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Pediatric Clinical Research Minor

Meet the Team

Meet the Team

Dr. Maija Holsti, MD, MPH

Program Director,

Maija completed a BS degree in Psychology from Duke University in 1989. She earned her MD and MPH in Maternal and Child Health from the University of North Carolina in 1999. She attended the University of North Carolina for her Residency in Pediatrics in 2002. In 2005, she completed a fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the University of Utah. She is board-certified in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and General Pediatrics.

She is currently a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and is in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Primary Children’s Hospital. As of 2019, Dr. Holsti is also the Howard Corneli, M.D. Endowed Chair in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. She serves as the Director of Research Education for the Department of Pediatrics. She is committed to developing research education for undergraduates, graduates, and trained physicians. Dr. Holsti also has clinical and research interests in the area of pediatric seizure treatment.

Katharine Osborn, MD

Program Director

Katharine Osborn, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and an attending in the Emergency
Department at Primary Children’s Hospital. She is board-certified in Pediatrics and board-eligible in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
Her academic interests include health equity, global health, and medical education.

Dr. Osborn received her undergraduate education at the University of Utah and completed medical school at the University of Utah
School of Medicine. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of California, San Francisco, and a pediatric emergency
medicine fellowship at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland.

Perla C. Rivera

Program Manager

Perla recently finished her Bachelor of Science in Ethnic Studies at the University of Utah. She first became interested in research
through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) at the U. Her capstone research project was dedicated to
deconstructing the story of the witch in the context of Latin America, specifically Mexico. She loves education and is working on
pursuing her master’s degree and following after with a PhD program. She is very excited about joining this program and is looking
forward to working with students and supporting them in their academic journey.

Matti Koenig

Program Coordinator

Matti graduated from the U with a Health, Society, and Policy degree. She has been with the program since Spring 2023, when she
started as a student, became a TA, and is now the Coordinator. Matti loves to ski, run, and cook. She is also Taylor Swift's biggest fan!
She hopes to attend medical school in her future!

Mallie

Chief

Mallie is a Biology major, who is graduating in the Fall 2024. She has been with the program since Summer 2023. After graduating,
Mallie wants to attend medical school to become a Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon. During the summer, she spends time working as a
Nonprofit Ethics Consultant. This has brought her to Guatemala, but she will soon go to Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Middle East to
continue her work with various charities. Mallie also spends time working with victims of abuse through Chainbreakers in Orem. In
her free time, she loves a good lake day, visiting her nieces and nephews in Nashville, and going to Pilates or a spin class.

Lexie

Vice Chief

Lexie graduated in Spring 2024 with a degree in Family, Community, and Human Development, with an emphasis on child life. She
hopes to become a pediatric PA. She has been with the program since Spring 2023 and is currently a CNA at the Huntsman Cancer
Hospital. She loves hanging out with her friends and family, traveling, and being in the sun, but she also loves a good ski day!