Catherine M. Gordon

Last updated
Catherine M. Gordon
Alma mater University of North Carolina
Harvard Medical School
North Carolina State University
Scientific career
Institutions Boston Children’s Hospital
Baylor College of Medicine
Texas Children's Hospital National Institutes of Health

Catherine Mason Gordon is an American pediatrician who is clinical director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

Contents

Early life and education

Gordon was an undergraduate student at the North Carolina State University, where she studied biochemistry. She moved to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her medical degree. After graduating with honors, Gordon moved to Boston. [1] She was a medical resident in pediatrics at the Boston Children's Hospital and served as Chief of Adolescent Medicine. [1] After completing her residency, Gordon was appointed a research fellow in adolescent medicine, working under Norman Spack who founded the first pediatric transgender program in the US. She was particularly interested in reproductive endocrinology and bone health. [1] She completed two graduate degrees at Harvard Medical School, focusing on public health and clinical investigation. [2]

Research and career

As an attending physician at the Boston Children's Hospital, Gordon started working on bone loss in women with anorexia nervosa. [3] [4] Patients with anorexia often suffer from weak bones, and Gordon pioneered hormonal treatments to restore bone strength. [3] She founded the hospital's bone health program, [5] making use of peripheral quantitative computed tomography and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to establish guidelines for densitometry measurements. In 2018, Gordon joined the Board of NEJM Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. [6] She was appointed to the Council of the American Pediatric Society in 2020. [7]

Gordon was appointed Pediatrician-in-Chief at the Texas Children's Hospital and Chair of Pediatric Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in 2021. [1] She was the first woman to be elected Pediatrician-in-Chief and, at the time, one of only three women "in-Chiefs" of US News & World Report Honor Roll hospitals. [8] She looked to form partnerships with middle and high schools around Houston [1] and launched a women's health event focused on providing information about puberty, digital safety and vaccines. [9]

In May 2022, through Gordon’s perspective piece “Caught in the Middle: The Care of Transgender Youth in Texas”, the American Academy of Pediatrics exposed concerns regarding practicing pediatric endocrinology in Texas under Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. [10] Gordon was escorted out of her office and forced to resign from Texas Children’s Hospital shortly thereafter. [11]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gordon highlighted the impact of the virus on the mental health of children and adolescents. In particular, she emphasized the need for parents to be aware of the signs of eating disorders in children. Whilst eating disorders primarily impact teenagers, Gordon identified that the disruption in routines and isolation during the pandemic had caused eating disorders in children under the age of ten. [12]

Gordon joined the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health in 2023. She serves as the Clinical Director of the Division of Intramural Research, and runs the Adolescent Bone & Body Composition Laboratory, which seeks to understand factors during adolescence that impact bone density and skeletal strength during the adult years. [13]

Awards and honors

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Texas Children's Pediatrician-In-Chief: A candid conversation with Dr. Catherine Gordon". Texas Children's Hospital People. 2021-10-14. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  2. ↑ "Catherine Gordon | Harvard Catalyst Profiles | Harvard Catalyst". connects.catalyst.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  3. 1 2 3 "Two Children's Hospital Boston researchers win top presidential awards". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  4. ↑ "Catherine Gordon | Boston Children's Hospital". www.childrenshospital.org. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  5. ↑ "Catherine Gordon, MD, MSc". MTMI. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  6. ↑ "NEJM Journal Watch: Summaries of and commentary on original medical and scientific articles from key medical journals". www.jwatch.org. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  7. 1 2 "2020 APS Election Results – American Pediatric Society" . Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  8. ↑ "Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine name Dr. Catherine M. Gordon new Pediatrician-in-Chief and Chair of Pediatrics". TMC News. 2021-04-06. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  9. ↑ Shalchi, Homa (5 April 2022). "Girls Elevated "Metamorphosis" returns for a virtual experience".
  10. ↑ "Caught in the Middle: The Care of Transgender Youth in Texas".
  11. ↑ Gill, Julian. "Houston pediatric chief's abrupt exit triggers fear, disappointment within transgender community". Houston Chronicle.
  12. ↑ Fairbank, Rachel (2022-03-16). "How To Recognize Signs of an Eating Disorder in Kids And Teens".
  13. ↑ "Catherine Gordon Lab: Adolescent Bone & Body Composition Laboratory | NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development". www.nichd.nih.gov. 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  14. ↑ "The Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award, 1966-2019". College of Engineering. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  15. ↑ "Past Award Recipients – Society for Pediatric Research" . Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  16. ↑ "Award Winners". my.iscd.org. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  17. ↑ "Awards and Honors – SAHM". www.adolescenthealth.org. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  18. ↑ "Outstanding Achievement in Adolescent Health and Medicine – SAHM". www.adolescenthealth.org. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
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