Dr. Racha Khalaf is the inaugural Division Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, and Medical Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Center of Excellence at Tampa General Hospital. She is an Assistant Professor and joined USF Health in 2020 following the completion of her pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition fellowship at Children's Hospital Colorado where she also received a Masters in Clinical and Translational Research from the University of Colorado. Dr. Khalaf previously completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California Los Angeles, her medical degree from the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, and her pediatrics residency at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. Dr. Khalaf's research is addressing critical problems in pediatrics through impactful and innovative research. Her translational research focuses on mechanisms of inflammation and microbiome alterations in the upper intestinal tract of pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis in the era of newly adopted highly effective modulators. In addition to hermolecular work, her clinical research is aimed at better understanding the gastrointestinal manifestations in cystic fibrosis using large databases such as the Cystic Fibrosis Registry and TriNetX prior to and post modulators. Beyond local and international research awards at different stages of her career, Dr. Khalaf's research has been supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to help support her research and career development including a recently received the Harry Shwachman Clinical Investigator Award.