Naomi Gunawardena, MD
Locations: Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care, Middleman Family Pavilion
About Naomi Gunawardena, MD
Titles
Attending Physician
Certifications
Pediatrics – American Board of Pediatrics
Awards and Honors
2024, Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies Trainee Abstract Achievement Award
2022-present, NIH T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in Hematology
2017, Gold Humanism Honor Society
2016, American Society of Hematology Abstract Achievement Award
2016, American Society of Hematology HONORS Award
2014, National Institutes of Health (NIH) T35 Summer Student in Hematology
2012-2013, Carnegie Mellon University Mortar Board Senior Honor Society
2012, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Summer Scholar
2011, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Summer Researcher
2009-2013, Mellon College of Science Dean’s List with High Honors
Leadership and Memberships
2024-present, Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies
2017-present, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
2014-present, American Society of Hematology (ASH)
Education & training
Medical Degree
MD - University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
Residency
Pediatrics - UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Fellowship
Hematology/Oncology - Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Transfusion Medicine - Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Publications
Publications
2024
Naomi Gunawardena, Stella T Chou. Generation of red blood cells from induced pluripotent stem cells. Curr Opin Hematol. 2024 Feb 14. doi: 10.1097/MOH.0000000000000810. Epub 2024 May 1. PMID: 38362913.
2022
Lynch H, Beslow L, Treat J, Corcoran A, Lin Jenny, Gunawardena N, Maris J, Behrens E. Paraneoplastic myasthenia gravis and pemphigus associated with follicular dendritic cell sarcoma leading to cardiorespiratory collapse in a 7-year-old. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2022 Apr 29;e29723.
2021
Gunawardena N, McCormick M, Liu, YC, Ritchey AK. Cure of Concomitant Acute Myeloid Leukemia and a Mast Cell Proliferation in a Patient with Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome. Case report. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2021 Aug;68(8):e29012. Epub 2021 Mar 31.
Abstracts (includes Posters and Scientific Presentations)
2024
Naomi Gunawardena, Julia Mewha, Jade Neverson, Stella Chou. Complication rates in patients with sickle cell disease on hydroxyurea managed with or without pre-anesthesia transfusion. Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies Annual Meeting. October 2024.
Julia Mewha, David F. Friedman, Naomi Gunawardena, Shaimaa Makrm, Gorka Ochoa, Sunitha Vege, Connie M. Westhoff, Stella T. Chou. Decreased Mismatched Red Cell Antigen Exposure in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease Receiving Units from Black and Hispanic Donors. Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies Annual Meeting. October 2024.
2023
Naomi Gunawardena, Hyun Hyung An, Sara Kumar, Deborah French, Stella Chou. Improving proliferation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived red blood cells. NHLBI Progenitor Cell Translational Consortium (PCTC) Annual Meeting. March 2023.
Naomi Gunawardena MD, Julia Mewha BS, Jade Neverson BS and Stella Chou MD. Pre-Anesthesia Transfusion and Peri-Procedure Complications in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease on Hydroxyurea. American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting. December 2023.