Jason G. Newland, MD, a noted pediatrician and researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named the inaugural Schnuck Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
The honor was bestowed by St. Louis Children’s Hospital through a gift funded by the children of Donald and Doris Schnuck, longtime supporters of St. Louis Children’s and Washington University. Like their parents, the Schnucks’ sons, daughter and spouses who bestowed the gift are deeply involved with St. Louis Children’s, the university and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Many have served on various boards at the institutions while also endowing research initiatives and facility improvements. They are: Nancy Diemer and Craig, Mark, Scott, Terry and Todd Schnuck.
Newland is a professor of pediatrics and vice chair of community health and strategic planning in the Department of Pediatrics. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he spearheaded research evaluating the rate of the virus’s transmission in schools, the impact of routine school-based SARS-CoV-2 testing, and the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines for children. He also has led the development of national guidelines for treating children with severe COVID-19.
His research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). His findings have been incorporated into CDC guidelines and executed by school districts nationwide.
“Dr. Newland has responded tremendously to the most pressing infectious diseases issue of our lifetimes, namely SARS-CoV-2,” said Gary A. Silverman, MD, PhD, the Harriet B. Spoehrer Professor, head of the university’s Department of Pediatrics, and pediatrician-in-chief at St. Louis Children’s. “At the same time, incredibly, he has ensured ongoing progress with his research on antimicrobials that began before the pandemic. His dedication, skills and abiding concern for children’s health make him the ideal person to hold the inaugural Schnuck endowed chair.”
Added Tesh Jewell, vice president of Ambulatory & Clinical Support Services at St. Louis Children’s: “Physician-scientists are the most important resource we have for advancing research, education, and clinical service to create healthier futures for children. Dr. Newland has demonstrated excellence in each of these areas throughout his incredible career.”
Newland is co-founder of the Sharing Antimicrobial Reports for Pediatric Stewardship Collaborative, composed of more than 70 children’s hospitals and focused on establishing best practices for the use of antimicrobials in hospitalized children.
As vice chair of community health and strategic planning, Newland aims to help strengthen collaborations with pediatricians practicing in the St. Louis region whose patients may benefit from the university’s specialized medical care and services. Newland also focuses on the continual development of collaborations between the Department of Pediatrics and St. Louis Children’s, to better serve children throughout Missouri and Illinois.
Newland earned a bachelor’s degree in pre-professional studies from the University of Notre Dame in 1996, his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 and a master’s degree in education from the University of Cincinnati in 2011.
He completed his pediatric residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2003 and a pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 2006. He then spent nearly a decade in pediatric infectious diseases at Children’s Mercy Hospitals & Clinics in Kansas City, Mo. He joined Washington University’s faculty in 2016.
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