Gail Besner, MD, chief of Pediatric Surgery and principal investigator in the Center for Perinatal Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, was named the 2024 Allen Distinguished Scholar in Pediatric Research.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Gail Besner, MD, chief of Pediatric Surgery and principal investigator in the Center for Perinatal Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, was named the 2024 Allen Distinguished Scholar in Pediatric Research. The award is given in honor of former Nationwide Children’s CEO, Steve Allen, MD, and his role in growing the AWRI into a preeminent research institution.
“Dr. Besner’s leadership as a surgeon and an investigator at Nationwide Children’s is a tremendous example of our relentless pursuit of excellence,” says Dennis Durbin, MD, MSCE, president of AWRI. “This award recognizes her pioneering work in the Department of Surgery as a true academic leader.”
Dr. Besner’s research focuses on eliminating necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a debilitating and deadly condition affecting infants born preterm. In NEC cases, intestinal tissues become inflamed, and in severe cases, there is ischemia and death of the involved intestines. Treatment for NEC often involves surgery to remove the dying tissue.
“I am profoundly grateful for this recognition,” says Dr. Besner. “My career has been a series of fortunate events, guided by my dedication to making a change for children affected by NEC – a disease with devasting consequences and no known cure.”
Dr. Besner, who is also the H. William Clatworthy, Jr. Endowed Professor of Surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and her collaborators Steven Goodman, PhD, and Michael Bailey, PhD, both principal investigators in the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis at Nationwide Children’s, developed a novel probiotic delivery system that harnesses the durability of biofilms to improve the administration of probiotics to protect the intestines and the brain from injury. It has been licensed to Scioto Biosciences, where Drs. Besner, Goodman and Bailey are all scientific founders of the company.
Preclinical studies of the probiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri in its biofilm state to prevent NEC have all shown promising results, as the team continues to build the case for moving the technology into a clinical trial. But the platform technology developed by Dr. Besner and team is set to make an impact beyond the neonatal intensive care unit. The same similar probiotic formulation developed by the team has been tested in a clinical trial of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study confirmed the safety of probiotic biofilm administration and shows treatment-associated driven improvements in ASD test outcomes.
Dr. Besner has been part of Nationwide Children’s faculty since 1991, serving in a variety of leadership roles during her tenure. She has received numerous national awards, as have her mentees. Her students have received the Rosencrantz Resident Research Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Surgery and the Folkman Award from the American Pediatric Surgical Association multiple times. She received the 2021 Sheen Award from the American College of Surgeons, awarded to those on the frontier of medical science doing work with great promise, and the 2024 Daniel Drake medal from the University of Cincinnati, the highest recognition that the College bestows to those with outstanding achievements in biomedical science. She has eight issued patents, with an additional four pending.
About the Allen Scholar Award
In nearly 13 years as CEO, Steve Allen, MD, helped build Nationwide Children’s into a renowned pediatric research institution, including overseeing an increase from $41.7 million to $105.9 million in external research awards. Nationwide Children’s is currently ranked sixth in the country for National Institutes of Health funding among freestanding children’s hospitals.
In recognition of Dr. Allen’s role in the evolution of Nationwide Children’s as a leader in pediatric research and health care, Nationwide Children’s established the Steve Allen, MD, Distinguished Scholar in Pediatric Research award. The award is given to a preeminent Nationwide Children’s senior researcher for scientific innovation and achievement advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of childhood disease.
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 2023-24 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.