EARLY CAREER INVESTIGATOR SPOTLIGHT
What are your research goals?
Dr. Otto: My research is based on the hypothesis that infections in immunocompromised children arise from identifiable clinical, microbial, and host-microbiome risk factors. I aim to leverage large-scale clinical data to better characterize the epidemiology of these infections and develop dynamic prediction models that incorporate changes in a patient's clinical course over time. Ultimately, this work is intended to support targeted infection-prevention strategies and more judicious use of antimicrobial and antifungal therapies in this vulnerable population.
How are you involved with the RDCRN?
Dr. Otto: I am involved with the RDCRN through PFN-STRIDE. I serve as a co-investigator at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, a participating PFN-STRIDE enrolling site. I am also the recipient of a PFN-STRIDE Pilot Grant for my project, "Building Computable Phenotypes for Invasive Mold Infections in Immunocompromised Children Using Epic Cosmos." Through this project, I am developing and validating computable phenotypes for aspergillosis, mucormycosis, and fusariosis in immunocompromised children using Epic Cosmos. I will also compare and validate the Cosmos-based phenotype definitions against a local reference cohort. This work will help establish scalable methods for identifying and studying rare invasive fungal diseases across large patient populations.
How does participating in the network support your long-term development?
Dr. Otto: Participation in PFN-STRIDE gives me support to expand my research into new areas, particularly the use of large-scale electronic health record data to study rare invasive fungal diseases. The network has connected me with collaborators and mentors with deep expertise in rare invasive fungal disease, and the infrastructure and preliminary data generated through this pilot are directly informing my next round of extramural grant applications. Being part of a national consortium focused on rare disease research has also reinforced the importance of scalable, multi-institutional approaches for studying conditions that are individually uncommon but collectively significant in this vulnerable population.
