Dr. Claud is a physician scientist who intended to be a full time clinician but discovered a passion for answering questions through laboratory investigation. She is committed to the questions being explored in her laboratory but also to encouraging medical students and trainees to consider research as an essential and feasible means of improving patient care.
Dr. Claud is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology, and the Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology. She received her combined undergraduate and medical degree at Northwestern University through the six year Honors Program in Medical Education, and then completed her Residency in Pediatrics at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. After spending 18 months in rural Kenya as a missionary physician, she returned to Chicago to complete her Neonatology Fellowship at Children’s Memorial Hospital.
Following her clinical fellowship she was recruited to Harvard Medical School where she held a clinical position at The Boston Children’s Hospital and completed a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. She joined the faculty of the University of Chicago in 2004. She is NIH funded to investigate the role of microbes in intestinal development of the preterm infant and leads the MIND (Microbiome in Neonatal Development) cohort. The interaction between the intestine and its resident microbiota is a complex relationship with risk and benefit for the host. Perturbations in environmental cues or altered patterns of microbial selection can affect health and increase risk of disease in susceptible individuals. The simple microbial communities and limited environmental variation of the preterm infant provide a unique model in which to investigate microbial perturbations. Her laboratory utilizes state-of-the-art experimental approaches including: 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomic analyses of the microbiome, gnotobiotic mouse models, rodent models of Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis, as well as cell culture models of immature and mature intestine to investigate the health impact of the microbiome on health outcomes of preterm infants.
She is co-director of the Basic Science Track within the Scholarship and Discovery Program of the Pritzker School of Medicine and Faculty Co-Chair Pritzker School of Medicine Summer Research Program. She is also Director of Neonatology Research and a member of the Faculty Leadership Cabinet for the Duchossois Family Institute.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Research Fellowship
2003
Children's Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL
Fellowship - Neonatology
2000
Children's Memorial Hospital
Chicago, IL
Internship and Residency - Pediatrics
1993
Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, IL
MD - Medicine
1990
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
BS - Medicine
1988
Associations between fentanyl exposure, gut microbiome and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants.
Associations between fentanyl exposure, gut microbiome and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants. Pediatr Res. 2026 Jun 23.
PMID: 42337031
Maternal trans-vaccenic acid shapes neonatal T cell development and early-life immune imprinting.
Maternal trans-vaccenic acid shapes neonatal T cell development and early-life immune imprinting. Science. 2026 Jun 18; 392(6804):eaea4041.
PMID: 42313977
Fecal Microbiome and Bile Acid Profiles Differ in Preterm Infants with Parenteral Nutrition-associated Cholestasis.
Fecal Microbiome and Bile Acid Profiles Differ in Preterm Infants with Parenteral Nutrition-associated Cholestasis. J Clin Transl Hepatol. 2025 Dec 28; 13(12):1036-1045.
PMID: 41473253
Early-life gut microbiome maturity regulates blood-brain barrier and cognitive development.
Early-life gut microbiome maturity regulates blood-brain barrier and cognitive development. Gut Microbes. 2025 12; 17(1):2551879.
PMID: 40886152
Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on early life gut microbiome.
Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on early life gut microbiome. Gut Microbes. 2025 12; 17(1):2443117.
PMID: 41411654
Maternal gestational diabetes mellitus associates with altered gut microbiome composition and head circumference abnormalities in male offspring.
Maternal gestational diabetes mellitus associates with altered gut microbiome composition and head circumference abnormalities in male offspring. Cell Host Microbe. 2024 07 10; 32(7):1192-1206.e5.
PMID: 38955186
A digital twin of the infant microbiome to predict neurodevelopmental deficits.
A digital twin of the infant microbiome to predict neurodevelopmental deficits. Sci Adv. 2024 04 12; 10(15):eadj0400.
PMID: 38598636
Microbiome function and neurodevelopment in Black infants: vitamin B12 emerges as a key factor.
Microbiome function and neurodevelopment in Black infants: vitamin B12 emerges as a key factor. Gut Microbes. 2024 Jan-Dec; 16(1):2298697.
PMID: 38303501
Necrotizing Enterocolitis and the Preterm Infant Microbiome.
Necrotizing Enterocolitis and the Preterm Infant Microbiome. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2024; 1449:29-41.
PMID: 39060729
Correction to: A randomized controlled trial of oropharyngeal therapy with mother's own milk for premature infants.
Correction to: A randomized controlled trial of oropharyngeal therapy with mother's own milk for premature infants. J Perinatol. 2023 Aug; 43(8):1084.
PMID: 36646823
The Inaugural Peter Huttenlocher Award for Scholarly Excellence
The University of Chicago
2018
Elected to American Pediatrics Society
2014
The George M Eisenberg Foundation for Charities Excellence in Pediatrics Award
The University of Chicago
2014
March of Dimes Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Award
2009 - 2011
Elected to Society for Pediatric Research
2005
Frederick M. Kenny Award in Pediatric Research
1997
Alpha Omega Alpha
1989
Honors Program in Medical Education
Northwestern University
1984 - 1990