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 You have reached the Academic Profile. 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 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 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 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, Sanchez 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 Reduction of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parental perceptions of child vulnerability and risk of vulnerable child syndrome utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy: randomized controlled trial Hoge MK, Heyne E, Brown S, Heyne RJ, Shaw RJ, 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, Chalak L, 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 Results 1-10 of 182 1 2 3 4 5 Next Last Honors & Awards Executive LeadershipExecutive Leadership in Academic Medicine (2023) Executive Council Society of Pediatric Research (2020) Program Development Award Nomination Fetal/Neonatal Neurological ProgramUT Southwestern Medical Center-Leaders in Clinical Excellence (2020) Acarin Award for Outstanding Presentation10th 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 AwardPerinatal Research Society (2010) Dean's Teaching Award for EducationDepartment of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR (2007-2008) Best Teacher AwardDepartment of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR (2006-2007) Educator of the YearDepartment of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR (2005-2006) AAP Young Investigator AwardAAP (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)
