”
August 1, 2025, Filed Under: carousel, NewsMultidisciplinary Providers Contribute to Scholarly Literature Our program contributes scholarly articles on a variety of topics, and we encourage publications from all members of the team. The featured articles below, for example, include contributions from child neurologists, child neurology residents, a nurse practitioner, and a pediatric neurosurgeon. Kevin Kumar, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Dell Medical School, was the lead author of a recent Frontiers in Surgery article that analyzed the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and responsive neurostimulation (RNS) in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. DBS was used primarily for palliation of generalized or mixed drug-resistant epilepsy after other therapies failed, and 71% of these patients experienced a 50% or greater seizure reduction. RNS was used for patients with a better-defined seizure focus and no prior epilepsy surgery. Eighty percent of the RNS patients achieved clinical seizure freedom, and 20% had a 90% reduction in seizure burden. RNS also provided valuable data for future interventions. Both DBS and RNS are useful options for children with drug-resistant epilepsy. Child neurology residents Catherine Kronfol, MD, PGY-4, and Aaron Hocher, MD, PGY-3, described a newborn who was transferred from another hospital because of metabolic acidosis, respiratory distress, and suspected seizures. Abnormal facial movements and posturing were initially suspected to represent seizures, but continuous electroencephalography showed no epileptiform discharges during the movements. His initial serum ammonia level was dramatically elevated (1284 μg/dL). Urine organic acids, plasma amino acids, serum pyruvate, and carnitine were normal, but next-generation DNA sequencing of serum confirmed evidence of Ureaplasma urealyticum, an organism that produces copious amounts of ammonia. After treatment with azithromycin, his ammonia level normalized, and when seen at 13 months of age he was developmentally normal. Severe hyperammonemia does not always result from genetic metabolic disorders. Samantha Irwin, MSc, MB BCh BAO, an associate professor of neurology, and Sara Pavitt, MD, an assistant professor of neurology, reviewed the assessment and management of headache in children in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ education journal Pediatrics in Review. The far-reaching review includes typical clinical manifestations, common headache triggers, red flags that could indicate more serious conditions, the epidemiology of headaches in children, symptomatic and preventive medications, and neuromodulation devices for headache. Janet Wilson, MSN, CPNP-PC, has years of experience treating children with drug-resistant epilepsy with the ketogenic diet. She frequently volunteers in Kenya and the Caribbean islands, where the use of the ketogenic diet is often hindered by the cost of nutritional supplements and extensive laboratory monitoring and by the limited availability of the ingredients commonly used to make diet recipes. She has identified locally available ingredients that are suitable for maintaining ketosis and taught people how to implement the diet. In a recent issue of Epilepsy Currents, Wilson teamed with colleagues from the United States, Jamaica, India, and Kenya to discuss optimization of refractory epilepsy care in resource-limited settings, including implementation of dietary therapies. Uchitel J, Lui A, Knowles J, Parker JJ, Phillips HW, Halpern CH, Grant GA, Buch VP, Hyslop A, Kumar KK. Intracranial neuromodulation for pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy: early institutional experience. Front Surg. 2025 Apr 8; 12:1569360. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2025.1569360 Pavitt S, Irwin SL. Headache care. Pediatr Rev. 46(3):129-138. https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.2024-006402 Kronfol C, Hocher A, Roach ES. Neonatal hyperammonemia due to Ureaplasma sepsis. Ann Child Neurol Soc. 2025;3:57-58. https://doi.org/10.1002/cns3.20107 Yardi R, Radhakrishnan K, Samia P, Wilson J, Ali A. Managing refractory epilepsy in a resource-limited setting—doing more with less. Epilepsy Curr. Published 2025 May 27. https://doi.org/10.1177/15357597251318562
June 24, 2025, Filed Under: carousel, NewsProgram Co-Sponsors Second IMPRES Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Conference Watch the conference recap here! Save the date for IMPRES 2026 Session panelists (L to R) Ahmed T. Abdelmoity, MD, MBA, MS, Jorge Vidaurre, MD, Alison Kukla, MPH, Sandi Lam, MD, MBA, and Dave Clarke, MD The Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center in collaboration with the Lurie Children’s Epilepsy Center presented the second annual Innovative Minds: Pediatric Research in Epilepsy Surgery (IMPRES) Conference on the Northwestern University campus in downtown Chicago, Illinois, from June 20–22. The conference kicked off on Friday evening with a reception cruise on Lake Michigan and featured two days of CME sessions, including a neurodiagnostic breakout session. The national IMPRES program focuses on evidence-based research in pediatric epilepsy surgery and highlights collaboration among pediatric epilepsy centers and programs. This year’s conference theme, improving access and health equity in epilepsy, featured prominently in each of the seven conference sessions and 25 presentations. Session topics included the anthropology and history of epilepsy, management of epilepsy, presurgical investigative studies, nontraditional surgical patients, surgical techniques, quality of life and psychosocial outcomes, and neurodiagnostics. Each session concluded with a moderated panel discussion and Q&A. IMPRES is an ongoing collaboration between Dell Children’s Medical Center and Lurie Children’s Hospital. This year’s conference organizers were Dell Children’s pediatric epilepsy chief Dave Clarke, MD, and Sandi Lam, MD, MBA, of Lurie Children’s and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “IMPRES 2025 was an inspiring gathering of innovative minds dedicated to advancing care for children with epilepsy and their families,” said Lam. “This unique interdisciplinary conference fostered remarkable collaboration among neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuropsychologists, social workers, researchers, advocates, and families. Together, we explored new frontiers in epilepsy care, neurosurgery, global health, and health equity to improve outcomes for children with epilepsy.” “Praise for this thought-provoking conference has been far-reaching,” said Clarke. “Planning is already underway for IMPRES 2026 here in Austin.”
