Margaret R. Hammerschlag, MD

Dr. Hammerschlag graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed her pediatric training at the University of Washington Seattle Children’s Hospital and her Infectious Disease training at the Channing Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in Epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health. She is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Dr. Hammerschlag is Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Director of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program. She has served on the FDA Advisory Panels on Anti-infectives and Devices, Microbiology Section and has been an expert consultant to the CDC for the STI Treatment Guidelines since 1989. At Downstate, she established the Chlamydia Research Laboratory. Dr. Hammerschlag has served on the editorial boards of several journals including Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Expert Reviews of Anti-Infective Therapy. Her research has been focused on chlamydial infections. 

Research Interests:

Epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of Chlamydia infections (C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae), infection and asthma, Epidemiology and diagnosis of STIs in children being evaluated for suspected sexual abuse.

Current projects:

Effect of smoking on C. pneumoniae infection in a mouse model, In vitro activity of various antibiotics against C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae.

Education and Training:

• BA - Barnard College, 1968
• MD - Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1972
• Residency in Pediatrics - University of Washington, Seattle, 1972-74
• Fellowship in Infectious Diseases - Channing laboratory, Harvard Medical School, 1974-76
• Instructor in Pediatrics - Harvard Medical School, 1976-78
• Postdoctoral Fellow in Epidemiology - University of Washington, School of Public Health, 1978-80

Mailing Address:
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Dept of Pediatrics, Box 49
Brooklyn, NY 11203

• Smith-Norowitz T, Weaver D, Chorny V, Norowitz Y, Lent D, Hammerschlag M, Joks R, Kohlhoff S.Chlamydia pneumoniae induces interferon gamma responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in children with allergic asthma. Scand J Immunol, 2017; Jul;86(1):59-64.
• Banniettis N, Joshi S, Kaushik S, Kohlhoff S, Hammerschlag MR. Diagnostic practices for suspected community acquired central nervous system infection in the post conjugate vaccine era. Pediatr Emerg Care, 2017 May 1. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000001147. [Epub ahead of print]
• Banniettis N, Thumu S, Weedon J, Szigeti A, Chotikanatis K, Hammerschlag MR, Kohlhoff SA. Seroprevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in inner-city children and adolescents – implications for vaccine development. Sex Transm Dis 44(12):717-721, 2017.
• Sharma R, Francois D, Hammerschlag MR. New antimicrobial agents for the treatment of staphylococcal infections in children. Pediatr Clin North Am, 64:1369-1387, 2017.
• Ditkowsky J, Rahman A, Hammerschlag MR, Kohlhoff S, Smith-Norowitz TA. The cost-effectiveness of aChlamydia trachomatis vaccination program in young women in the United States. J Pediatr Infect Dis Soc, 2017 Sep 7. doi: 10.1093/jpids/pix072. [Epub ahead of print].