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Lina Chalak, M.D.

Lina Chalak, M.D.

Titles and Appointments

Chief, Division of Neonatal-perinatal Medicine

Professor & Division Chief

Endowed Title
The William Buchanan Chair in Pediatrics
School
Medical School
Department
Pediatrics | Psychiatry

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For more information on the doctor and patient care, please visit the clinical profile.

  • Biography

    Lina Chalak, M.D., M.S.C.S., is a Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She is the founding director of the Neurointensive Care program and of the Fetal Neonatal Neurology Fellowship Program. Board certified in general pediatrics, general pediatrics recertification, neonatal-perinatal medicine, and neonatal-perinatal recertification, Dr. Chalak joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2008. 

    Dr. Chalak earned her medical degree and completed a residency in pediatrics at American University of Beirut. She subsequently completed fellowships in both neonatal-perinatal medicine and pediatrics at UT Southwestern/Children’s Health Dallas. In 2011, she received a Master of Clinical Science Distinction from UT Southwestern’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.  

    An active physician-scientist, Dr. Chalak’s research focuses on asphyxia, hypothermia, and neonatal brain injury. The recipient of multiple federally funded awards, her current projects include: cerebrovascular autoregulation and neuronal biomarkers in HIE, as well as neuronal and inflammatory biomarkers involved in neuronal injury pathways. She has led the PRIME mild asphyxia collaborative study and pioneered a “Neurovascular bundle” for a critical real time evaluation of the coupling of cerebral blood flow and neuronal activity in newborns with asphyxia She leads a multi-science research team of physiologists, biomedical engineers with a novel neurovascular bundle for evaluation of the coupling of cerebral blood flow and neuronal activity. She serves on NIH sections, American Pediatric Society (APS) and society of pediatric research SPR executive council. 

     

