Meet the 2024 Winner: Lena Xiao, MD, MSc, FRCPC 

Lena Xiao, MD, MSc, FRCPC is a Pediatric Respirologist and Sleep Physician at British Columbia Children’s Hospital (Vancouver, Canada) and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Xiao completed her Pediatric Respiratory Medicine fellowship as well as her Sleep Medicine and Long-term Ventilation fellowships at the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Canada). She earned her Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research at the University of Toronto in 2024. Dr. Xiao was mentored throughout her clinical and research training by mentees of Dr. Carole L. Marcus, highlighting the reach and impact of Dr. Marcus’s legacy.

Dr. Xiao’s research program evaluates the full spectrum of sleep disorders across diverse populations to improve health outcomes and healthcare experiences. Her research program is built upon three cross-cutting themes. The first theme is phenotyping childhood sleep disorders according to physiological and clinical characteristics. She is evaluating the health impacts and interactions between sleep-disordered breathing and sleep-related movement disorders as well as behavioral sleep disorders. The second theme is the evaluation of effective targeted therapeutics for sleep-disordered breathing. Her Master’s thesis was the first randomized crossover trial evaluating the efficacy of positional therapy in a pediatric population with medical complexity to treat positional obstructive sleep apnea, a distinct phenotype wherein airway obstruction occurs almost exclusively in supine sleep. The third theme is the patient-oriented evaluation of models of care for sleep-disordered breathing in children. Dr. Xiao is spearheading a Priority Setting Partnership to identify the top research questions for the respiratory care of people with neuromuscular disorders from the perspectives of patients, caregivers, and clinicians across Canada.

Dr. Xiao’s career goal is to improve the care of children with sleep disorders. She held national and international fellowship research funding awards including the American Thoracic Society Academic Sleep Pulmonary Integrated Research/Clinical Fellowship, the SickKids Clinician-Scientist Training Program Award, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Frederick Best and Charles Banting Canada Graduate Scholarships Master’s Award. She has received research funding as the principal investigator or co-principal investigator from Muscular Dystrophy Canada, International Pediatric Sleep Association, and the Baxter Corporation Endowment Fund for Home Care.

Description:

This award is intended to recognize the career accomplishments in the area of  pediatric sleep and respiratory neurobiology. This encompasses the areas of control of breathing, sleep mechanisms, and sleep-disordered breathing from a developmental standpoint, among infants, children, or adolescents. This may include research at the basic, translational, clinical, or population level, teaching, clinical care and/or development of new clinical programs to advance the care of children with sleep and breathing disorders. The award is intended to recognize a new investigator who is beyond formal training, but not yet fully established. It is not intended for well-established investigators. It is also not intended as recognition for a single project, but rather for overall accomplishments and future potential.

This award will be presented at the ATS International Conference. The awardee is expected to be present at the conference in order to receive the award, along with an honorarium of US $500. Eligible applicants should be members of the ATS. 

Criteria:

• The candidate must be a member of the ATS and hold a faculty appointment at a rank not higher than Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
• At least one nominating letter from a senior faculty person that details the candidate’s achievements and his/her contribution to the field of pediatric sleep and respiratory neurobiology
• The nominee’s curriculum vitae.
• Copies of any relevant publications.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Scientific and Scholarly Contributions/Products
• Teaching/Mentoring/Educational/Advocacy Contributions
• Participation in Assembly and other ATS Activities (Administrative, Committees, Workshops, etc.)
• Other considerations from recommendations including relevant extenuating circumstances
• Overall impact/impression of dossier submitted for award application
• Has not previously received an ATS Lifetime Achievement Award
• Nominees do not have to be current ATS members, but are expected to attend the SRN Assembly Reception at the ATS International Conference to receive the award

Contributions to the PEDS/ SRN Carole L. Marcus Award

Click here to contribute to the Carole L. Marcus Award. When making a contribution to the Foundation Contribution form, there’s a “Tribute/Memorial Gifts” dropdown option. Click on that option to make a gift “in memory of” Carole L. Marcus. In the box write in “Carole L. Marcus.”  Contributions should also be designated to the SRN or PEDS Assembly.

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