Lizabeth Lanford Kennard, MD

  • Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Lanford been an active member in the Division of Cardiology for approximately 25 years. She is active in the Echocardiography Laboratory and in caring for cardiac patients. She has significant experience in inpatient care, but now is primarily involved in the care of outpatients. Lanford has a special interest and expertise in caring for single ventricle and complex cardiac patients. Her patient population includes newborns up to young adults that she has cared for throughout their lifetime. Lanford is a frequently sought out resource for the fellows, junior faculty and coworkers in the management in these patients. 

Lanford’s imaging skills are in transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography. She enjoys the challenge of figuring out the complex anatomy and physiology of a patient based on their echocardiogram. Dr. Lanford teaches, challenges and mentors sonographers, fellows, and junior faculty to develop their skill sets to image and care for cardiac patients. She has been a presenter at multiple UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Heart Institute Master Classes in Congenital Cardiac Morphology. 

Lanford is also an active participant in the administrative side of the Echo Laboratory. She will take on the role of Interim Echocardiography Laboratory Director in August 2020. 

Her research interests are primarily in echocardiographic imaging and in the single ventricle population. 

Professional and Scientific Society Memberships

  • American Society of Echocardiography, 1995-2008, 2012-Present

Education & Training

  • BA, Physics, Harvard College, 1984
  • MD, University of California at San Diego, 1988
  • MS, University of Michigan Ann Arbor School of Public Health, 1995
  • Internship/Residency in Pediatrics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 1988-1991
  • Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology, University of Michigan Medical Center, 1992-1995

Selected Publications

Turner Z, Lanford L, Webber S. Oral Budesonide as a Therapy for Protein-Losing Enteropathy in Patients Having Undergone Fontan Palliation. Congenit Heart Dis. 2012 Jan-Feb; 7(1):24-30. PubMed PMID: 22129195. (helped find and recruit patients for review, and contributed to editing the manuscript)

Krishnamurti L, Lanford L, Munoz R. Life threatening Parvovirus B29 and Herpes Simplex virus associated acute myocardial dysfunction in a child with homozygous sickle cell disease. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2007 Dec;49(7):1019-21. PMID: 16700044. (cardiology resource, contributed to editing the manuscript)

Ambrusko SJ, Gunawardena S, Sakara A, Windsor B, Lanford L, Mechelson P, Krishnamurti L. Elevation of tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity, a marker for pulmonary hypertension in children with sickle cell disease. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2006 Dec;47(7):907-13. PMID: 16496290. (cardiology resource, helped develop measurements, performed study measurements, and contributed to editing the manuscript)

Reddy SC, Fenton Km, Gandhi SK, Lanford LM, Pigula F. Intrapericardial teratoma in a neonate. Ann Thorac Surg. 2003 Aug;76(2):626. PMID: 2153554. (obtained the cardiac imaging, helped create images for publication, contributed to editing the manuscript)

Full Publication List via NIH PubMed »

Academic and Research Interests

  • Clinical management of single ventricle patients
  • Pulmonary venous anomalies in infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome
  • Pulsatile flow hemodynamics
  • In vitro study of fluid dynamics using Doppler ultrasonography
  • Cardiac abnormalities especially pulmonary hypertension in children with sickle cell disease