NAME:  Nazrat Mirza, MD, ScD

eRA COMMONS USER NAME:  nmirza

POSITION TITLE: Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Retired)

EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, include postdoctoral training and residency training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)

 A. Personal Statement

I was an attending pediatrician in the Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health, Children's National Hospital (CNH), an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University, and the Medical Director of CNH’s IDEAL multidisciplinary weight management clinic until 2024 when I took a leave of absence and then retired in February 2026. During my working career, the guiding theme of my professional life was bringing scientific research to bear on improving the health of children in vulnerable and marginalized communities in both Kenya and the U.S. In the last 19 years of my career, my clinical and research activities were focused on pediatric obesity, specifically on prevention and management of severe obesity and treatment of obesity-associated comorbidities. As PI, and co-PI of various projects, I developed and managed family, school, and community-based obesity intervention programs for African American and Latino and preschoolers, children, and adolescents in the Washington DC area, including planning and running randomized controlled trials in childhood obesity. I was the medical director of our high-volume IDEAL clinic a level 4 pediatric weight management clinic from 2006 until my leave of absence in 2024. I have the clinical experience of managing severe obesity in children, adolescents and young adults. I was a member of the AAP Clinical Practice Guideline.

B. Positions and Honors

Employment

1980-81 Medical officer (intern) Coast Provincial General Hospital, Kenya.

1981-83 Medical officer, Malindi and Loitokitok district hospitals in rural Kenya.

1983-86 Pediatric resident, Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.

1986-87 District pediatrician, Malindi District Hospital, Kenya.

1987-94 Lecturer and Director of Community Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, College of                          Health Sciences, University of Nairobi.

1986-87 Attending pediatrician, Kenyatta National Hospital.

1995-96 International fellow, Centre for International Health, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 8/2000– Pediatric Attending, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, D.C.

7/01–07 Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC   

8/2006-2024 Medical Director, I.D.E.A.L Pediatric Weight management clinic, Children’s National Hospital.

7/2007-2024 Associate Professor of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC.

Other Experience and Professional Memberships

1990       Scientific secretary and member of the organizing committee, of the 5th Union of African Pediatric  Societies and Associations and 2nd International Society of Tropical Pediatric Congress.

1993-94 Chairperson, Kenya Pediatric Association.

1999-     Member, American Academy of Pediatrics.

2000-     Member, Academic Pediatric Association.

2001-22     Member, North American Association for the Study of Obesity.

2002-22 Scientific abstract reviewer for the Annual Pediatric Academic Society Conference.

2002-05 Co-chair, Special Interest Group, School and Community Health, Academic Pediatric Association.

2006-25 Member, Academic Pediatric Association Childhood Obesity Special Interest Group.

2011-13 Member, Children Hospital Association, Focus on a Fitter Future Committee for Childhood Obesity.

2013-16 Member, the Childhood Obesity Multi Program Analysis and Study System (COMPASS).

2014-16 Member, Expert Exchange on Pediatric Obesity, Children’s Hospital Association and American Academy of Pediatrics Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight Expert Exchange.

Honors

1986      Kenya Medical Women's Association Award for the best Pediatric Resident.

1990-91 The Aga Khan International Scholarship Award.

1990-91 Tuition scholarship Award, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, 1990-1991.

1992      USAID (Kenya Mission) training scholarship.

1994      Carnegie Foundation Visiting Scholar Fellowship.

2002-5   Pediatric Clinical Research Scholar (K12) Award.

2005      Media Star, Children’s National Hospital.

2006-9   K23 Award, NCRR, NIH.

2009      Appreciation Award, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington.

2011      Academic Excellence Award, Goldberg Center for Community Pediatrics, Children’s National Hospital

C. Contribution to Science

1. My interest in scientific research began in Kenya, where I was born, raised and completed my medical education, and became faculty at the Department of Pediatrics, University of Nairobi. The problem of malnutrition is pervasive in Africa and only worsened with the HIV epidemic. I wanted to understand better the origins of malnutrition and approaches to treatment, especially focusing on malnutrition, and diarrheal and respiratory infections.  I was a co-investigator in a public health research activity in a rural Kenyan community, examining the incidence and risk factors for acute respiratory illnesses in pre-school age children. I conducted a verbal autopsy in this rural Kenyan community for purposes of validating the verbal autopsy tool as well as documenting causes of mortality in this underserved population. In 1990 I was fortunate to have an opportunity to work with a team from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and was a PI in a study that examined risk factors for prolonged diarrhea which subsequently became the basis of my doctoral dissertation.

