August 2024

Dear Friends,

We have had an exciting month! The Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) Center is almost ready to open in Southern Village. This team is dedicated to developing new avenues of treatment for children and adults with MPS, including clinical trials to test new forms of intravenous and intrathecal enzyme replacement therapy and alternatives such as gene therapy. Thank you to Dr. Muenzer and the entire team for making this a reality!

The NCCC expansion and remodeling project had its official ribbon-cutting! Photos are above! Thank you to the incredible team that led this effort!

The planning for the N.C. Children’s Campus is progressing well. Our current priorities include identifying the site, discussing potential partners, and initiating several workstreams focused on the new campus. Thank you to everyone who completed the survey for the clinical portfolio workstream! We will be in touch soon regarding the next steps. Additionally, the most recent update from the NC Children’s Core Team is attached.

Congratulations to Dr. Cynthia Powell! She received the North Carolina Pediatric Society (NCPS) Outstanding Academic Service Award! The NCPS recognized her groundbreaking work in genetics and newborn screening and her trusted partnership with pediatricians across North Carolina. She has helped NC be a leader in newborn screening technology and has played a crucial role in expanding newborn screening over the past ten years. She not only studied screening and the diseases, but the ethical, legal, and social implications of expanded screening. We are so thankful for your leadership and advocacy, Dr. Powell!

The Urgent Care in Raleigh has been named the top performing practice by the Urgent Care Improvement Collaborative (UCIC). This award symbolizes the dedication in assuring our patients receive the very best, high quality medical care. Thank you to the Urgent Care team for your leadership and keeping our patients top priority!

The Research Advisory Council of the Novant Health, UNC Health, and UNC School of Medicine partnership awarded $1 million in capacity building funding. Michelle Hernandez, Marzena Krawiec, and Jack Sharp are the co-PIs on a $500,000 grant over the next two years to build clinical trials capacity for children in southeastern NC. Initial studies will focus on asthma trials and improving health equity in asthma outcomes, but the infrastructure will support future clinical trials across all specialties! Thanks to Michelle for leading this, to CRI for the support, and other investigators including Terry Noah, who contributed. Congratulations on this accomplishment!

After a distinguished career dedicated to advancing pediatric care, Dr. Julie Blatt is retiring, leaving behind a profound legacy in experimental therapeutics. Her pioneering work has significantly impacted the lives of countless children, particularly through her innovative research in drug repurposing for pediatrics and her compassionate care for patients with vascular anomalies. Dr. Blatt's expertise as a pediatric oncologist has been instrumental in developing new therapies for vascular malformations, offering hope and improved outcomes for many. Her commitment to improving the lives of her patients and her relentless pursuit of medical advancement have left an indelible mark on the field of pediatric medicine. We will miss you, Julie!

I also want to share Dr. Gerald Strope’s passing in early August. He was an exceptional pediatric pulmonologist and completed both residency and fellowship at UNC. He retired in 2012 from Brody School of Medicine where he served as the Chairman of the Pediatric Pulmonology Division. He had a passion for caring for children, with challenging health issues, and was an excellent clinician and advocate for his patients. Please see his obituary for more information.

As always, I am thankful for your leadership and prioritizing the children of North Carolina!

Gratefully,

Lisa Tracy, MD

Associate Professor

Pediatric Surgery

Elisabeth 'Lisa' Tracy, MD, joined the Department of Surgery in August 2024 as an Associate Professor in the Pediatric Division and Director of Pediatric Surgical Oncology. Dr. Tracy received her MD from the Harvard University in 2005. Subsequently, she completed a Surgical residency at Duke University and a Pediatric residency at Boston University. Most recently she has been an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Duke University. Welcome Lisa!

