Faculty & Mentors
Our distinguished faculty are nationally recognized leaders in pediatric research, dedicated to mentoring the next generation of physician-scientists.
Program Faculty
Laurie Bailey, PhD, CCRC
Director, Pediatric Research Training Program
Research Training & Program Leadership
Dr. Bailey leads the PRTP with a commitment to excellence, collaboration, and inclusion. Under her direction, the program is executing its bold 2025–2029 Strategic Plan to become a national model for pediatric research education.
Throy Campbell, PhD
Research Scientist
Pediatric Research Mentorship
Dr. Campbell is a dedicated research mentor whose enthusiasm for trainee development is well known across the program. He believes deeply in the power of student-driven research to advance pediatric medicine.
Sarah Madison, PhD
Research Scientist
Pediatric Research Mentorship
Dr. Madison is an experienced mentor who finds collaborating with trainees an enriching and inspiring way to advance pediatric research. She is passionate about helping students discover their research niche and cultivate their professional identity.
Courtney Gilson
Associate Research Scientist
Research Administration
Ms. Gilson provides administration for the PRTP and coordinates student onboarding.
Meet Some of Our Mentors
The physicians below represent just three of the many exceptional mentors who make this program possible. Across specialties and institutions, our mentors share a common commitment: dedicating their time, expertise, and passion to training the next generation of pediatric clinicians and researchers.
Lane Lanier, MD
Pediatric Cardiac Intensivist
Dr. Lane Lanier is a pediatric cardiac intensivist at Cook Children's Medical Center, serving in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) caring for infants and children with critical congenital and acquired heart disease. He completed medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and a pediatric critical care residency/fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and is board-certified in pediatric cardiac critical care. At Cook Children's, he is part of the multidisciplinary team providing advanced postoperative and intensive care for complex cardiac patients.
Research Focus Areas
- Pediatric cardiac intensive care quality and safety – especially care of infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) in the CICU.
- Postoperative complications in CHD, including acute kidney injury (AKI) and pleural complications (pleural effusions, hemothorax, chylothorax, pneumothorax) after congenital heart surgery.
- Chest tube securement and complication reduction, studying how securement systems affect tube dislodgement, bleeding, infection, and patient comfort/sedation needs.
- Continuous physiologic monitoring and data-driven care in the cardiac ICU, integrating multi-parameter monitoring (e.g., hemodynamics, oxygenation) to optimize management of complex lesions such as single-ventricle physiology.
- Emerging technology, predictive analytics, and AI in CICU care – exploring how high-density monitoring data can support risk prediction and clinical decision support.
M. Scott Perry, MD
Medical Director of Neurology
Dr. M. Scott Perry is a pediatric epileptologist and Medical Director of Neurology at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, where he leads a large child neurology and epilepsy program. He joined Cook Children's in 2009 as a pediatric epileptologist, served as Medical Director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex clinic, and later became Head of Neurosciences at the Jane and John Justin Institute for Mind Health. In 2024 he also became Vice President of Faculty Development for the Cook Children's Physician Network. Nationally, he is recognized for expertise in rare genetic epilepsies and epilepsy surgery, and serves in leadership roles with organizations such as the LGS Foundation and Child Neurology Foundation.
Research Focus Areas
- Treatment of childhood-onset epilepsy, particularly in children with uncontrolled or treatment-resistant seizures or where the etiology is initially unknown.
- Epilepsy surgery – use of surgical therapies to treat and potentially cure epilepsy, including careful patient selection and outcome assessment.
- Multimodal imaging to localize seizure onset, combining techniques such as structural and functional imaging with EEG to identify epileptogenic zones.
- Outcome prediction in surgical epilepsy, describing patient and disease characteristics that predict favorable results after epilepsy surgery.
- Genetic epilepsies and developmental epileptic encephalopathies, including rare genetic epilepsy syndromes, and developing precision treatment approaches for these patients.
- Comprehensive neuroscience care models, integrating epilepsy with behavioral health, developmental psychology, autism, and related neurologic conditions within the Justin Institute.
Sam Selby, DO
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Sam Selby, DO is an associate professor of pediatrics at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) / UNT Health, and is board-certified in both pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine. He completed medical school at TCOM (class of 2012) and subsequently completed pediatrics residency and pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Arkansas Children's Hospital. At UNT, he has a significant role in undergraduate medical education, including assessment and feedback, and is cited as an associate professor involved in the development and implementation of Clinical Cadence, a competency-based evaluation resource for faculty.
Research Focus Areas
- Pediatric emergency medicine practice and education – as a board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physician, his clinical and scholarly work is anchored in the care of children in the emergency department.
- Medical education and competency-based assessment, including leadership in the launch of Clinical Cadence, which aims to improve narrative feedback quality, specialty-specific exemplars, and MSPE-ready evaluations.
What Our Trainees Say
The way I've always thought about my future in the decades to come is I'm going to be a physician doing clinical practice, but actually this year has made me realize that there's more out there that I can become. It's not just being a physician, but now being a physician researcher and I'm really excited for that.
Being part of the pediatric research program is my favorite thing I've done at TCOM. I was able to shadow Dr. Kasey Jackson with all of her patients, perform a few neuro exams, and complete a lot of research that was very meaningful to me. Those research hours and my research project can help make a difference. I want to listen to the patients and do everything that I can to support and improve their quality of life.
Mentorship Model
Physician Mentor
A senior clinician-investigator matched to your interests who provides clinical context for your project, integrates research with patient care, and offers day-to-day guidance on clinical decision-making, professionalism, and early career development.
Research Scientist Mentor
A masters- or doctoral-prepared research scientist who partners with you on study design, data management, and analysis, offers hands-on coaching in research methods and writing, and supports your progress toward abstracts, presentations, and manuscripts.
Peer Network
A cohort of fellow trainees who meet regularly for peer mentorship, collaborative problem-solving, and shared accountability, fostering a sense of community and belonging that sustains motivation throughout the program.