Biography
- Director of Research, Division of Emergency Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
- Director, Grainger Research Program in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
- Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
- Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
See Lurie Children's Provider Profile
As a pediatric emergency medicine clinician-scientist, Todd Florin, MD, MSCE, is a nationally recognized expert in the field of respiratory infectious diseases in the acute care setting. His work has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the Gerber Foundation. Dr. Florin’s research program aims to improve the diagnosis, management, and outcomes of children with common, serious infections, with a current focus on lower respiratory tract infections. He is the Principal Investigator of Catalyzing Ambulatory Research in Pneumonia Etiology and Diagnostic Innovations in Emergency Medicine (CARPE DIEM), a prospective cohort study of children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) with the overall objectives of using clinical and translational methodology to understand CAP pathophysiology, improve prediction of CAP severity, and enhance differentiation of CAP etiology. Current work centers on development of risk stratification tools and use of biomarkers to improve outcomes in children with pneumonia at the point-of-care. His work has also centered on resource utilization, variation in care, antimicrobial stewardship, and use of clinical trials to improve treatments for respiratory tract infections in children.
Dr. Florin is a past recipient of the Academic Pediatric Association Young Investigator Award, in addition to research awards from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, the Sections of Emergency Medicine and Hospital Medicine of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and mentorship awards from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He is Strategy and Operations Officer for the Society for Pediatric Research.
Education and Background
- Fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 2009-2012
- Chief Resident in Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 2008-2009
- Residency in Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 2005-2008
- MSCE, Perelman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania 2012
- MD, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 2005
- BA in Music, University of Rochester 2000
Research Highlights
PROCALCITONIN TO REDUCE ANTIBIOTIC USE IN PEDIATRIC PNEUMONIA (P-RAPP)
The long-term goal of this project is to evaluate the benefits and harms of antibiotics compared with placebo in low-risk young children with community-acquired pneumonia and a low procalcitonin, a biomarker that is typically low in viral infections where antibiotics are not required. This Clinical Trials Pilot Studies grant will conduct preliminary studies, including a randomized pilot trial at 3 sites, to finalize study procedures and evaluate the feasibility of a future large-scale clinical trial. These results will have a positive impact by providing a safe, objective, and timely strategy to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use in pneumonia, one of the most common infections in children and a leading cause of pediatric antibiotic use, thus improving individual and societal health by decreasing the development of antibiotic resistance and unnecessary adverse drug effects.
PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY RESEARCH NETWORK (PERN) PNEUMONIA STUDY
This global prospective cohort study of more than 2,500 children presenting to one of 69 emergency departments across 19 countries seeks to improve our understanding of the factors associated with pneumonia severity in children. In addition, Dr. Florin and the research team seek to understand the variability in how pediatric pneumonia is managed globally and evaluate the comparative effectiveness of various treatment strategies.
PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY RESEARCH NETWORK (PERN) COVID-19 STUDY
This global prospective cohort study enrolled more than 10,000 children with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection in 41 emergency departments across 10 countries. The goals of this study include understanding factors associated with severe outcomes in children with COVID-19, evaluating post-COVID conditions in children, and improving our understanding of the epidemiology of COVID-19 infection in children.
CATALYZING AMBULATORY RESEARCH IN PNEUMONIA ETIOLOGY AND DIAGNOSTIC INNOVATIONS IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE (CARPE DIEM)
CARPE DIEM is a prospective cohort study of more than 1140 children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) with the overall objectives of using clinical and translational methodology to understand CAP pathophysiology, improve prediction of CAP severity, and enhance differentiation of CAP etiology. Dr. Florin and the research team have linked extensive clinical data to a biorepostiory of blood, urine, and nasopharyngeal specimens. The team has developed diagnostic and prognostic clinical prediction models to improve clinical decision making, found that clinician gestalt is limited to predict severe outcomes in CAP, and that biomarkers, such as procalcitonin and proadrenomedullin, can be useful in risk stratification. Additional work has focused on the role of the physical examination in diagnosing and managing CAP, evaluating the utility of antibiotics in children with CAP, and the discovery of novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers using transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches. The overall goal is that the knowledge generated from this work will lead to practical strategies to improve care at the bedside for children with pneumonia.
Featured Grants
Procalcitonin to Reduce Antibiotic Use in Pediatric Pneumonia (P-RAPP)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
07/01/2020 → 06/30/2022
Metabolomic Prediction of Pneumonia Severity
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
04/01/2021 → 03/31/2023
IMPACCT: Infrastructure for Musculoskeletal Pediatric Acute Care Clinical Trials
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
09/01/2021 → 08/31/2026