UNC Children's Urgent Care at Raleigh -

UCIC FY24 Top Performing Practice

Congratulations to the UNC Children’s Urgent Care at Raleigh team for achieving UCIC FY24 Top Performing Practice! Your practice also met ALL performance and population measures this year. This outstanding achievement is not easily attained. It symbolizes dedication by your team in assuring your patients receive the very best, high quality medical care. Thank you for your valued contributions and leading the way. The entire team has much to be proud of.

This recognition was announced during the UCIC Operations Meeting on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, and published in the August UCIC Newsletter. Congratulations!

New Perioperative Optimization Clinic



Dr. Neal deJong, in partnership with many including Pediatric Urology, is piloting a Perioperative Optimization Clinic to advance the quality of perioperative care for medically complex children.

New Children's APP Leadership Structure

Please take a look at these slides, recently shared to detail the structural and personnel changes for Advanced Practice Providers through out UNC Children's.

Two Duke Peds Orthopedics Fellows at UNC Children's

We are welcoming the new UNC Duke Peds Ortho fellows in August! These two fellows will split their time between Duke and UNC and switch locations mid-year.

Seashore to Direct Clinical Informatics Fellowship

Dr. Carl Seashore, Professor in General Pediatrics, was named Program Director of the Clinical Informatics Fellowship at UNC!

In this capacity, he'll be working to build and support the next generation of physicians who are also expert in informatics—and specifically to ensure that we have pediatricians trained in this additional specialty.

UNC Children's Meeting

If you couldn't join us for the meeting on Thurs, August 15th,

the slides can be found here!

Click to see the Slide Deck

Calikoglu Honored in PedEndoGram Special Edition

Since 2004, the UNC Pediatric Endocrinology Division has published a monthly newsletter for Pediatric Endocrinologists, PedsEndoGram. In this special edition, Dr. Calikoglu shared the history of PedEndoGram in honor of his retirement. Without Dr. Calikoglu, PedEndoGram would not have continued to be prepared so assiduously every month since he took over its preparation in 2004.

Kenya McNeal-Trice: Recognition and Gratitude

In August, Academic Pediatric Association recognized the extraordinary contributions of Kenya McNeal-Trice to the Academic Pediatric Association:

• Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee Chair; leds the Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee in developing initiatives aligned with the organization’s mission and vision, collaborates in the successful submission of two PAS workshops from the subcommittee, 2020 - present
• Membership, Diversity and Inclusion Executive Committee Member; serves as representative of D&I Subcommittee and provides updates regarding programming and initiatives; participated in development of inaugural Diversity and Inclusion awards, including serving on the awards’ selection committee, 2020 - present

McNeal-Trice is a valued contributor to the Academic Pediatric Association!

In the current academic medicine environment, competing priorities place significant pressure and time constraints on faculty. We appreciate the time and expertise Dr. McNeal-Trice has provided to the APA. As you may know, the APA is an organization dedicated to nurturing the academic success and career development of child health professionals to enhance the well-being of all children. It is only with the contributions of esteemed faculty like Dr. McNeal-Trice that we can achieve this goal. Dr. McNeal-Trice is an outstanding leader and a highly regarded colleague. We sincerely appreciate their contributions and support of the APA.

Dr. McNeal-Trice expressed her gratitude to the NC Pediatrics community:

Today, I express my gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to serve the children and families in our state as President of the North Carolina Pediatric Society, and for those who came before me. As I reflect on this moment in time, I center on the word “legacy.” Merriam-Webster defines “legacy” as something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor. I came to North Carolina over 22 years ago to begin pediatric residency training at the University of North Carolina Children’s Hospital. I was mentored and trained by many amazing pediatricians who did not consider their specialty a job or career, but truly a calling.

Schilling Selected for Leadership Program

Dr. Samantha Schilling, General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, was selected for UNC's Center for Faculty Excellence ADVANCE Leadership Journeys program. This is in recognition of her growing influence and expertise in pediatric research, and this leadership program will enable her to further develop as a research leader

Vander Schaaf Selected to

APA Committee

Congratulations to Dr. Emily Vander Schaaf, General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, was selected to be on the APA's Public Policy and Advocacy Committee. The APA Public Policy and Advocacy Committee (PPAC) is responsible for setting the public policy and advocacy strategies for the organization.