  • Education
    Medical School
    American University - Beirut (1995)
    Internship
    American University of Beruit (1996), Pediatrics
    Residency
    American University of Beruit (1998), Pediatrics
    Fellowship
    UT Southwestern Medical Center (2001), Neonatal-perinatal Medicine
    Internship
    Children's Medical Center Dallas (2002), Pediatrics
    Residency
    Children's Medical Center Dallas (2004), Pediatrics
    Other Post Graduate Training
    UT Southwestern Medical Center (2011)
    Graduate School
    UT Southwestern Medical Center (2011)
  • Research Interest
    • Asphyxia
    • Hypothermia
    • Neonatal brain injury
  • Publications
    Prediction of Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 18 to 22 Months Using the Numerical Sarnat Score Compared with Modified Sarnat Staging in Infants with Moderate to Severe Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
    Author Collaboration NN, Natarajan G, McDonald SA, Shankaran S, Laptook AR, Bonifacio S, Sewell EK, Chalak L Journal of Pediatrics 2025 Jun 281
    Timing of initiation of therapeutic hypothermia in neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy born at a high-volume urban safety net hospital
    Pazandak CC, Martinez MG, Whiting ME, Kota S, Brown LS, Chalak LF, Leon RL Early Human Development 2025 May 204
    Placental inflammatory response and association with the severity of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
    Mashat S, Bitar L, Mir IN, Leon RL, Brown LS, Chalak LF Early Human Development 2025 Feb 201
    Neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely preterm infants with placental pathologic evidence of fetal inflammatroy response
    Alayli Y, Brown LS, Tolentino-Plata K, Leon R, Heyne R, Chalak LF, Mir IN Pediatric Research 2025 Feb 97 1147-1154
    Consensus definition and diagnostic criteria for neonatal encephalopathy—study protocol for a real-time modified delphi study
    Author Collaboration SG, Branagan A, Hurley T, Quirke F, Devane D, Taneri PE, Badawi N, Sinha B, Bearer C, Bloomfield FH, Bonifacio SL, Boylan G, Campbell SK, Chalak L, D’Alton M, deVries LS, El Dib M, Ferriero DM, Gale C, Gressens P, Gunn AJ, Kay S, Maeso B, Mulkey SB, Murray DM, Nelson KB, Nesterenko TH, Pilon B, Robertson NJ, Walker K, Wusthoff CJ, Molloy EJ Pediatric Research 2025 Jan 97 430-436
    Whole-Body Hypothermia for Neonatal Encephalopathy in Preterm Infants 33 to 35 Weeks’ Gestation A Randomized Clinical Trial
    Author Collaboration ft, Faix RG, Laptook AR, Shankaran S, Eggleston B, Chowdhury D, Heyne RJ, Das A, Pedroza C, Tyson JE, Wusthoff C, Bonifacio SL, Sánchez PJ, Yoder BA, Laughon MM, Vasil DM, Van Meurs KP, Crawford MM, Higgins RD, Poindexter BB, Colaizy TT, Hamrick SE, Chalak LF, Ohls RK, Hartley-McAndrew ME, Dysart K, D’Angio CT, Guillet R, Kicklighter SD, Carlo WA, Sokol GM, DeMauro SB, Hibbs AM, Cotten M, Merhar SL, Bapat RV, Harmon HM, Sewell E, Winter S, Natarajan G, Mosquera R, Hintz SR, Maitre NL, Benninger KL, Peralta-Carcelen M, Hines AC, Duncan AF, Wilson-Costello DE, Trembath A, Malcolm WF, Walsh MC JAMA pediatrics 2025
    L-lactate provision in preterm newborns: friend or foe?
    Angelis D, Brion LP, Chalak L Pediatric Research 2025
    Congenital diaphragmatic hernia outcomes: navigating center-to-center variability in level 4 NICUs in the Children’s Hospitals Neonatal Consortium
    Author Collaboration ob, Guner YS, Zaniletti I, Grover TR, Gowda SH, Porta NF, Padula MA, Keene S, Mahmood B, Evans JR, Hedrick HL, Murthy K, Welch C, Sullivan K, Short BL, Lee KS, Van Marter L, Downey A, Rao R, Brozanski B, Jacobsen E, DiGeronimo R, Speziale M, Ling CY, Bendel-Stenzel E, Yanowitz T, Griffiths P, Quinones V, Padula M, Weiss A, Wadhawan R, Dereddy N, Mikhael M, Birge N, Williams P, Tipple T, Joe P, Lagatta J, Weems M, Menda N, Chapman R, Carroll L, Weiner J, Lindower J, Rose R, Reber K, Katarkan L, Gotiolo A, Johnson Y, Yallapragada S, Nesterenko T Pediatric Research 2025
    Multi-organ dysfunction across the neonatal encephalopathy spectrum
    Bitar L, Leon RL, Liu YL, Kota S, Chalak LF Pediatric Research 2025
    Web-based training and certification of clinical staff during the randomised clinical trial SafeBoosC-III
    Author Collaboration ST, Rasmussen MI, Hansen ML, Peters C, Greisen G, Yin Z, Peng Z, Vesoulis Z, Xu X, Gao X, Karadyova V, Nordvik T, Szczapa T, Karen T, Marciniak S, Oguz S, Fredly S, Kersin SG, Hyttel-Sørensen S, Pisoni S, Zeng S, Rao SA, Suna S, Nesargi S, Borregas SP, Lauterbach R, del Rio Florentino R, Sanchez-Salmador R, Maton P, Korcek P, Agergaard P, Zafra P, Baud O, Vaccarello OO, Koksal N, Baş M, Akin MS, Kadri MM, Fumagalli M, Alsina M, Cetinkaya M, Agosti M, Stocker M, Palacio MT, Ybarra MM, Baserga M, Wilinska M, Arruza L, Cornette L, Yang L, Chalak L Trials 2024 Dec 25
  • Honors & Awards
    • Executive Leadership
      Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (2023)
    • Executive Council Society of Pediatric Research
      (2020)
    • Program Development Award Nomination Fetal/Neonatal Neurological Program
      UT Southwestern Medical Center-Leaders in Clinical Excellence (2020)
    • Acarin Award for Outstanding Presentation
      10th Hershey Conference Equivilly, France (2016)
    • Elected member, International Perinatal Collegium
      (2015)
    • Elected member, The Perinatal Research Society
      (2014)
    • Elected member, Society of Pediatric Research
      (2011)
    • PRS Young Research Investigator Award
      Perinatal Research Society (2010)
    • Dean's Teaching Award for Education
      Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR (2007-2008)
    • Best Teacher Award
      Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR (2006-2007)
    • Educator of the Year
      Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR (2005-2006)
    • AAP Young Investigator Award
      AAP (2004)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • American Pediatric Society (2019)
    • International Perinatal Collegium (2015)
    • Newborn Brain Society (2019)
    • Perinatal Research Society (2014)
    • Society for Pediatric Research (2011)
    • SPR Executive Council-Lead for Education and Scientific Programs (2020)