1. Anabwani GM, Gatheru GW, Kinoti SN, Mirza NM, Macharia WM. Acrodermatitis Enteropathica at Kenyatta National Hospital. E. Afr. Med J 1985;62(12):900-4.
2. Mirza NM, Macharia WM, Wafula EM, Agwanda RO, Onyango FE. Verbal Autopsy: A Tool for Determining Cause of Death in a Community. E. Afr. Med J 1990;67(10):693-98.
3. Mirza NM, Macharia WM, Wafula EM, Agwanda RO, Onyango FE. Mortality Patterns in a Rural Kenyan Community. E. Afr. Med J 1990;67(11):823-41.
4. Macharia WM, Mirza NM, Wafula EM, Onyango FE. Childhood Asthma at K.N.H, Nairobi. E. Afr. Med J1990;67(12):837-41.
5. Wafula EM, Onyango FE, Mirza NM, Macharia WM, Wamola I, Ndinya-Achola JO, Agwanda R, Waigwa R.N, Musia J. Aetiology and Epidemiology of Acute Respiratory Infections in Children of Developing Countries. Rev Infect Dis 1990; 12: Supp 8:S1035-8.
6. Mirza NM, Caulfield LE, Black RE, Macharia WM. Risk Factors for Diarrheal Duration. Am J Epidemiol1997;146:776-85.
7. Wafula EM, Ngamau DW, Onyango FE, Mirza NM, Njeru EK. X-ray diagnosable pneumonia in children with severe malnutrition at Kenyatta National Hospital. E.  Afr. Med J 1998; 75(10):567-71.

2. In the U.S., I recognized that obesity was in many ways as severe a problem as the malnutrition I was familiar with in Kenya. I was struck by how little attention it received from general pediatricians in the primary care setting, especially in the Latino community which has a high risk of type 2 diabetes. I put together a team to carry out a longitudinal, family-based intervention comparing the effectiveness of low-glycemic-index and low-fat diets on body composition and metabolic outcomes among Latino children and adolescents. Surprisingly, there was little difference between the diets in terms of outcomes, a result that has since been validated in other studies. Subsequently, I adapted the intervention approach to different age groups and ethnic communities. My approach and findings represented a good fit with the emphasis on community-based research.

