Denise Hasson, MD

I am a pediatric critical care doctor and physician–scientist whose mission is to provide the best-possible care to each child, young adult, and their families, as well as to improve care to all pediatric patients through translational research innovation. At Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, our team has the ability to take care of kids with a variety of diseases and conditions, including sepsis, respiratory failure, kidney failure, liver failure, and severe abnormalities in electrolytes and acid–base status. We also take care of those who need solid organ and bone marrow transplants and who require advanced lifesaving technologies such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

My research focuses on acute kidney injury (AKI), a condition that is common in the pediatric intensive care unit and that is associated with excess morbidity and mortality. I study risk factors for and mechanisms of AKI, evaluating whether a child’s diet and baseline nutritional status may contribute to its development and progression. My goal is to one day find a treatment to prevent or even cure AKI. In the meantime, my team and I lead a multicenter quality improvement project aimed at improving the way we treat kids at high risk for AKI via avoidance of fluid overload.