Featured Programs
Pediatric Infectious Disease
May 16, 2007

Faculty:

Sharon A. Nachman, M.D., Division Chief

Salma Syed, D.O.

Michele Kelly, RN, NP

Jane Perillo, RN, CPNP

Denise Ferraro, RN, NP

            Under the direction of Dr. Sharon A. Nachman, the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases provides clinical consultation for Infectious Disease problems to children hospitalized at Stony Brook University Hospital and to those in the community on an ambulatory basis.   In addition, the Division conducts clinical research in two distinct tracks: 1) federally funded clinical HIV/AIDS trials, and 2) industry sponsored pharmaceutical trials.   The division currently receives more HIV/AIDS research funding than any other hospital or organization on Long Island and is both the Designated AIDS Center and the Regional Perinatal Center for Suffolk County.   In addition, the Division is one of only nine Centers of Excellence in Pediatric Care in the state as designated by the New York State Department of Health, AIDS Institute.   The multi-disciplinary Division consists of two attending physicians, two Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellows, a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, an Obstetric Nurse Practitioner and a Nurse Practitioner of Psychiatry, registered nurses, social workers, a nutritionist and a treatment advocate. The Division has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Child Health and Development (NICHD) as a Pediatric and Obstetric AIDS Clinical Trials Group (PACTG) since 1992, and is the only organization in Nassau or Suffolk County providing access to the latest federally funded HIV/AIDS research.   The Division is currently conducting 22 pediatric and obstetric medication/treatment protocols as well as a longitudinal quality of life study of perinatally HIV-infected children. The Division is the lead program for a National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) to funded project to study “Psychiatric Comorbidity in Perinatally-Infected Children with HIV” which is being conducted at 35 PACTG sites across the country.   The Division also receives funding from the Ryan White C.A.R.E. Act Titles I and II to provide HIV-specific pediatric care, supportive, psychological, treatment advocacy and nutritional services, and is the only recipient of Ryan White C.A.RE. Act Title IV funding in Nassau or Suffolk Counties and of funding from the Suffolk Project for AIDS Resource Coordination (SPARC).   SPARC is the community based component of the Division whose mission is to improve coordination of HIV/AIDS services and enhance access to services for HIV-infected women, infants and children, including access to HIV/AIDS clinical trials.   The SPARC project began as a pilot program with one staff funded at $70,000 in 1995; it has grown to a staff of 15 funded at over $833,000 and has become a model among Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) projects across the nation.

The addition of a new Attending Physician, Dr. Salma Syed in September, 2006 (replacing Dr. Lucy Pontrelli who left to assume the chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Maimonides Medical Center), has allowed the Division to expand both clinical and research opportunities. The Division is currently conducting 8 pharmaceutical vaccine and antibiotic trials for treatment of a variety of pediatric issues. Dr. Nachman’s activities and expertise in this area was recognized recently (3/07) by her receipt of the Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) award for her outstanding contributions to the development of life-saving vaccines and antibiotics for children.  

Outpatient Schedule:   xxxxxxxxxxxx

Contact Number: 631-444-7692

Appointments:    631-444-KIDS