Dr. C. Vivek Lal is the Director of Clinical Innovation at University of Alabama Heersink Institute of Biomedical Innovation. He is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at University of Alabama at Birmingham where he serves as the Director of Golden Week Small Baby Program and the Director of Pulmonary Microbiome Lab. His lab studies various ‘omic’ mechanisms as they relate to the prediction, pathogenesis and treatment of chronic lung disease of prematurity. Dr. Lal’s particular interest lies in studying the mechanisms by which pulmonary microbiome dysbiosis and exosomes affects the inflammation in premature lungs, for which his lab is funded by National Institute of Health (NIH) and American Heart Association (AHA). His scientific contributions have been published in leading journals (JCI, Cell, Pediatric Research, etc) and he has been recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Society of Pediatric Research with young investigator research awards.