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Mary Ellen Vajravelu, MD, MSHP
- Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
- Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
Mary Ellen Vajravelu, MD, MSHP, is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology. She is a practicing pediatric endocrinologist at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh with clinical and research interests in pediatric insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, and she is an investigator within the Center for Pediatric Research in Obesity and Metabolism.
Vajravelu earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and completed medical school at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where she was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She completed residency in pediatrics and fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Motivated by the challenges of translating interventions into practice, Vajravelu completed a Master of Science in Health Policy Research degree with a concentration in Healthcare Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the University of Pennsylvania. She was the recipient of the Endocrine Society’s Early Investigator Award and NIH Loan Repayment Award. Prior to joining Pitt Pediatrics, Vajravelu was an instructor and assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and served as the Quality Improvement Director for the Division of Endocrinology & Diabetes at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Vajravelu’s research focuses on pediatric obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as the use of mobile health (mHealth) to improve patient care and health outcomes. With the support of an NIH NIDDK K23 Mentored Career Development Award, she is evaluating the impact of an mHealth-based physical activity intervention for adolescents and young adults with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Vajravelu also has expertise in the use of large datasets for assessing health outcomes. She enjoys mentoring trainees and collaborating with researchers across disciplines.
Professional and Scientific Society Memberships
- Pediatric Endocrine Society, 2015-Present
- Quality Improvement Committee, 2016-Present
- The Endocrine Society, 2015-Present
- Society for Pediatric Research, Junior Section, 2019-2023
- Eastern Society of Pediatric Research, 2017-2021
- The Obesity Society, 2021-Present
- American College of Sports Medicine, 2022-Present
- Society for Pediatric Research, Elected Member, 2023-Present
Education & Training
- BS, Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 2008
- MD, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 2012
- Residency in General Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2012-2015
- Fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2015-2018
- Fellowship in Healthcare Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Safety, University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2018-2018
- MSHP, University of Pennsylvania, 2018
Selected Publications
Vajravelu ME, Lee JJ, Mitteer L, Zemel BS, Bittinger K, De Leon DD: Gut Microbiome Profile after Pancreatectomy in Infants with Congenital Hyperinsulinism. Pancreas 50(1):89-92, January 2021.
Vajravelu ME, Hitt TA, Amaral S, Katz LEL, Lee JM, Kelly A: Real-World Treatment Escalation from Metformin Monotherapy in Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Pediatric Diabetes 2021 (Sep);22(6):861-871.
Vajravelu ME, Hitt TA, Mak N, Edwards A, Mitchell J, Schwartz LA, Kelly A, Amaral S: Text Messages and Financial Incentives for Physical Activity: Insights from Virtual Group Interviews of Adolescents with Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes. JMIR Diabetes 2022 (Apr 06); 7(2):e33082.
Stefanovski D, Vajravelu M, Givler S, De Leon D. Exendin-(9-39) effects on glucose and insulin in children with congenital hyperinsulinism during fasting and during a meal and a protein challenge. Diabetes Care 2022 (June 2);45(6):1381-1390.
Vajravelu ME, Kindler JM, Zemel BS, Jawad A, Koren D, Brar P, Brooks LJ, Reiner J, Katz LEL. Visceral Adiposity is Related to Insulin Sensitivity and Inflammation in Adolescents with Obesity and Mild Sleep Disordered Breathing. Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism 2022 (Jul 11);35(8):1069-1077.
Vajravelu ME, Hirschfeld E, Gebremariam A, Burant CF, Herman WH, Peterson KE, Meijer JL, Lee J. Prospective Test Performance of Nonfasting Biomarkers to Identify Dysglycemia in Children and Adolescents. Hormone Research in Paediatrics 2023;96(3):316-324.
Vajravelu ME, Mani I, Malik S, Hewitt B, Peyyety V, Arslanian S. Race and Neighborhood-Related Disparities Spanning the COVID-19 Pandemic: Trajectories of Combined Glycemic Control and Body Mass Index in Youth with Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2023 Mar 1;46(3):511-518.
Craven M, Vajravelu ME, Levine MA, Whyte MP, Mancilla EE. Sporadic osteolytic bone disorder from 12bp tandem duplication in TNFRSF11A encoding RANK: clinical characterization and response to bisphosphonate therapy. Bone 2023 May;170:116698.
Chu P, Patel A, Helgeson V, Goldschmidt A, Ray MK, Vajravelu ME. Perception and Awareness of Diabetes Risk and Reported Risk-Reducing Behaviors in Adolescents in the US: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. JAMA Network Open, 2023 May;6(5):e2311466.
Peyyety V, Zupa MF, Hewitt B, Rodriguez Gonzalez A, Mani I, Prioleau T, McCurley J, Lin YK Vajravelu ME. Barriers and Facilitators to Uptake of Continuous Glucose Monitoring for Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Youth. Sci Diabetes Self-Manag. Care (in press)
Academic and Research Interests
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Type 2 diabetes
- Health services research
- Obesity
- Prediabetes
- mHealth
- Physical activity
- Behavioral economics
- Continuous glucose monintoring
Research Grants
1K23DK125719, Behavioral Economics for Activity Motivation in Adolescents and Young Adults with Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes, 2020-2024.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring for Type 2 Diabetes Risk Evaluation in Children and Adolescents, 2022-2024
Developing a Social Determinants of Health Screening and Referral Program for Adolescents with Type 2 Diabetes, 2023-2025.