Lina Chalak, M.D.
Interim Chief, Division of Neonatal-perinatal Medicine
Professor

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. 

 

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 Health Dallas (2002), Pediatrics

Residency

Children's Health Dallas (2004), Pediatrics

Other Post Graduate Training

UT Southwestern Medical Center (2011)

Graduate School

UT Southwestern Medical Center (2011)

• Asphyxia
• Hypothermia
• Neonatal brain injury

Featured Publications

Association Between Increased Seizures During Rewarming After Hypothermia for Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy and Abnormal Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 2-Year Follow-up: A Nested Multisite Cohort Study.

Chalak LF, Pappas A, Tan S, Das A, Sánchez PJ, Laptook AR, Van Meurs KP, Shankaran S, Bell EF, Davis AS, Heyne RJ, Pedroza C, Poindexter BB, Schibler K, Tyson JE, Ball MB, Bara R, Grisby C, Sokol GM, D'Angio CT, Hamrick SEG, Dysart KC, Cotten CM, Truog WE, Watterberg KL, Timan CJ, Garg M, Carlo WA, Higgins RD, JAMA Neurol 2021 12 78 12 1484-1493

Wavelet-based neurovascular coupling can predict brain abnormalities in neonatal encephalopathy.

Das Y, Leon RL, Liu H, Kota S, Liu Y, Wang X, Zhang R, Chalak LF, Neuroimage Clin 2021 Oct 32 102856

Association of Increased Seizures During Rewarming With Abnormal Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 2-Year Follow-up: A Nested Multisite Cohort Study.

Chalak LF, Pappas A, Tan S, Das A, Sánchez PJ, Laptook AR, Van Meurs KP, Shankaran S, Bell EF, Davis AS, Heyne RJ, Pedroza C, Poindexter BB, Schibler K, Tyson JE, Ball MB, Bara R, Grisby C, Sokol GM, D'Angio CT, Hamrick SEG, Dysart KC, Cotten CM, Truog WE, Watterberg KL, Timan CJ, Garg M, Carlo WA, Higgins RD, JAMA Neurol 2021 Oct

Early Use of Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography to Stratify Neonatal Encephalopathy.

Natique KR, Das Y, Maxey MN, Sepulveda P, Brown LS, Chalak LF, Pediatr Neurol 2021 Jul 124 33-39

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) in newborns using processed EEG versus amplitude-EEG.

Das Y, Wang X, Kota S, Zhang R, Liu H, Chalak LF, Sci Rep 2021 May 11 1 9426

Neuroplacentology in congenital heart disease: placental connections to neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Leon RL, Mir IN, Herrera CL, Sharma K, Spong CY, Twickler DM, Chalak LF, Pediatr Res 2021 Apr

Autism spectrum disorders in extremely preterm infants and placental pathology findings: a matched case-control study.

Mir IN, White SP, Steven Brown L, Heyne R, Rosenfeld CR, Chalak LF, Pediatr. Res. 2020 Sep

A Total Sarnat Score in Mild Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy Can Detect Infants at Higher Risk of Disability.

Chalak LF, Adams-Huet B, Sant'Anna G, J. Pediatr. 2019 Jul

Structural network maturation of the preterm human brain.

Zhao T, Mishra V, Jeon T, Ouyang M, Peng Q, Chalak L, Wisnowski JL, Heyne R, Rollins N, Shu N, Huang H, Neuroimage 2019 01 185 699-710

Brain imaging in preterm infants <32 weeks gestation: a clinical review and algorithm for the use of cranial ultrasound and qualitative brain MRI.

Ibrahim J, Mir I, Chalak L Pediatr. Res. 2018 Oct

• 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)

• SPR Executive Council-Lead for Education and Scientific Programs (2020)
• American Pediatric Society (2019)
• Newborn Brain Society (2019)
• International Perinatal Collegium (2015)
• Perinatal Research Society (2014)
• Society for Pediatric Research (2011)