1. Mirza NM, Kadow K, Palmer M, Solano H, Rosche C, Yanovski JA. Prevalence of overweight among inner city Latino children and adolescents. Obes Res. 2004; 12:1298-1310.
2. Mirza NM, Davis D, and Yanovski JA. Body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and overweight among inner-city Latino children and adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2005; 267;17–e22.
3. Mirza N, Klein C, Palmer M, McCarter R, He J, Ebbeling C, Ludwig D, and Yanovski J. Effects of high and low glycemic load meals on energy intake, satiety and hunger in obese Hispanic American youth. Int J Pediatr Obes. 2011;6;2-2;e523-31.  
4. Mirza N, Mackey E, Armstrong B, Jaramillo A, and Palmer M.  Correlates of self-worth and body size dissatisfaction among obese Latino youth. Body Image. 2011; 8, 173-178. PMID: 21354881
5. Klein CJ, Villavicencio SA, Schweitzer A, and Mirza N. Energy Prediction Equations are Inadequate for Obese Hispanic Youth. J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111:1204-1210.
6. Mirza N, Palmer M, O’Connell J, DiPietro L. Independent benefits of meeting the 2008 physical activity guidelines to insulin resistance in obese Latino children. J Obesity. 2012.516350.  doi:10.1155/2012/516350.
7. Elliott, CA, Tanofsky-Kraff, M, Mirza, N. Parent Report of Binge Eating in Hispanic, African American and Caucasian Youth. Eat Behav. 2013;14:1-6.
8. Mirza NM, Palmer MG, Sinclair KB, et al. Effects of a low glycemic load or a low-fat dietary interventionon body weight in obese Hispanic American children and adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr2013;97(2):276-85.
9. Cassidy O, Sbrocco T, Vannucci A, Nelson B, Heimdal J, Mirza N, Wilfley D, Osborn R,  Shomaker LB, Young JF, Waldron H, Carter M, Tanofsky-Kraff M. Adapting Interpersonal Psychotherapy for the Prevention of Excessive Weight Gain in Rural African American Girl. J Pediatr Psychol. 2013; 38 (9); 965-977.
10. Gill R, Cheung HM, Shen Y, Lanzano P, Mirza NM, Ten S, Maclaren NK, Motaghedi R, Han JC, Yanovski JA, Leibel RL, Chung WK. Whole-exome sequencing identifies novel LEPR mutations in individuals with severe early onset obesity. Obesity.  2014; 22:576-84. 
11. Estrada E, Eneli I, Hampl, S, Mietus-Snyder M, Mirza N, Rhodes E, Sweeney B, Tinajero-Deck L, Woolford S, Pont S.  Children’s Hospital Association Consensus Statements for Comorbidities of Childhood Obesity. Childhood Obesity 2014; 10 (4): 304-317. 
12. Siegel R, Fals A, Mirza N, Datto G, Stratbucker M, Ievers-Landis C, Christison A, Wang Y, Woolford S. Social/Electronic Media use of Children and Adolescents who attend the Pediatric Weight Management Programs of the COMPASS Network. Child Obes. 2015;11:624-9.  DOI: 10.1089/chi.2015.0034.
13. Matherne CE, Zucker N, Bryant EJ, Sbrocco T, Mirza N, Tanofsky-Kraff M.  A Feasibility Study of Group Caregiver Training for the Prevention of Obesity (GCT-O) in African American Preschoolers. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology. doi.org/10.1037/cpp0000125.
14. Cassidy O, Eichen DM, Burke NL, Patmore J, Shore A, Radin RM, Sbrocco T, Shomaker LB, Mirza N, Young JF, Wilfley DE, Tanofsky-Kraff M. Engaging African American Adolescents and Stakeholders to Adapt Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Weight Gain Prevention. J Black Psychol. 2018;44(2):128-61.
15. Mirza N, Phan TL, Tester J, Fals A, Fernandez C, Datto G, Estrada E, Eneli I. A Narrative Review of Medical and Genetic Risk Factors among Children Age 5 and Younger with Severe Obesity. Child Obes. 2018 Oct;14(7):443-52.
16. Moore J, Haemer M, Mirza N, Weatherall YZ, Han H,  Mangarelli C, Hawkins MJ, Xanthakos S, Siegel R. Pilot Testing of a Patient Decision Aid for Adolescents with Severe Obesity in US Pediatric Weight Management Programs within the COMPASS Network. In J Environ Res. Public Health. 2019;16:1776.
17. Cotter E, Hornack SE, Fotang JP, Pettit E, Mirza NM. Design and methods of a feasibility trial examining an adjunctive mindfulness intervention for adolescents with severe obesity. Pilot and Feasibility Studies. 2020; 6:79. DOI.org/10.1186/s40814-020-00621-1.PMID 32518670.
18. Hampl SE, Hassink SG, Skinner AC, Armstrong SC, Barlow SE, Bolling CF, Edwards KC, Eneli I, Hamre R, Joseph MM, Lunsford D, Mendonca E, Michalsky MP, Mirza N, Ochoa R, Sharifi M, Staiano AE, Weedn AE, Flinn SK, Lindros J, Okechukwu K. Executive Summary: Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Obesity. Pediatrics. 2023;151(2):e2022060641.
19. Mann K, (Miller) DiGiacomo R, Mirza N, Vaidya S. Virtual Nutrition Counseling in Pediatric Primary Care: An Integrated Approach to the Prevention and Management of Pediatric Obesity. Clinical Pediatrics. 2024; doi:10.1177/00099228241242174.
20. Zenno A, Nwosu E, Fatima SZ, Nadler E, Mirza N, Brady S, Turner S, Yang S, Lazareva J, Te-Vasquez J, Chen K, Chung S, Yanovski J. An Open-Label, 16 Week Study of Liraglutide in Adolescents with Obesity Post Sleeve Gastrectomy. Pediatr Obes. 2024; e13154. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.13154.
21. Hansler S, Dwivedi P, Mirza N. Impact of COVID-19 on BMI Status and Comorbidities in New Patients Presenting to a Pediatric Weight Management Clinic: A Retrospective Study from January 2017 to June 2023. Clinical Pediatrics. 2025; doi:10.1177/00099228251396033.

