Timothy Hand, PhD appointed Director of i4Kids!

We are excited to announce that Dr. Timothy Hand will serve as the Director of i4Kids at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh beginning November 1, 2024. Dr. Hand is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Immunology. Dr. Hand completed his Ph.D. training at Yale University followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He joined the faculty at UPMC Children’s Hospital in 2015.

Dr. Hand’s research interests are focused on mucosal immunology and more specifically on investigating how host genetics, infection, and the microbiota shape pediatric intestinal immunity and disease. Dr. Hand has developed many new research tools to better understand the relationship between children’s intestines and the bacteria that live on the intestine’s surface. His research incorporates innovative single-cell genomic, proteomic, and imaging approaches to illuminate the root causes of pediatric conditions, such as malnutrition and necrotizing enterocolitis. He is a member of the Program in Microbiology and Immunology and the inaugural and current director of the University of Pittsburgh Gnotobiotic Core Facility.

In his role as i4Kids Director, Dr. Hand aims to build a “first-of-its-kind” research institute understanding how early-life interactions between children and microbes shape lifelong health. The institute will recruit world-class talent interested in pediatric immunology, infectious disease, and microbiome research with the goal of understanding how early encounters with microbes can cast such long shadows over a child’s lifespan. Through the i4Kids, Dr. Hand will offer a collaborative environment, research resources, seed funding, visiting speakers, and training opportunities for postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members, with an intentional focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We also want to express our sincere gratitude to the inaugural Director of i4Kids, Dr. John Williams, and the inaugural Associate Director, Dr. Anna Wang-Erickson, for their dedication and outstanding service in building i4Kids since the institute’s launch in February 2020. Dr. Williams will begin an exciting new role as the John E. Jr. and Louise A. Gonce Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin—Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Anna Wang-Erickson will be stepping down from her i4Kids role to focus on research related to her recently awarded KL2 Mentored Career Development Award. Drs. Williams and Wang-Erickson established a strong foundation for i4Kids upon which Dr. Hand will continue to build.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Dr. Hand as the newly appointed Director of i4Kids!