Kim Named CTRC Medical Director

Dr. Edwin Kim, Professor in Allergy/Immunology, was named the Medical Director of the Clinical & Translational Research Center, part of NCTraCS. The CTRC provides a variety of research support services, including access to inpatient and outpatient examination rooms, a staff of highly-skilled research professionals, and specimen processing and short term storage facilities.

Good to Join NICHD NEC in Premature Infants Working Group

The NICHD at the National Institutes of Health has been requested by the U.S. DHHS to report on the current state of the science on enteral feeding of extremely preterm neonates. Dr. Good has been invited to join this working group of the National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council.

The group will focus on and evaluate the current evidence base informing selection of enteral feeds for preterm infants born at 27 weeks’ gestation or less and the advantages and/or disadvantages of different nutritional methods on potential risk of NEC. The group will also identify key research needs in this area and will include diverse representation from federal agencies, academia, and advocacy organizations.

Weiss Named to Top 5 Under 40!

Congratulations to Dr. Jasmine Weiss who was named by the National Medical Association as one of the top 5 healthcare professionals under 40!

This recognition celebrates the outstanding achievements of the 2024 Top Healthcare Professionals Under 40. These trailblazers are shaping the future of healthcare with their dedication and innovative approaches.

She was honored at the NMA conference in New York for her leadership and commitment to improving healthcare accessibility through community-based initiatives.

Novant Health, UNC Health and SOM collaborative awards $1 M to launch two clinical trials in NC

A $1 million investment will launch two physician-led clinical research efforts in North Carolina to grow medical knowledge by seeking to answer pressing questions.

Vogt Lab Awarded U19

The Vogt laboratory just received the Notice of Award for their participation in the new NIAID initiative Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness (ReVAMPP). Matthew Vogt, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology and Immunology, is a Project Leader on this U19 that is led by overall PI and UNC Pediatrics alumnus Jim Crowe, MD at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), titled “Bunyavirus and Picornavirus Pandemic Pathogen Preparedness (BP4) Center.” Altogether, BP4 brings together groups across 16 institutions. Matt’s project is a collaboratory effort with groups at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and VUMC, titled “Protective human antibodies for picornaviruses.”

At UNC the Vogt laboratory’s efforts will be spearheaded by postdoc Timothy W. Thoner Jr., PhD and are focused on refining a pipeline for the rapid isolation of anti-picornavirus human monoclonal antibodies. Aside from generating antibodies against a selection of prototype picornaviruses of high priority, by understanding the properties of neutralizing and protective antibodies this project will inform a companion project focused on developing anti-picornavirus vaccines. With the rapid exchange of information and technologies across the 16 centers of BP4, this project represents a tremendous opportunity to get ahead of future pandemics while learning about the antiviral immune response with immediately translational findings, too. Congratulations!

Dr. Bianca Allison – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – and her team and team were selected for funding through the Launch Innovation program, through the Office of Population Affairs of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for their project, "Let’s Talk App to Revolutionize Family Communication About Sexual Health.”

Also, Dr. Allison and team have developed a Contraceptive ACCESS (Adolescent-Centered Counseling and Empowerment Skills for Success) now recruiting adolescent-serving clinicians (MDs, DOs, and APPs) from any primary care specialty to join our new e-training course and provide feedback.

 Dr. Allison also published:

Increasing access to LARC removal in pediatrics to support adolescent reproductive justice in the United States. Hartheimer JS, Allison BA, Perry MF.Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2024 Jun;56(2):85-89. doi: 10.1111/psrh.12270. Epub 2024 Jun 4.PMID: 38837867.

