I am an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology. I am 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 is an investigator within the Center for Pediatric Research in Obesity and Metabolism.
My 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, I am evaluating the impact of an mHealth-based physical activity intervention for adolescents and young adults with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. I also have expertise in the use of large datasets for assessing health outcomes. I enjoy mentoring trainees and collaborating with researchers across disciplines.
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
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)
