Published: July 30, 2026
Norton Children’s Research Institute, affiliated with UofL School of Medicine, has appointed Jamie Furlong-Dillard, D.O., as its new chief scientific officer.
Dr. Furlong-Dillard is a pediatric critical care physician with Norton Children’s and associate professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. In her new role, she will provide scientific leadership for Norton Children’s physician-scientists and research staff across all specialties.
Dr. Furlong-Dillard plans to strengthen Norton Children’s Research Institute by reducing barriers to research, growing external partnerships and elevating Norton Children’s as a national leader in pediatric science.“My goal is to continue building an environment where research is easier, more efficient and more impactful for patients,” Dr. Furlong-Dillard said. “We have outstanding clinicians and researchers with great ideas, and our job is to help remove barriers so they can be successful. At the end of the day, it’s about discovering the best treatments for kids in our community and beyond.”Through strengthening research support, Dr. Furlong-Dillard’s priorities include expanding access to industry-sponsored studies, multicenter collaborations and investigator-initiated research, as well as deepening the institute’s partnership with the UofL School of Medicine.“We should strive to make Norton Children’s a nationally recognized destination for pediatric research,” she said.
Dr. Furlong-Dillard joined Norton Children’s and the UofL faculty in 2018 after completing a fellowship at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City. With a lifelong interest in science, she considered a career in bench research as an undergraduate.“While I ultimately chose medicine, I never lost the love of basic science,” she said.
Norton Children’s Research Institute began conducting pediatric clinical research in 2002 and has grown from having a small clinical research unit to a comprehensive pediatric research institute supporting 161 active studies across more than 15 pediatric specialties. Currently, over 3,500 children are actively participating in ongoing studies, with research spanning drug, device, registry and specimen-based trials.Dr. Furlong-Dillard succeeds Kyle B. Brothers, M.D., Ph.D., pediatrician with Norton Children’s Genetics Center, who is now serving as executive vice chair for the UofL School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.
See all current clinical trials and studies at Norton Children’s.