Robert M. Ward

Robert M. Ward, MD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Emeritus - Pediatrics

Divisions: Neonatology

Academic Office Information

Robert.Ward@hsc.utah.edu

Research Interests

  • Analgesics
  • Pharmacology, Clinical
  • Proton Pump Inhibitors
  • Methadone
  • Erythropoietin
  • Opioid-Related Disorders
  • Narcotics
  • Narcotic Antagonists

Robert Ward, MD is director of the Pediatric Pharmacology Program at the University of Utah School of Medicine and an attending neonatologist. He conducts studies of medications in pediatric patients and coordinates a group of clinical coordinators who assist other faculty with medication trials. His current studies involve analgesia in newborns and the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome as well as airway drug metabolism and its potential impact on asthma treatment in children.

Research Statement

<rte_p>Dr. Ward's research focuses on perinatal, neonatal and pediatric pharmacology as well as fetal urinary tract obstruction. Early studies focused on treatment for persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn and developmental cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology. From 1989-1997, he served as medical director of the Primary Children's Medical Center NICU. From 1997-2001, he chaired the AAP Committee on Drugs and participated in the drafting of the FDA Modernization Act, the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act and the Pediatric Research Equity Act. Since 1999, he has directed the University of Utah Pediatric Pharmacology Program that has coordinated over 70 pediatric studies of all classes of medications in over 900 pediatric patients by over 100 pediatric faculty. From 2003-2009, he served as PI for one of 13 U. S. sites in the NICHD Pediatric Pharmacology Research Unit network. His clinical studies in newborns have ranged from the kinetics of antimicrobials to the effectiveness and safety of proton pump inhibitors to the developmental pharmacology of narcotic analgesics. Along with Steven Kern, PhD and Ralph Lugo, PharmD, he helped design studies of inositol for the NICHD Neonatal Research Network. </rte_p>

Education History

Fellowship University of Minnesota
 Fellow
University of Minnesota Hospitals
 Fellow
Residency University of Minnesota Hospitals
 Resident
University of Minnesota
 Intern
Professional Medical Johns Hopkins University
 MD
Southern Methodist University
 BS

