Hospital Affiliations:

Physician-in-Chief, Mattel Children's Hospital, RRMC, UCLA

Affiliations

Distinguished Professor, Pediatrics

Co-Leader, Workforce Development

Hospital Affiliations:

Assistant Vice Chancellor of Children's Health, UCLA Health

Affiliations

Mattel Executive Endowed Chair, Pediatrics

Chief Emeritus, Pediatric Neonatology

Associate Director, CTSI

Executive Director, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute

Member, Internal Advisory Board, CTSI, Cell & Developmental Biology GPB Home Area, Child Health Research, Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology GPB Home Area

The research interests in my laboratory consist of the following areas: 1] We are investigating the role of substrate transporters in protecting against hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. We have created transgenic and knock out mouse models which are being used to address questions related to the functionality of specific neuronal substrate transporters. We are currently creating conditional and regulatable knock out mice to examine the phenotypic presentation. Phenotypic studies range from brain cellular apoptosis, necrosis, and behavioral studies. These studies involve techniques of molecular biology, cell biology, protein biochemistry, and physiology. 2] We are investigating the mechanisms responsible for the adult phenotype secondary to in-utero metabolic perturbations. We are focussing on the intra-uterine growth restricted fetus that develops adult onset diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hypertension. These studies include deciphering the role of the insulin signalling pathway, vesicular transport, and transcriptional regulation of specific genes. We have recently begun studies in the area of epigenetic control of genes responsible for metabolic imprinting of genes which persists transgenerationally. The techniques that we have recently undertaken include DNA microarray and proteomics to identify the genes and proteins of interest. Further analysis has consisted of physiological, and molecular biological techniques.

Sherin U. Devaskar, M.D. is Professor of Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and an attending neonatologist at the Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA. She is the Mattel Executive Endowed Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Children's Health, and Executive Director, UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute (CDI). She is also the Director of the Neonatal Research Center at UCLA. Dr. Devaskar is the Principal Investigator of the UCLA Child Health Research Career Development Program and the Human and Molecular Development Training grant.

Dr. Devaskar’s research focuses on the long-term outcome of premature and growth-restricted babies, the nutrition they receive while in the womb and soon after birth, and the propensity of these babies to develop adult-onset conditions, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension and Alzheimer’s disease. Her research is supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. She is also the Principal Investigator on the two NIH-funded institution training grants (T32 and K12). Dr. Devaskar has authored over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals. She is a member of the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Council, National Institutes of Health. She was the Chair of the NICHD-Maternal and Child Health Committee and member of the NIH-Human and Embryology Study Section. She was also the President of the Mid-West Society for Pediatric Research.

Dr. Devaskar has a particular interest in academic development and serves on multiple UCLA, national and international committees. She served as the President of the American Pediatric Society and Chair of the Program Committee for the Pediatric Academic Societies, and the American Pediatric Society Council. She was a member of the Perinatal-Neonatal Subsection of the American Board of Pediatrics. These positions allow her to help shape the careers of pediatric fellows and junior faculty nationally.

Dr. Devaskar served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Pediatric Research journal and is the editorial board member of the American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism.

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