For Healthcare Professionals OFD Meet the Team

Nicole Ullrich, MD, PhD, MMSci

Dr. Ullrich is the Director of the Office of Faculty Development and Director of the Office for Women’s Careers. She is currently Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ullrich describes herself as a “home-grown” Boston Children’s Hospital faculty member — she started as an intern and resident in pediatrics, resident and fellow in neurology at Boston Children's Hospital, and then each faculty position from Instructor to Full Professor at Harvard Medical School.  She has participated in and led committees at each level — resident, fellow, disease group, department, hospital, medical school, national organizations, clinical trials consortia — and in diverse environments — lab, clinic, hospital, and collaborations with pharmaceutical companies.

She is a leader in the field of neurologic toxicities of childhood cancer/brain tumors as well as treatment and targeted therapies for neurofibromatosis types 1 and 2.  She is director of clinical trials for the Multidisciplinary Neurofibromatosis Program at Boston Children's and Director of Neurologic NeuroOncology for the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Program. She is a member of the Clinical Care Advisory Board for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, which determines guidelines for care of individuals with the neurofibromatosis and on the Steering Committee for the Department of Defense (DOD)-funded Neurofibromatosis Clinical Trials Consortium. She also serves as chair of the Cancer Control Neurotoxicity Task Force and former chair of the Neurosciences Discipline and Central Nervous System Late Effects committees for the Children’s Oncology Group.

Dr. Ullrich has completed the Cornell University Women in Leadership Executive Education Program and the American Academy of Neurology Women in Leadership Program. She is part of the inaugural Boston Children's Hospital Executive Physician’s Leadership Program and also serves as member of the Physician’s Organization Board at Boston Children's, as well as an ad hoc member from the Medical Staff Organization to the Medical Staff Executive Committee.  Dr. Ullrich is also former Faculty Chair of the HMS/HSDM Joint Committee on the Status of Women, where she has led several working groups.

Carla Kim, PhD

Dr. Kim is the Office of Faculty Development Director of Basic Science Career Development. Her laboratory is in the Boston Children’s Hospital Stem Cell Biology Program in the Department of Pediatrics. She is a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Dr. Kim is also a member of the Boston Children's Basic/Translational Research Executive Committee (BTREC).

In the OFD, Dr. Kim directly supports the career development of faculty whose labs focus on basic research. She is available to meet as needed to provide guidance for faculty, chiefs, and chairs. Dr. Kim established the Laboratory Leadership Course for faculty who have started their own research lab in the last five years. The objective of this course is to form a close-knit community of Boston Children's basic research faculty aligned around the purpose of enhancing skills related to running a lab such as leadership skills, personnel management, and preparing for career advancement.  

Dr. Kim is the incumbent of the Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital Professor of Pediatrics in the Field of Regenerative Medicine. She is an internationally renowned leader in the field of lung stem cell biology. Dr. Kim’s current research builds on her early discoveries to lead the field toward a better understanding of stem cell biology in the lung, development of innovative approaches for examining the cellular and molecular basis of lung disease and cancer, and identification of new therapeutic avenues for pulmonary diseases and lung cancer.

Valerie Ward, MD, MPH

Dr. Ward is the Senior Vice President and Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Boston Children's Hospital; Director, Sandra L. Fenwick Institute for Pediatric Health Equity and Inclusion; and Director, Office of Health Equity and Inclusion, Boston Children’s Hospital; and an Assistant Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Ward received her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Harvard University and her medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine. She completed her diagnostic radiology residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and then began her pediatric radiology fellowship at Boston Children’s. She also completed the Harvard-wide Pediatric Health Services Research Fellowship Program.

In 2000, Dr. Ward joined the faculty of the Department of Radiology at Boston Children’s and has provided exceptional clinical care as a pediatric radiologist at our hospital. A prior leadership role in the Department of Radiology included her being the Physician Director for Quality Improvement from 2012-17. In 2012, she was awarded Harvard Medical School's prestigious Harold Amos Faculty Diversity Award for her collaborative research in improving the inpatient hospital experience for diverse patients and their families.

In 2017, Dr. Ward was appointed as the founding Medical Director of the Boston Children's Office of Health Equity and Inclusion. In 2020, Dr. Ward was appointed as the Boston Children’s first Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer and subsequently promoted to a Senior Vice President. In this capacity, Dr. Ward leads the essential work to make Boston Children’s a leader in health equity and inclusivity for all across the entire enterprise. She continues to lead our Office of Health Equity and Inclusion and co-chair the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council, on which she has served as Faculty Director since it was established under its former name as the Diversity and Cultural Competency Council in 2006. Also, Dr. Ward leads a new major initiative at Boston Children’s, that is the creation of the Sandra L. Fenwick Institute for Pediatric Health Equity and Inclusion in 2021. Dr. Ward collaborates closely with the Boston Children's Office of Faculty Development on multiple initiatives. Dr. Ward also represents Boston Children’s Hospital at national organizations, including the Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS) Health Equity Leadership Workgroup, the newly created SPS Ambulatory Foundations Workgroup, and the Pediatric Health Equity Collaborative.

Alan Leichtner, MD, MSHPEd

Dr. Leichtner is the Chief Education Officer and Director of the Department of Education at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education at Boston Children's and Harvard Medical School HMS), and is a Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He also serves at the Clinical Vice Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Children's.

Dr. Leichtner is a pediatric gastroenterologist with a long-standing clinical and research interest in childhood inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease, and is currently the director of the Center for Celiac Disease at Boston Children's. He has authored more than 100 original publications and chapters on various topics in pediatric gastroenterology.

In his tenure at Boston Children's, Dr. Leichtner has been a highly regarded teacher and advisor of the pediatric residents. In addition, he has mentored more than 120 fellows in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition and is the former Chairman of the Training Committee and current Chairman of the Education Special Interest Group of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN). Dr. Leichtner is an active member of the Academy at HMS.

As Chief Education Officer and Director of the Department of Education, he spearheaded the launching of the hospital-based Academy for Teaching and Educational Innovation and Scholarship. The Academy at Boston Children's is designed to foster innovative teaching, educational research, and recognition of excellent teachers. Dr. Leichtner's own educational projects have been directed a broad range of learners, from patients and families, to health professions students and trainees, to inter-professional colleagues.

He is the recipient of the 2010 Murray Davidson Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics. This annual award recognizes an outstanding clinician, educator, or scientist who has made significant contributions to the field of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition. Dr. Leichtner is also the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Service Award from NASPGHAN, the 2014 HMS Charles J. Hatem Award for Faculty Development in Medical Education, the 2017 Boston Children's Medical Staff Organization (MSO) Recognition Award, and the 2020 HMS William Silen Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award.

Elena K. Bertkau, MS

Ms. Berktau is program manager in the Office of Faculty Development. She collaborates with the OFD faculty and leaders across Boston Children's to design and expand faculty development resources and initiatives. Ms. Bertkau is a dynamic leader in faculty development, affairs, well-being, and diversity, with nearly two decades of experience in complex medical and organizational settings. Her expertise lies in program design, curriculum development, strategic improvement, and change management within academic healthcare environments. She holds a Master of Science in Learning Design & Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

Prior to joining Boston Children’s, she worked at both Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she spearheaded initiatives to support faculty recruitment, advancement, and retention. She is known for forging collaborations across institutions to maximize resources and enhance leadership capacity.