NYU Langone’s Department of Pediatrics hosts an annual research day to highlight the research efforts of medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty in the department. More formally known as the Dancis Day for Pediatric Research, the event is dedicated to the memory of former department chair Joseph P. Dancis, MD, an accomplished researcher who was devoted to fostering research opportunities in the department and training young pediatricians.

The program features a keynote lecture from a luminary in pediatric academic medicine, oral presentations, and poster sessions on topics from basic science, medical education, and clinical research.

The event, held each spring, celebrates the breadth and depth of the research being conducted in the Department of Pediatrics and provides an opportunity to hear and learn from people of differing training levels, ranging from medical students to the department chair.

This year’s Pediatric Research Day will take place on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Please see below for the day’s agenda. View a detailed schedule and full list of presentations.

Dancis Day 2026 Agenda

About Joseph P. Dancis, MD

We are proud to dedicate this symposium to the memory of Dr. Joseph Dancis. Dr. Dancis embodied many qualities of an academic pediatrician: a keen intellect, an inquisitive nature, a strong sense of integrity, and a willingness to collaborate.

His extraordinary contributions to the pediatric departments at what is now the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and at Bellevue Hospital spanned the areas of clinical care, clinical and basic research, and resident and fellow education for over 50 years. His unwavering interest in the intellectual development of young pediatricians permeated many of the ideas he discussed during his final years.

Dr. Dancis received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 1934 and graduated from St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1938. He completed residency training at Bellevue Hospital and subsequently pursued research training in protein and nucleic acid chemistry at NYU and Sloan Kettering. Following postdoctoral training, he joined the faculty at NYU, was promoted to professor in 1962, and was appointed chair of the Department of Pediatrics in 1974. His vision for the future of pediatrics and his mentorship to a generation of pediatricians has had an indelible effect on the character of this department. He remained chair until 1989. After he left the chairman’s office, he continued to actively participate in educational activities in the department, regularly attending grand rounds lectures and morbidity and mortality conferences and imparting his special brand of knowledge, which reflected his unwavering dedication to excellent patient care and relevant, meaningful resident and fellow education.

Dr. Dancis always thought and behaved like a scientist and encouraged all those in his environment to do the same. His influence was felt beyond New York City. In 1983, he was elected president of the American Pediatric Society, and in 1988, received its most prestigious award, the Howland Award, recognizing a career of accomplishment in academic pediatrics. His prodigious works in the field of inborn errors of metabolism are broadly referenced to this day in the medical literature.

Dr. Dancis was unenthusiastic about the fact that this annual event of the research ideas of young physician–scientists has come to be called Dancis Day, because after all, the focus should be on the future, not the past. However, in honor of Dr. Dancis’s generous, persistent support of the next generation of pediatric scientists, it is entirely fitting that this event continue to honor the man whose ideals we endorse and hope to continue to advance.