Sonya Tang Girdwood, MD, PhD

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 in those patients with complex diseases.

I focus on 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

I served as the national Chief Fellow of the Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology Program for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

As a faculty member, in addition to serving on the American Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Career Development Committee, I also serve on their Scientific Programming Committee for the national conference. I am also currently supported by the NICHD K12 Child Health Research Career Development Award, which provides the time and funding to pursue my research.