John (Jack) T. Wren, Jr., MD, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Primary Office
Current Positions
- Clinical Assistant Professor - Pediatrics
Education
- B.S., Biology & Religion (Honors), Summa cum laude, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, VA
- Ph.D., Department of Microbiology and Immunology (W. Edward Swords, Ph.D., Advisor), Wake Forest Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC
- M.D., Wake Forest School of Medicine M.D./Ph.D. Program, Winston-Salem, NC
- Pediatric Residency, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO
- Newborn Medicine Fellowship, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- Neonatal Hemodynamics/TnECHO Fellowship, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA
Research Interests
- • Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
- • Systemic inflammation and post-transcatheter cardiorespiratory syndrome in preterm neonates with a hemodynamically significant PDA
Licenses & Certifications
- MD, Iowa Board of Medicine
- American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support
- Certificate of Advanced Training in Neonatal ECMO
Selected Publications
- Wren JT Jr, Shibbani K. Sound Waves Versus Pressure Waves: The Increasing Role of Echocardiography and Noninvasive Vasoreactivity Testing in Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Management. Echocardiography. 2025 Aug;42(8):e70254. doi: 10.1111/echo.70254. PMID: 40726039.
- Larsen UL, Wren JT Jr, Gilcrease C, Ellebaek MB, Sloan PE. Nutrition in congenital diaphragmatic hernia: How and when? Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2025 July 1:101650. doi: 10.1016/j.siny.2025.101650. Online ahead of print. PMID: 40615337.
- Wren JT Jr, Hyland RM, Acosta S, McNamara PJ. Safety and Feasibility of Early Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography and a Focused Assessment Protocol in Neonates With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. Echocardiography. 2025 May; 42(5):e70189. doi: 10.1111/echo.70189. PMID: 40358608. PMCID: PMC12072237.
- Wren JT Jr, McNamara PJ. Is Early Echocardiography Needed for Neonates with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia? That May Depend on the Echocardiogram. Letter to the Editor. J Pediatr. 2025 Aug; 283:114579. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2025.114579. PMID: 40221017.
- Wren JT Jr, Patel N, Harting MT, McNamara PJ. Hemodynamic precision to guide surgical timing for neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a narrative review. J Perinatol. 2025 Apr; 45(4):552-561. doi: 10.1038/s41372-025-02265-6. PMID: 40108476. In press Mar 19 2025.
- Wren JT Jr, McNamara PJ. Heart of the matter: predicting need for PDA surgical ligation from an early echocardiogram. Pediatr Res. 2025 Jan 29. doi: 10.1038/s41390-025-03896-3. Online ahead of print. PMID: 39881180.
- Wren JT Jr, McNamara PJ. More than a consult: Integrating hemodynamics into neonatal care and research. Pediatr Res 2024 Aug 22; 97:1459-1461. PMID: 39174652. doi: 10.1038/s41390-024-03525-5.
- Aleem NA, Wren JT Jr, Ruoss JL, Stanford AH, Hyland RM, Thomas B, Giesinger RE, McNamara PJ. Neonatal cardiac POCUS-A survey of academic neonatal centers in the United States. J Perinatol 2024; 44(10):1509-1514. PMID: 39251747. doi: 10.1038/s41372-024-02108-w.
- Wren JT Jr, Eslambolchi A, Clark K, Najaf T. Affordable implementation of a point-of-care ultrasound program in a large tertiary neonatal intensive care unit to assess umbilical venous catheter tips and aid central placement. Am J Perinatol 2025; 42(3):334-341. PMID: 38955218. doi: 10.1055/a-2358-6632.
- Wren JT, Bubeck Wardenburg J. A colon cancer “prequel.” Cell Host Microbe 2021; 29(10): 1480-1481. PMID: 34648740.