2024 William Oxley Thompson Alumni Award

Gaw tackles the problem on three fronts — as a physician, educator and researcher — and demonstrates mastery and passion in all three spheres. He got his start in the field as an Ohio State undergraduate interning at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

A decade later, he’s back at Nationwide Children’s as a pediatric emergency medicine physician and a faculty member of the Center. He is also an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Ohio State’s College of Medicine and a dedicated researcher who has published more than 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

“I’ve had amazing mentors and support,” Gaw says. “I’ve learned there are so many opportunities to work with data to impact the way we prevent injuries and trauma in children. That data can be used to influence education and support policy efforts at the local, state and national levels.”

Last year, Gaw gained recognition for a study analyzing poisoning-related fatalities among children five and under.

“We found that opioids were the most common substance contributing to fatal poisonings among young children,” says Gaw, who hopes this research will help inform future work that develops targeted interventions to prevent these poisonings.

As an emergency room physician, Gaw has seen firsthand how devastating pediatric injuries can be. He is known for his excellent and compassionate care of children and families. But he would prefer that the children stay out of the emergency room.

And Gaw will do anything to bring attention to the importance of preventing pediatric trauma and injuries, including interviews with national media and speaking at conferences across the country — something he never thought he could do.

“When I was younger, I was quite shy, and I still consider myself an introvert,” he says. “If you told my high school self that my future would involve so much public speaking, I would have been terrified! But with support from kind, caring people who have supported and encouraged me throughout my career, I have been able to overcome that fear and am excited to work towards a brighter, safer future for children.”