Safar Center T32 Fellow Jay Rakkar

Dr. Jay Rakkar received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He completed his M.D. at Medical College of Georgia and then traveled to Phoenix, AZ for his pediatrics residency training at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Pursuing his interest in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Dr. Rakkar then entered Pediatric Critical Care Medicine fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP). To fully utilize the resources and mentorship at CHP, Dr. Rakkar elected to pursue T32 postdoctoral scholar fellowship. Dr. Rakkar continues his research in the Department of Critical Care Medicine and the Safar Center for Resuscitation Research under the mentorship of Drs. Robert Clark, Gilles Clermont, Christopher Horvat, Patrick Kochanek, and Dennis Simon. His research focuses on traumatic brain injury with emphasis on intracranial compliance and developing a clinical tool for measuring intensity of therapies utilized for ICP management. He also works closely with Dr. Jana Kainerstorfer (CMU) to evaluate clinical efficacy of a non-invasive tool for ICP measurement. In addition to clinical research, Dr. Rakkar is also active in various QI projects that seek to optimize clinical education and safety by utilization of electronic apps.

MEDICAL EDUCATION & TRAINING

HONORS & AWARDS

• Poster winner at the 2020 Rita M. Patel Leadership Conference, February 2020
• Resident of the Month Award, March 2017
• Medical Scholars Program Award, 2012
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting Travel Award, 2011
• Provisional Patent, MitraRestore, 2011
• Georgia Tech Inventure Prize Semifinalist, MitraRestore, 2011
• BMEidea Contest, MitraRestore, 2011
• Dean’s List, 2008, 2010 – 2011
• Alpha Eta Mu Beta Conference Award, 2010
• President’s Undergraduate Research Travel Award, 2010
• Faculty Honors, 2007 & 2009
• Siemens Westinghouse Competition Semifinalist, Optimization of funds for Guinea worm eradication, 2005