3. As an educator, I worked with colleagues to advance the skills and knowledge of clinical preceptors and current primary care clinicians as well as trainees in the medical field. 

1. Ottolini MC, Ozuah PO, Mirza N, and Greenberg L. Relationship between Student Perceptions of Effective Precepting in the Ambulatory Setting and Faculty Use of the Eight Step Preceptor (ESP) Model. Teach Learn Medicine. 2010;22:97-101.
2. Mirza N and Yanovski J. Prevalence and Consequences of Pediatric Obesity. In Handbook of. Epidemiology, Etiology, and Pathophysiology. George A Bray and Claude Bouchard, Editors. Third Edition Obesity – Volume 1. CRC Press. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Boca Raton, FL. 2013. Version Date:20140305. International Standard Book #: 13:978-1-4822-4724-4 (eBook-VitalBook).
3. Vaidya S and Mirza N. Obesity. Chapter in The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, Seventh Edition. Cabana MD, Curran M, DiMeglio LA, Golden WC, Hartman A, Kind T, Lightdale J, Sabella C, and Tanel R, Editors.  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2015.

D. Research Support

Completed Research Support

Rhythm Pharmaceutical Inc.                                                                                                                                                                          March 2020 – Feb 2024

Setmelanotide (RM-493) Phase 2 Treatment Trial in Patients with Rare Genetic

Disorders of Obesity.Multi-Site Study. Protocol: RM-493-014

Role: Site Co-I.                                                                       Estrada (PI)

Rhythm Pharmaceutical Inc.                                                                                                                                                                          March 2018 – Feb 2020

Genetic Testing and Phenotypic Characterization of Severely Obese Pediatric and Adult Volunteers. Sponsor: Rhythm Pharmaceutical Inc. Multi-site study. Protocol: RM-493-013. 

Role: Site PI.

P20MD000198                                                                                                Jenkins (PI)                                                                             May 2012 – June 2018

 NIMHD, NIH, DC-Baltimore Research Center on Child Health Disparities, a joint program of Howard University, Children’s National Hospital, and Johns Hopkins University. 2012-2017.

Role: CNHN site PI and the Director of the Research Core, Oct 2015-June 2017.

Child Health Center Board                                                     Mirza (PI)                                                                                            July 2015 – June 2016

Aetna Foundation Inc                                                                                                                                                                                                 Nov 2014 – June 2015

Fight for Children Foundation                                                                                                                                                                         Feb 2011 – Jan 2013

A nutrition, fitness, and wellness program targeted to preschool children, their parents, and preschool teachers in the District of Columbia Promise Neighborhood Initiative (Kenilworth-Parkside neighborhood in Ward 7).

The goal of this study was to prevent overweight and obesity among African American preschoolers and to stop the trajectory to adult obesity and its associated complications by promoting healthy diet, eating habits and an active lifestyle.

Role: PI.

Aetna Foundation Inc                                                                         Mirza (PI)                                                                                            Sept 2007– June 2015

Child Health Center Board                                                                                                                                                                             July 2012 – June 2014

Norman and Florence Brody Fund/Children’s National Hospital Obesity Institute ($69,000) Sept 2007 – Dec 2012

“Start early, Start right”: A comprehensive family based approach to the prevention of obesity/overweight in Latino preschoolers.

The goal of this project was to test the effectiveness of a community based program to prevent obesity in Latino preschoolers.

Role: PI.

K23RR022227                                                                                    Mirza (PI)                                                                                                        Aug 2006 – Dec 2010

Low glycemic diets in Latino children at risk for type 2 diabetes

Patient-oriented Research Career Development Award: The goal of the study was to compare the short- and long-term effects of a low glycemic load versus a low-fat diet on insulin sensitivity, body composition, and markers of metabolic risk in obese Hispanic-American children at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Role: PI.