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Brion LP, Phelps DL, Ward RM, Nolen TL, Hallman NMK, Das A, Zaccaro DJ, Ball MB, Watterberg KL, Frantz ID 3rd, Cotten CM, Poindexter BB, Oh W, Lugo RA, Van Meurs KP, OShea TM, Zaterka-Baxter KM, Higgins RD, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network (2020). Blood myo-inositol concentrations in preterm and term infants. J Perinatol, 41(2), 247-254.
  2. Biltaji E, Enioutina EY, Yellepeddi V, Rower JE, Sherwin CMT, Ward RM, Lemons RS, Constance JE (2020). Supportive care medications coinciding with chemotherapy among children with hematologic malignancy. Leuk Lymphoma, 61(8), 1920-1931.
  3. Salaets T, Turner MA, Short M, Ward RM, Hokuto I, Ariagno RL, Klein A, Beauman S, Wade K, Thomson M, Roberts E, Harrison J, Quinn T, Baer G, Davis J, Allegaert K, International Neonatal Consortium (2019). Development of a neonatal adverse event severity scale through a Delphi consensus approach. Arch Dis Child, 104(12), 1167-1173.
  4. Wagstaff JS, Durrant RJ, Newman MG, Eason R, Ward RM, Sherwin CMT, Enioutina EY (2019). Antibiotic Treatment of Suspected and Confirmed Neonatal Sepsis Within 28 Days of Birth: A Retrospective Analysis. Front Pharmacol, 10, 1191.
  5. Ward RM, Varner MW (2019). Principles of Pharmacokinetics in the Pregnant Woman and Fetus. Clin Perinatol, 46(2), 383-398.
  6. Ward RM, Benjamin DK Jr, Davis JM, Gorman RL, Kauffman R, Kearns GL, Murphy MD, Sherwin CMT (2017). The Need for Pediatric Drug Development. J Pediatr, 192, 13-21.
  7. Constance JE, Reith D, Ward RM, Balch A, Stockmann C, Korgenski EK, Thorell EA, Sherwin CMT (2017). Risk of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-associated renal dysfunction among neonates diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus and treated with gentamicin. J Perinatol, 37(10), 1093-1102.
  8. Davis MD, Donn SM, Ward RM (2017). Administration of Inhaled Pulmonary Vasodilators to the Mechanically Ventilated Neonatal Patient. Paediatr Drugs, 19(3), 183-192.
  9. Ward RM, Benjamin D, Barrett JS, Allegaert K, Portman R, Davis JM, Turner MA (2016). Safety, dosing, and pharmaceutical quality for studies that evaluate medicinal products (including biological products) in neonates. Pediatr Res, 81(5), 692-711.
  10. Deering-Rice CE, Stockmann C, Romero EG, Lu Z, Shapiro D, Stone BL, Fassl B, Nkoy F, Uchida DA, Ward RM, Veranth JM, Reilly CA (2016). Characterization of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) Variant Activation by Coal Fly Ash Particles and Associations with Altered Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin-1 (TRPA1) Expression and Asthma. J Biol Chem, 291(48), 24866-24879.
  11. Dobson NR, Liu X, Rhein LM, Darnall RA, Corwin MJ, McEntire BL, Ward RM, James LP, Sherwin CM, Heeren TC, Hunt CE (2016). Salivary caffeine concentrations are comparable to plasma concentrations in preterm infants receiving extended caffeine therapy. Br J Clin Pharmacol, 82(3), 754-61.
  12. Phelps DL, Ward RM, Williams RL, Nolen TL, Watterberg KL, Oh W, Goedecke M, Ehrenkranz RA, Fennell T, Poindexter BB, Cotten CM, Hallman M, Frantz ID 3rd, Faix RG, Zaterka-Baxter KM, Das A, Ball MB, Lacy CB, Walsh MC, Carlo WA, Snchez PJ, Bell EF, Shankaran S, Carlton DP, Chess PR, Higgins RD (2016). Safety and pharmacokinetics of multiple dose myo-inositol in preterm infants. Pediatr Res, 80(2), 209-17.
  13. Yu T, Balch AH, Ward RM, Korgenski EK, Sherwin CM (2016). Incorporating pharmacodynamic considerations into caffeine therapeutic drug monitoring in preterm neonates. BMC Pharmacol Toxicol, 17(1), 22.
  14. Constance JE, Balch AH, Stockmann C, Linakis MW, Korgenski EK, Roberts JK, Ward RM, Sherwin CM, Spigarelli MG (2015). A propensity-matched cohort study of vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity in neonates. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed, 101(3), F236-43.
  15. Linakis MW, Roberts JK, Lala AC, Spigarelli MG, Medlicott NJ, Reith DM, Ward RM, Sherwin CM (2015). Challenges Associated with Route of Administration in Neonatal Drug Delivery. Clin Pharmacokinet, 55(2), 185-96.
  16. Roberts JK, Stockmann C, Ward RM, Beachy J, Baserga MC, Spigarelli MG, Sherwin CM (2015). Population Pharmacokinetics of Darbepoetin Alfa in Conjunction with Hypothermia for the Treatment of Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy. Clin Pharmacokinet, 54(12), 1237-44.
  17. Deering-Rice CE, Shapiro D, Romero EG, Stockmann C, Bevans TS, Phan QM, Stone BL, Fassl B, Nkoy F, Uchida DA, Ward RM, Veranth JM, Reilly CA (2015). Activation of Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin-1 by Insoluble Particulate Material and Association with Asthma. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, 53(6), 893-901.
  18. Baserga MC, Beachy JC, Roberts JK, Ward RM, DiGeronimo RJ, Walsh WF, Ohls RK, Anderson J, Mayock DE, Juul SE, Christensen RD, Loertscher MC, Stockmann C, Sherwin CM, Spigarelli MG, Yoder BA (2015). Darbepoetin administration to neonates undergoing cooling for encephalopathy: a safety and pharmacokinetic trial. Pediatr Res, 78(3), 315-22.
  19. Ward RM, Stiers J, Buchi K (2015). Neonatal medications. Pediatr Clin North Am, 62(2), 525-44.
  20. Roberts JK, Stockmann C, Balch A, Yu T, Ward RM, Spigarelli MG, Sherwin CM (2015). Optimal design in pediatric pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic clinical studies. Paediatr Anaesth, 25(3), 222-30.
  21. Ward RM, Sherwin CM (2014). Ethics of drug studies in the newborn. Paediatr Drugs, 17(1), 37-42.
  22. Ward RM, Sweeley J, Lugo RA (2015). Inositol Analysis by HPLC and Its Stability in Scavenged Sample Conditions. Med Chem (Los Angeles), 5(2), 077-80.
  23. Smits TA, Cox S, Fukuda T, Sherbotie JR, Ward RM, Goebel J, Vinks AA (2014). Effects of unbound mycophenolic acid on inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibition in pediatric kidney transplant patients. Ther Drug Monit, 36(6), 716-23.
  24. Ward RM, Kearns GL, Tammara B, Bishop P, OGorman MA, James LP, Katz MH, Maguire MK, Rath N, Meng X, Comer GM (2010). A multicenter, randomized, open-label, pharmacokinetics and safety study of pantoprazole tablets in children and adolescents aged 6 through 16 years with gastroesophageal reflux disease. J Clin Pharmacol, 51(6), 876-87.
  25. Stevenson DA, Pysher TJ, Ward RM, Carey JC (2006). Familial congenital non-immune hydrops, chylothorax, and pulmonary lymphangiectasia. Am J Med Genet A, 140(4), 368-72.

Editorial

  1. Ward RM, Sherwin CM (2016). Newborns still lack drug data to guide therapy. Br J Clin Pharmacol, 82(6), 1410-1411.

Letter

  1. Stockmann C, Reilly CA, Fassl B, Gaedigk R, Nkoy F, Stone B, Roberts JK, Uchida DA, Leeder JS, Sherwin CM, Spigarelli MG, Yost GS, Ward RM (2015). Effect of CYP3A5*3 on asthma control among children treated with inhaled beclomethasone. [Letter to the editor]. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 136(2), 505-7.