PRESENTATIONS & POSTERS

• Jaskaran Rakkar, MD; Michael Wolf, MD; Dennis Simon, MD; Patrick Kochanek, MD, MCCM; Gilles Clermont, MD; Robert Clark, MD, FCCM; Christopher Horvat, MD. “Electronic Pediatric Intensity Level of Therapy Score to Predict Mortality in ICP- Monitored Patients”. 2020 Critical Care Congress – Society of Critical Care Medicine. Orlando, FL.
• Michael Wolf, MD; Jaskaran Rakkar, MD; Christopher Horvat, MD; Dennis Simon, MD; Patrick Kochanek, MD, MCCM; Gilles Clermont, MD; Robert Clark, MD, FCCM. “Dynamic Assessment of Intracranial Compliance in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Proof of Concept”. 2020 Critical Care Congress – Society of Critical Care Medicine. Orlando, FL.
• Jaskaran Rakkar, MD; Eleanor Sharp, MD; Alicia Au, MD, MS; Rajesh Aneja, MD. “Development of a Mobile Application to Optimize Parenteral Nutrition in Pediatric Patients”. 2020 Rita M. Patel Leadership Conference. Pittsburgh, PA.
• Alexander Ruesch, BS; Samantha Schmitt, BS; Jason Yang, BS; Deepshikha Acharya, BS; Jaskaran Rakkar, MD; Michael Wolf, MD; Michael Mcdowell, MD; Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara, MD, PhD; Robert Clark, MD, FCCM; Matthew Smith, PhD; Jana Kainerstorfer, PhD. “Intracranial pressure estimated non-invasively in non-human primates and pediatric critical care”. SPIE Photonics West – BiOS 2020. San Francisco, CA.
• Jackie Calhoun, MSN, RN, CPNP-AC, CCRN; Jaskaran Rakkar, MD; Rajesh Aneja, MD; Kyle Soltys, MD. “Development of Post-Operative Liver Transplant Pathways”. 2019 National Healthcare Quality Week at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, PA.
• Jaskaran Rakkar, MD.”Button Battery Ingestion in Children”. 2019 Fall Timely Trauma Topic Conference at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, PA.
• Rachel Neville, MD; Dana Delaney, MD; Jaskaran Rakkar, MD; Jennifer Hall, MD; Adam Farmer, MD; Adam Frischknecht, MD; Erica Bohmer, MD; James Chang, MD; Katie Norris, MD; Jennifer Farabaugh, Brett Hurliman, MD; Kristen Samaddar, MD. “SPACE to Grow: Screening Patients for Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Determinants of Health”. 2018 Phoenix Children’s Quality Day. Phoenix, AZ.
• Elizabeth G. NeSmith, PhD, ACNP-BC; Jaskaran Rakkar, BS; Regina S. Medeiros, DNP, MHSA, CCRN; Colville H.B. Ferdinand, MD, FACS; Steven B. Holsten, Jr., MD, FACS; Saera Kim, BS. “Differences in the immune response to poly-trauma in the Emergency Department: Could stress be responsible?”. 2014 3rd International Cairo University Faculty of Nursing Conference: “Nursing Specialties based on Community Needs: Challenges and Opportunities”. Cairo, Egypt.
• Elizabeth G. NeSmith, PhD, ACNP-BC; Jaskaran Rakkar, BS; Regina S. Medeiros, DNP, MHSA, CCRN; Colville H.B. Ferdinand, MD, FACS; Steven B. Holsten, Jr., MD, FACS; Haidong Zhu, MD, PhD; Yanbin Dong, MD, PhD. “Optimizing health by determining factors associated with differences in baseline inflammation and susceptibility to sepsis in complex poly- trauma patients to prevent poor outcomes”. 2014 Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science. Washington, DC.
• Elizabeth G. NeSmith, PhD, ACNP-BC; Regina S. Medeiros, DNP, MHSA, CCRN; Colville H.B. Ferdinand, MD, FACS; Steven B. Holsten, Jr., MD, FACS; Yanbin Dong, MD, PhD; Haidong Zhu, MD, PhD; Jaskaran Rakkar, BS. “Health Disparities in Acute Outcomes of Life-Threatening Injury: Potential Mechanisms and Implications for Nursing Practice and Research”. 2013 International Conference on Nursing & Emergency Medicine. Las Vegas, NV.
• Elizabeth G. NeSmith, PhD, ACNP-BC; Jaskaran Rakkar, BS; Regina S. Medeiros, DNP, MHSA, CCRN; Colville H.B. Ferdinand, MD, FACS; Steven B. Holsten, Jr., MD, FACS; Christopher Hogan, MD; Michael L. Hawkins, MD, FACS; Keith F. O’Malley, MD, FACS; Saera Kim, BS; John D. Catravas, PhD. “Baseline Immunological Disparities in African American and Caucasian Trauma Patients”. 2013 Society of Trauma Nurses Annual Conference. Las Vegas, NV.
• Jaskaran Rakkar, BS; Saera Kim, BS; Elizabeth G. NeSmith, PhD, ACNP-BC. “Evaluation of Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) in increasing susceptibility to sepsis and organ failure following trauma in minorities”. 2012 Medical Scholars Program. Augusta, GA.
• Jaskaran Rakkar, BS; David V. LaBorde, MD, Jennifer M. Takesaka, MD; Steven D. Culler, PhD; Fadi B. Nahab, MD. “Risk Factors associated with 30-day readmission vary among stroke subtypes”. 2012 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA.
• David LaBorde MD; Jaskaran Rakkar, BS; Nathaniel Bloodworth BS. “Time-trend analysis of patient transfers to a neurosurgical service at a tertiary care facility in the southeastern United States”. 2011 Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting. Washington, DC.
• Jaskaran Rakkar; Nathaniel C. Bloodworth; David V. LaBorde, MD. “Retrospective analysis of the catchment area and referral trends for transfers to a neurosurgical service at a tertiary care facility in the southeastern United States”. 2011 Georgia Neurosurgical Society Annual Spring Meeting. Sea Island, GA.
• Jaskaran Rakkar; Klaus Mewes, PhD; Christine D. Esper, MD; Mahlon R. DeLong, MD; Robert E. Gross, MD, PhD. “Macrostimulation through the Microelectrode Guide Cannula During DBS Implantation”. 2010 Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting. Austin, TX.