Patrick Gallagher, MD, Elected to Association of American Physicians

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) - Patrick Gallagher, MD, director of the Center for Perinatal Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, has been elected to the Association of American Physicians, one of the most prestigious physician-scientist societies worldwide. Dr. Gallagher is the first physician from Nationwide Children's to be elected to the association.

The Association of American Physicians is an honorific, elected medical society founded in 1885. Election to the association is an honor extended to physicians with outstanding credentials in basic or translational biomedical research and is a testament to physician-scientists who exemplify the pursuit of discovery and its application to clinical medicine.

"Dr. Gallagher's contributions to the field of perinatal research have been numerous and impactful," said Dennis Durbin, MD, president of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's. "This is a well-deserved honor, and for Dr. Gallagher to represent Nationwide Children's in a society that includes Nobel laureates and National Academy of Medicine members is evidence of our mission to continue advancing care for children through important research."

Dr. Gallagher's research integrates numerous fields of medicine, including perinatology, neonatology, genetics and hematology. Genetics of inherited blood disorders, especially those presenting in the fetus and newborn, have played a major role in Dr. Gallagher's research and clinical interests. Using complex genetic and molecular biology techniques, he identified the cause of severe recessive hereditary spherocytosis, a type of severe anemia, which led to better diagnosis and treatment of these patients. His current research aims to use genomics, transcriptomics and other advanced methods to better understand red blood cell development and several poorly understood inherited blood disorders. He is also involved in studies of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, the leading complication of prematurity.

Dr. Gallagher, who is also a professor of Pediatrics, Physiology and Cell Biology at The Ohio State University, is an active member of the Section of Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society of Hematology. He frequently serves on and chairs grant review panels including those for the National Institute of Health. Dr. Gallagher is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Perinatology, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Neonatal Perinatal Medicine and the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the American Society of Hematology journal Blood Red Cells and Iron. He is a member of the editorial boards for several journals, including the American Journal of Hematology and Blood Cells, Molecules, and Diseases. He served on the Editorial Board of Blood and the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

About The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report's 2025-26 list of "Best Children's Hospitals," Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of America's largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs are part of what allows Nationwide Children's to advance its unique model of care. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children's faculty train the next generation of pediatricians, scientists and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities in the U.S., supporting basic, clinical, translational, behavioral and population health research. The AWRI is comprised of multidisciplinary Centers of Emphasis paired with advanced infrastructure supporting capabilities such as technology commercialization for discoveries; gene- and cell-based therapies; and genome sequencing and analysis. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org/Research.

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