Sonya Tang Girdwood, MD, PhD
- Member, Division of Hospital Medicine
- Member, Division of Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
- Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
- sonya.tanggirdwood@cchmc.org
- Board Certified
About
Biography
I chose to specialize in hospital medicine because it allows me to collaborate with other subspecialties in the care of pediatric patients. I enjoy the acute-care aspect of hospital medicine and have the opportunity to develop relationships with the families of children with medically complex illnesses admitted to our inpatient unit.
Early on, I realized information regarding appropriate drug dosing in medically complex or critically ill children was lacking. So, my research explores how to personalize the dosing of antibiotics and other medications in critically ill patients and patients with complex diseases.
I focus on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antibiotics, specifically beta-lactams, in critically ill children. Additionally, I strive to better understand the timely transition of intravenous to enteral antibiotics in hospitalized children. Today, my clinical work informs my research so that any newly discovered information can impact my patient’s care.
As a clinical fellow, I received several notable awards, including:
- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Arnold Strauss Fellow Award
- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medicine Fellow Award
- Gerber Foundation Research Novice Award
As a faculty member, in addition to serving on the American Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Career Development Committee, I am also a member of their Scientific Programming Committee for the national conference. Locally, I am a co-director of the Genetic Pharmacology Service and the T32 Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship.
During my first two years on faculty, I was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) K12 Child Health Research Career Development Award to study the impact of piperacillin/tazobactam pharmacokinetics on kidney injury. I’m currently funded by a National Institute of General Medicine Sciences (NIGMS) R35 Maximizing Investigators' Research Award to continue building the evidence of precision dosing of antibiotics in critically ill children.
BS: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 2004
MD: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 2013
PhD: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 2013
Residency: Cincinnati Children's, Cincinnati, OH, 2016
Chief Residency: Cincinnati Children's, Cincinnati, OH, 2017
Fellowship: Pediatric Hospital Medicine & T32 NICHD Clinical Pharmacology, Cincinnati Children's, Cincinnati, OH, 2020
Interests
Hospital medicine; complex care inpatient team
Services and Specialties
Interests
Pediatric clinical pharmacology; sepsis; model-informed precision dosing; IV to enteral antibiotic transition
Research Areas
Additional Languages
MandarinPublications
The case for combined pediatric nephrology and clinical pharmacology training. Pediatric Nephrology. 2026; 41(7):1913-1915.
Model-informed cefepime dosing in paediatric patients receiving continuous renal replacement therapy. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. 2026; 67(7):107809.
What if the Aquarium is in the ICU? Extending the Fish Tank Model to Teach Pharmacokinetics in Critically Ill Patients. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. 2026; 102016.
Evaluation of a Pilot Digital Antibiotic Tool. Clinical Teacher. 2026; 23(3):e70428.
Clinical Model-Informed Precision Dosing Consult Service for Accelerating Personalized Medication in Pediatric Patients. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2026.
The Role for Clinical Translational Pharmacology in Advancing Pharmacoequity. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2026; 119(5):1144-1147.
Urine NGAL adds to serum creatinine in predicting cefepime clearance in critically ill children at high risk of acute kidney injury. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. 2026; 67(5):107741.
Population pharmacokinetics and Monte Carlo simulation of Cefepime in paediatric and Young adult bone marrow transplant patients. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2026.
Identification and assessment of paediatric cefepime-induced neurotoxicity in a retrospective cohort of paediatric intensive care patients. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 2026; 81(4).
Increasing ketamine administration in children's hospitals for youth with sickle cell disease. Blood advances. 2026; 10(4):1106-1113.
From the Blog
Why Antibiotic Exposure Matters in Pediatric Intensive Care
Sonya Tang Girdwood, MD, PhD6/3/2026
Improved Piperacillin Dosing May Lower Risk of AKI in Critically Ill Patients
Sonya Tang Girdwood, MD, PhD, Stuart L. Goldstein, MD, FAAP, FNKF2/1/2023
Growing Need for Pharmacogenetics Data for Pediatric Medications
Sonya Tang Girdwood, MD, PhD3/9/2022
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