PDC Chair
PDC Chair: Adam Dziorny, MD, PhD
Dr. Dziorny serves as the Chair of the PDC. See his bio here.
PDC Vice-Chair
PDC Vice-Chair: Stephanie Brown, MBBS, MS
Dr. Brown serves as the Vice-Chair of the PDC. See her bio here.
PDC Past Chairs
PDC Past Chair: Reid Farris, MD, MS
Dr. Farris serves as the Past Chair of the PDC. See his bio here.
PDC Past Chair: L. Nelson Sanchez-Pinto, MD, MBI, FAMIA
Dr. Sanchez-Pinto serves as a Past Chair of the PDC. See his bio here.
PDC Staff
Melissa Aczon, PhD
Dr. Aczon is a Principal Data Scientist at CHLA, where she works closely with pediatric ICU physicians to formulate clinically meaningful problems into data science problems, and develops algorithms to solve them using advanced computational techniques. She leverages her deep understanding of mathematics to solve signal processing, detection, classification and estimation problems from a wide array of applications. Prior to joining CHLA, Dr. Aczon was a Principal Scientist at Arete Associates, where she led a team of scientists to develop algorithms that both improve the detection capability and reduce false alarms of a very complex sensor system. She has worked with data coming from many different types of sensors including radar, optical and acoustic systems. She has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College and a Ph.D. in Scientific Computing and Computational Mathematics from Stanford University.
Jeff Terry, MBA
Jeff serves as the Program Manager for the PICU Data Collaborative. He has over 15 years of experience working in academic medicine and clinical research. Jeff has been involved several successful long-term multi-site registries. His is interested in the intersection of traditional clinical research and machine learning, and is excited to help bring ML/AI algorithms to the bedside. Jeff has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Business Administration.
Christopher Horvat, MD, MHA
PDC Scientific Advisor
Dr. Horvat is a Clinician-Investigator who focuses on the development of the Learning Health System, with an emphasis on leveraging modern information systems and remnant biological samples to optimize the care of critically ill children.
Sareen Shah, MD
PDC Scientific Advisor
Dr. Shah graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. His subsequent training has been at Case Western Reserve University MedicalSchool (M.D.), Lurie Children’s Hospital (pediatric residency), and Children’s Hospital LosAngeles (pediatric critical care). He joined the PDC while working as a pediatric critical care physician at Cohen Children’s Medical Center/Northwell Health. He is now practicing at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, with a joint appointment asa research associate and clinical domain expert with the VPICU. With his engineering background, his interests are primarily in computer science and tool development.
Aleksandra (Sasha) Kretsu
Sasha is a data analyst for the PICU Data Collaborative and Laura P. and Leland K. Whittier Virtual PICU at CHLA.Her role involves developing data pipelines, creating automated reporting and insightful visualizations. With a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, she brings a unique perspective to the team, enabling her to gain a deep understanding of data and its details.
Long Ho
Long is a Principal Data Scientist for the VPICU and leads the technical infrastructure for the PICU Data Collaborative. He has a background in math and physics research from UCLA, experience applying machine learning in defense at Arete Associates, and in developing AI infrastructure and applications for pediatric critical care at CHLA. His work focuses on designing and building secure, cloud-based infrastructure for the PDC to support large-scale data science, research, and collaboration.
pedsdata.org 