Pediatric Research: Hospital Medicine

Our Team

Maribeth B. Chitkara, MD
Division Chief, Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Rachel Boykan, MD
Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Pediatrics
Josette Bianchi-Hayes, MD
Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Pediatrics
Lisa Wilks-Gallo, MD
Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Pediatrics
Candice M. Foy, MD
Pediatrics

Maribeth Chitkara, MD

Research Interests

Main research interests are regarding undergraduate and graduate medical education, implementation and assessment of novel curricula in medical education, as well as quality of pediatric inpatient care.

Summary

Maribeth Chitkara is the Chief of Pediatric Hospital Medicine at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University as well as the Director of Undergraduate Medical Education at Stony Brook Children’s.  She has an academic interest in medical education, evidence-based medicine and the care of the hospitalized and medically complex pediatric patient.

Rachel Boykan, MD

Research Interest

Overall research interests include prevention of second and third hand tobacco smoke and aerosol, vaping prevention and cessation in teens; resident education.

Summary

Rachel Boykan is a pediatric hospitalist and Associate Pediatric Residency Director. Her work has focused on addressing tobacco use of patients admitted to the hospital, and admitted patients’ families/caregivers who smoke/vape. In addition to this work in the inpatient setting, she has partnered with Alison Eliscu (Adolescent Medicine) to address vaping in the outpatient setting and in Suffolk County school districts. As a member of the Stony Brook Nicotine Cessation Workgroup, Dr. Boykan is currently exploring potential partnerships with others to address tobacco use in Suffolk County shelters and the Shinnecock Nation in Eastern Long Island. She looks for opportunities to engage residents in her work, sometimes in collaboration with MPH students and medical students.

Josette Bianchi-Hayes, MD

Research Interests

The relationship between asthma and increased weight status, leveraging technology to support children with increased weight and asthma, physician wellness

Summary

Josette Bianchi-Hayes is a pediatric hospitalist here at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, The Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. She has an interest in the relationship between children with co-morbid increased weight status and asthma, how to leverage technology to support children with increased weight status and asthma, and healthcare utilization for these populations. She also has a strong interest in physician wellness, especially in the context of COVID-19. She currently serves as the director of the Dept of Pediatric Residency Research and Scholarship program and is the chair of the Resident 

Lisa Wilks-Gallo, MD

Research Interests

Medical Ethics, Communication in Medicine, Inpatient clinical Pediatrics, Psychosocial impact of hospitalization

Summary

Lisa Wilks-Gallo is a Pediatric Hospitalist here at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, The Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. She has a broad interest in all clinical aspects of inpatient Pediatric medicine and a particular interest in Medical Ethics. Dr. Wilks-Gallo is a member of the Stony Brook Medicine Institutional Ethics Committee and a member of the Ethics Consult Service. She has an interest in the psychosocial impact of hospitalization and an interest in how communication in medicine impacts the patient experience and quality of care.

Candice Foy, MD

Research Interests

Quality Improvement – including projects on intradisciplinary team communication, medication reconciliation, and medication errors; care of medically complex children; medical student and resident education.

Summary

Candice Foy is a pediatric hospitalist at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, The Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and is also the Director of the Pediatric Resident Quality Improvement Curriculum. She has a particular interest in using QI methodology in decreasing medication errors, and has led projects on improving medication reconciliation and medication ordering procedures. She also has an interest in research on medically complex children, specifically their long-term outcomes.

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