"It Means Being Safe, Having Power over One's Body": Black Female Adolescent Experiences with Reproductive Health Counseling in Primary Care. Allison BA, Angelino A, Joshua KH, Strayhorn L, Rogers P, Mann ES.J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2024 Aug;37(4):389-395. doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2024.01.165. Epub 2024 Feb 1.PMID: 38301797.

Trends in Continuation of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Among Adolescents Receiving Medicaid. Allison BA, Ritter V, Lin FC, Flower KB, Perry MF.J Adolesc Health. 2024 Sep;75(3):487-495. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.04.029. Epub 2024 Jul 9.PMID: 38980246.

Dr. Melissa Bauserman – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published:

Anthropometric and sociodemographic variables, but not preconception or prenatal maternal nutrition supplementation, predict neurodevelopment in offspring of the 'Women First' trial. Waldrop S, Chowdhury D, Westcott JE, Biasini F, Garcés A, Figueroa L, Tshefu A, Lokangaka A, Bauserman M, Saleem S, Ali SA, Goldenberg RL, Goudar SS, Dhaded SM, Derman RJ, Kemp JF, Koso-Thomas M, Das A, Hambidge M, Krebs NF; Women First Preconception Nutrition Trial Study Group. Matern Child Nutr. 2024 Jul 23:e13703. PMID: 39044360.

Intrapartum and postpartum antibiotic use in seven low- and middle-income countries: Findings from the A-PLUS trial. Saleem S, Yasmin H, Moore JL, Rahim A, Shakeel I, Lokangaka A, Tshefu A, Bauserman M, Mwenechanya M, Chomba E, Goudar SS, Kavi A, Derman RJ, Krebs NF, Figueroa L, Mazariegos M, Nyongesa P, Bucher S, Esamai F, Patel A, Waikar M, Shivkumar P, Hibberd PL, Petri WA, Billah SM, Haque R, Carlo WA, Tita A, Koso-Thomas M, Hemingway-Foday J, McClure EM, Goldenberg RL.

BJOG. 2024 Aug 14. PMID: 39140197.

Dr. Cara Beth Carr - Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published: Implicit Bias and Health Disparities Education in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Dyess NF, Carr CB, Mavis SC, Caruso CG, Izatt S, French H, Dadiz R, Bonachea EM, Gray MM. Am J Perinatol. 2024 Sep;41(12):1634-1644. PMID: 38190976.

Dr. Neal deJong – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine and Dr. Mike Kappelman – Gastroenterology – published Prevalence of Preceding and Follow-up Outpatient Care Surrounding Emergency Department Visits for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Identifying Opportunities for Quality Improvement. deJong N, Zhang X, Kappelman M.Am J Gastroenterol. 2024 Jul 5. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002936. Online ahead of print.PMID: 39051825.

Dr. Kori Flower and team – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published:

Promoting Healthy Eating and Activity from the Start: Early Obesity Prevention. Flower KB, Hart J, Williams HW, Chasnovitz R. Science Direct. 2024 July. ISSN 0031-3955,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2024.06.002.

Language Disparities in Caregiver Satisfaction with Physician Communication at Well Visits from 0-2 Years. Gutierrez-Wu JC, Ritter V, McMahon EL, Heerman WJ, Rothman RL, Perrin EM, Shonna Yin H, Sanders LM, Delamater AM, Flower KB.Acad Pediatr. 2024 Aug;24(6):930-939. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2024.03.004. Epub 2024 Mar 6.PMID: 38458488.

Dr. Misty Good - Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine was awarded a 5 year NIH NIDDK DP1 (DP1DK140012) Pioneer award titled, “Reprogramming intestinal immunity in preterm neonates to prevent and cure necrotizing enterocolitis” with total costs of $3,625,934.

Dr. Wes Jackson and Dr. Matthew Laughon – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published: Methylxanthine use in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: a retrospective cohort study. Laughon ME, Johnson JK, Greenberg RG, Clark RH, Jackson WM.

Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 17;14(1):19082. PMID: 39154109.

Dr. Corinne Keet – Allergy/Immunology – is the Principal Investigator for a new R01 in the amount of $3,867,563, over 5 years, through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for the study titled: "The Role of Food Sensitization in Cardiovascular Disease "

Dr. Edwin Kim – Allergy/Immunology – was featured in Impact of Nasal Epinephrine Spray for Patients with Severe Allergies, with Edwin H. Kim, MD, in HCPLive.

Dr. Kim also published:

Rise of the machines: The future may be here for food allergy diagnostics. Kim EH.J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob. 2024 Jul 10;3(3):100301. doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2024.100301. eCollection 2024 Aug.PMID: 39114376. 

Allergic Disease Prevention: Current Strategies and a Look Into the Future. Kim EH, Matsui EC.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024 Jul;12(7):1717-1718. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.04.045. PMID: 38972693. 

Dr. Matthew Laughon – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published: Acetaminophen for Patent Ductus Arteriosus and Risk of Mortality and Pulmonary Morbidity.  Jensen EA, DeMauro SB, Rysavy MA, Patel RM, Laughon MM, Eichenwald EC, Do BT, Das A, Wright CJ; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. Pediatrics. 2024 Aug 1;154(2):e2023065056. doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-065056. PMID: 39011550.

Dr. Jennifer Law – Endocrinology – published Lymphedema in Turner syndrome: correlations with phenotype and karyotype.Ikomi C, Blatt J, Ghofrani S, Zhang R, Ross J, Law JR.J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Aug 8. doi: 10.1515/jpem-2024-0174. Online ahead of print.PMID: 39113198.

Kelly Orgel, MD, PhD – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow and Carolina Child Health Scholar – published: A mutation in Themis contributes to anaphylaxis severity following oral peanut challenge in CC027 mice. Risemberg EL, Smeekens JM, Cruz Cisneros MC, Hampton BK, Hock P, Linnertz CL, Miller DR, Orgel K, Shaw GD, de Villena FPM, Burks AW, Valdar W, Kulis MD, Ferris MT. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2024 Aug;154(2):387-397. PMID: 38670234

Dr. Mike O’Shea – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – published:  

Malpresentation and autism spectrum disorder in the study to explore early development. 

Zhang Y, Delahanty MT, Engel SM, Marshall S, O'Shea TM, Garcia T, Schieve LA, Bradley C, Daniels JL. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2024 Jul;38(5):397-407. PMID: 39031568.

Sociodemographic Correlates of High Cardiovascular Health Across Childhood and Adolescence: A Prospective Study Among 2 Cohorts in the ECHO Consortium.  Perng W, Galai N, Zhao Q, Litonjua A, Geiger S, Sauder KA, O'Shea TM, Hivert MF, Oken E, Dabelea D, Aris IM; ECHO Cohort Consortium. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Jul 31:e036279. PMID: 39082419.

Dr. Samantha Schilling – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – has a new funded role on the project "Building Evaluation Capacity for NC Mental Health Systems," sponsored by the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health through the UNC Sheps Center.

Dr. Mike Steiner – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – published Changing patterns of routine laboratory testing over time at children's hospitals. Tchou MJ, Hall M, Markham JL, Stephens JR, Steiner MJ, McCoy E, Aronson PL, Shah SS, Molloy MJ, Cotter JM.J Hosp Med. 2024 Aug;19(8):671-679. doi: 10.1002/jhm.13372. Epub 2024 Apr 21.PMID: 38643414. 

Dr. Nicole Stephenson – Pulmonology – received a Pediatric Research LRP award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. 

Dr. Emily Vander Schaaf – General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine – is co-PI on a newly awarded American Medical Association ChangeMedEd award to HEEL, along with Shannelle Campbell as co-PI, and Catherine Baker, Kim Nichols, and Keyona Oni, for their project, "Fair Diagnosis."

Dr. