# Nader Shaikh
**Nader Shaikh** (Shaikh, Nader) is a pediatric physician-scientist, Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical and Translational Science at the [University of Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-pittsburgh), whose research concerns the diagnosis and treatment of frequently occurring childhood infections: urinary tract infection, otitis media, and sinusitis.[1](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/people/nader-shaikh-md-mph) He is Principal Investigator of the Shaikh Lab at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, which studies host-pathogen interaction during pediatric infections.[2](https://www.chp.edu/research/areas/general-academic/shaikh-lab) He is a tenured professor who became head of the Translational Science Unit for the Division of General Academic Pediatrics.[3](https://ce.nemours.org/node/6393/bio/17731/view) He is board certified in [Pediatrics](https://www.edgepedia.org/pediatrics) by the American Board of Pediatrics.[4](https://providers.upmc.com/provider/nader-shaikh/1320559)
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Role | Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh; PI, Shaikh Lab, UPMC Children's Hospital[1](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/people/nader-shaikh-md-mph) • [2](https://www.chp.edu/research/areas/general-academic/shaikh-lab) |
| Training | BS Biology, McGill, 1991; MPH, UCLA, 1993; MD, Temple, 1997; pediatrics residency, AI duPont Hospital for Children, 2000; General Academic Pediatrics fellowship, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 2000–2002[1](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/people/nader-shaikh-md-mph) |
| Signature work | "Otitis Media in Young Children", New England Journal of Medicine, April 10, 2025[5](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40214033/) |
| 2016 trial finding | 5-day antibiotic treatment failed in 34% of young children versus 16% with 10 days[6](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28002709) |
| 2021 trial finding | Tympanostomy tubes did not significantly reduce AOM episodes (1.48 vs 1.56 per child-year, P=0.66)[7](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2027278) |
| Diagnostic tool | AI app diagnosing acute otitis media accurately in 93.8% of cases[8](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/news/shaikh-honored-clinical-research-forum) |
| Current trial | MEASURE (NCT07730814), PCORI-funded, starting October 2026[9](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07730814) |
## Career and training
Shaikh earned a BS in Biology from [McGill University](https://www.edgepedia.org/mcgill-university) in 1991, an MPH from the UCLA School of Public Health in 1993, and an MD from Temple University School of Medicine in 1997.[1](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/people/nader-shaikh-md-mph) He completed a pediatrics residency at AI duPont Hospital for Children in 2000 and a fellowship in General Academic Pediatrics at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh from 2000 to 2002.[1](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/people/nader-shaikh-md-mph)
## Research on otitis media
[Otitis media](https://www.edgepedia.org/otitis-media), infection of the middle ear, is the most frequently diagnosed infection in children requiring an antibiotic.[2](https://www.chp.edu/research/areas/general-academic/shaikh-lab) Seventy percent of children experience at least one episode during the first year of life, and 20% have recurrent disease.[10](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02567825) The Shaikh Lab investigates how the nasopharyngeal milieu influences outcomes in acute otitis media, using conventional microbiology, RNA sequencing, 16S microbiome analysis, and cytokine measurement.[2](https://www.chp.edu/research/areas/general-academic/shaikh-lab)
## Representative work
Otitis Media in Young Children, a clinical practice article in the *New England Journal of Medicine* of April 10, 2025 (392(14):1418-1426), written from the Division of General Academic Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, synthesizes the field's current understanding.[5](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40214033/) It states that acute otitis media occurs almost exclusively after a viral upper respiratory tract infection, and that children with mild or moderate symptoms can be treated conservatively.[5](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40214033/)
His trial record supplies the evidence beneath such summaries. The 2016 NEJM trial assigned 520 children of the same ages to amoxicillin-clavulanate for 10 days or for 5 days followed by placebo: clinical failure occurred in 34% of the 5-day group versus 16% of the 10-day group, a difference of 18 percentage points, and neither adverse events nor antimicrobial resistance was lower with the shorter regimen.[6](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28002709) The 2021 NEJM trial randomized about 200 children 6 to 35 months old with recurrent acute otitis media to tympanostomy tubes or medical management: over two years the episode rate per child-year was 1.48 with tubes versus 1.56 with medical management (P=0.66), not significantly lower, although tubes delayed the first recurrence (median about 3.5 vs 2 months), reduced days of systemic antimicrobial treatment (about 7 vs 10 per year), and increased days with tube otorrhea (about 6 vs 2).[7](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2027278)
## Diagnosis and middle-ear microbiology
An automated diagnostic tool reported in JAMA Pediatrics raised accurate diagnosis of acute otitis media to 93.8%; the university's magazine describes the app as correct 94% of the time across 1,151 cases, mostly children under age 3.[8](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/news/shaikh-honored-clinical-research-forum) • [13](https://www.pittmed.pitt.edu/News/ear-infection-app-children-alejandro-hoberman-nader-shaikh-pediatrics) That study received a 2025 Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research Forum, presented in Washington, DC on April 14, 2025.[8](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/news/shaikh-honored-clinical-research-forum)
In a combined analysis of 796 children aged 6 to 23 months from two randomized trials, those treated with amoxicillin-clavulanate who were colonized with *S. pneumoniae* or *H. influenzae* were about twice as likely to experience clinical failure as non-colonized children (odds ratio 1.8, 95% CI 1.2–2.9); among children carrying neither pathogen, failure rates were 46% on placebo, 24% on 5 days of antibiotics, and 11% on 10 days.[14](https://doi.org/10.1097/inf.0000000000003956)
## Impact on clinical practice
The duration question his 2016 trial addressed remains live in guidelines. American Academy of Pediatrics guidance recommends 10 days of therapy for children under 2 years and those with severe symptoms or tympanic membrane rupture, and most European countries (62%) recommend 5 to 7 days regardless of age.[15](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10231305/) [Meta-analysis](https://www.edgepedia.org/meta-analysis) estimates that for every 22 to 28 children treated for 10 days rather than 5, only one child would benefit.[15](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10231305/) Health-system guidelines such as MedStar Health's 2023 document follow the same age-and-severity structure: 10 days under 24 months or with severe symptoms, 5 to 7 days for ages 2 through 5 without severe symptoms.[16](https://www.medstarfamilychoice.com/-/media/project/mho/mfc/maryland-healthchoice-physicians/clinical-practice-guidelines/peds_managing-otitis-media-in-children-ages-6-months18-yrs2023.pdf)
## Current direction: the MEASURE trial and funding
The MEASURE trial (NCT07730814) is a study led by Shaikh at the University of Pittsburgh, starting October 1, 2026 and completing in 2032.[9](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07730814) It randomizes children with acute otitis media to amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, or matching placebo.[9](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07730814) The trial is funded by the [Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/patient-centered-outcomes-research-institute) through award PLACER-2024C3-42497, with the University of Pittsburgh as clinical coordinating center and University of Utah Health as data coordinating center.[17](https://pathnetwork.pitt.edu/Research/MEASURE_Trial.html)
His grant record includes the NIDCD-funded tympanostomy-tube trial, U01 DC013995-01A1, 2015–2020, $783,982.[1](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/people/nader-shaikh-md-mph) He recently published a large study in JAMA, sponsored by the [National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-institute-of-allergy-and-infectious-diseases), evaluating the efficacy of antibiotic treatment for children with acute sinusitis.[3](https://ce.nemours.org/node/6393/bio/17731/view)
## References
1. [Nader Shaikh, MD, MPH | Department of Pediatrics | University of Pittsburgh](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/people/nader-shaikh-md-mph)
2. [The Shaikh Lab | UPMC Children's Hospital Pittsburgh](https://www.chp.edu/research/areas/general-academic/shaikh-lab)
3. [Nader Shaikh, MD, MPH - Nemours Children's Health CE](https://ce.nemours.org/node/6393/bio/17731/view)
4. [Dr. Nader Shaikh, MD - Find a UPMC Provider](https://providers.upmc.com/provider/nader-shaikh/1320559)
5. [Otitis Media in Young Children (PubMed record of NEJM 2025)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40214033/)
6. [Shortened Antimicrobial Treatment for Acute Otitis Media in Young Children (PubMed record of NEJM 2016)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28002709)
7. [Tympanostomy Tubes or Medical Management for Recurrent Acute Otitis Media (NEJM 2021)](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2027278)
8. [Shaikh Honored By Clinical Research Forum](https://www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/news/shaikh-honored-clinical-research-forum)
9. [Comparative Effectiveness of Available Treatments for Sinus and Ear Infections in Children (MEASURE; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07730814)](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07730814)
10. [Efficacy of Tympanostomy Tubes for Children With Recurrent Acute Otitis Media (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02567825)](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02567825)
11. [A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Antimicrobial Treatment for Acute Otitis Media (NEJM 2011)](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1007174)
12. [Treatment of Acute Otitis Media in Children under 2 Years of Age (PMC full text)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3042231/)
13. [New app diagnoses ear infections with great accuracy | Pitt Med Magazine](https://www.pittmed.pitt.edu/News/ear-infection-app-children-alejandro-hoberman-nader-shaikh-pediatrics)
14. [Association Between Nasopharyngeal Colonization and Clinical Outcome in Children With Acute Otitis Media](https://doi.org/10.1097/inf.0000000000003956)
15. [New insights into the treatment of acute otitis media (PMC)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10231305/)
16. [Managing Otitis Media in Children Ages 6 Months – 18 Years Clinical Practice Guideline (MedStar Health, 2023)](https://www.medstarfamilychoice.com/-/media/project/mho/mfc/maryland-healthchoice-physicians/clinical-practice-guidelines/peds_managing-otitis-media-in-children-ages-6-months18-yrs2023.pdf)
17. [MEASURE Trial | PaTH Network](https://pathnetwork.pitt.edu/Research/MEASURE_Trial.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Life and health scientists › Medical and health researchers › Pediatrics researchers*
*Initially written Sep 21, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 25, 2026; Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 25, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
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