June 4, 2025, Filed Under: carousel, NewsProgram Hosts Sixth Annual Practical Pediatric Neuroscience Symposium Pediatric neuroimmunologist Duriel Hardy, MD, speaking on pediatric multiple sclerosis Neurosurgery chief Elias Rizk, MD, PhD, presenting on pediatric neurosurgery for primary care providers Each spring our program hosts a practical pediatric neuroscience symposium designed to enhance knowledge of commonly encountered pediatric neurological conditions among general pediatric practitioners. The sixth annual symposium on May 17 featured presentations by nine pediatric neurosciences faculty members, with topics ranging from functional neurological disorders to updates in migraine treatment. Each interactive presentation provided techniques and evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and management, including the roles of interprofessional teams in improving quality of life and treatment outcomes. The presentations are available to download and to watch online.
May 3, 2025, Filed Under: carousel, NewsRegister for the 6th Annual Practical Pediatric Neuroscience Symposium The sixth annual Practical Pediatric Neuroscience Symposium will be held this Saturday, May 17, at Dell Children’s with virtual access. The target audience is general pediatric practitioners who care for children with a wide range of neurological disorders. This free event will feature several interactive presentations by pediatric neurosciences faculty members on a broad range of topics. Each presentation will provide specific techniques and evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and management. Register online now or scan the QR code below.
October 4, 2024, Filed Under: carousel, NewsWelcome, Dr. Kevin Kumar Join us in giving a warm Texas welcome to Kevin Kumar, MD, PhD, pediatric neurosurgeon and assistant professor of neurosurgery at Dell Med. Dr. Kumar specializes in the treatment of pediatric brain and spine tumors, vascular malformations, developmental anomalies, and epilepsy. Dr. Kumar graduated cum laude with distinction in research from Cornell University and received his MD and PhD from Vanderbilt University’s National Institutes of Health–funded Medical Scientist Training Program. His dissertation focused on investigating neuronal manganese regulation in Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease using high-throughput screening, induced pluripotent stem cells, and chemical biology approaches. He was a member of Aaron Bowman’s laboratory in the Vanderbilt Brain Institute. Dr. Kumar completed his neurosurgery residency at Stanford University, where he served as chief resident. He completed an NIH NINDS R25-funded research fellowship in the laboratory of Marius Wernig in the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, where he developed a platform to replace microglia in the brain as a novel therapy for neurodevelopmental disorders. He completed his pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. At Dell Med, Dr. Kumar launched his research laboratory to develop novel cellular-based therapeutics for pediatric neurological disorders. He has published over 35 peer-reviewed scientific articles and given over 30 presentations at national and international meetings. He has received multiple awards, including the Donald O. Quest Medical Student Basic Science Award by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Elaine Sanders-Bush Neuroscience Research Prize from the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, the John G. Coniglio Prize in Biochemistry from Vanderbilt University, the Edwin Boldrey Young Investigator Award from the San Francisco Neurological Society, the Philip L. Gildenberg Resident Award from the AANS, and the Resident Basic Science Research Award from Stanford University. He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, the North American Neuromodulation Society, and the Society for Neuroscience. Welcome to Austin, Dr. Kumar!
August 29, 2024, Filed Under: carousel, News16 Faculty Members Receive 2024 Dell Med Teaching Awards Rosario DeLeon, PhD Congratulations to our very own Rosario DeLeon, PhD, pediatric neuropsychologist and assistant professor of neurology, for winning this year’s Susan M. Cox, M.D. Academy Teaching Health Equity Award! This award recognizes Dell Med faculty members who have excelled in teaching about health equity. Additionally, many of our pediatric neuroscience faculty members received a GME Clinical Learning Environment Award from Dell Med. These 15 individuals received near-perfect (4.9 or 5.0) cumulative resident teaching scores for the year based on their ability to create a positive environment for learning and the patient experience: Kristen Arredondo, MD Glendaliz Bosques, MD Cliff Calley, MD Sireesha Chinthaparthi, MD Stephen R. Deputy, MD Daniel Freedman, DO Duriel Hardy, MD Samantha Irwin, MSc, MB BCh BAO Kristina Jülich, MD Manikum Moodley, MD Sara Pavitt, MD Steve Roach, MD Ashley Stanley-Copeland, MD Vandana Vedanarayanan, MD Vettaikorumakankav “Veda” Vedanarayanan, MD Dell Med will honor these recipients in an awards ceremony on September 30, with a keynote address presented by Dean Claudia Lucchinetti, MD. Thank you for your outstanding contributions to medical education!
May 4, 2024, Filed Under: carousel, NewsClarke Honored as Kozmetsky Family Endowed Chair Dave F. Clarke, MD Dave F. Clarke, MD, is the inaugural recipient of the Kozmetsky Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Epilepsy in recognition of his years of leadership, service, and research in the field of epilepsy. The position is funded by the Kozmetsky Family Foundation, a philanthropic investor whose trustees established it after their son benefited directly from Dr. Clarke’s care. This is the first endowed chair within our program. Dr. Clarke was honored with a dinner awards ceremony on April 4 in downtown Austin. Read the official announcement.
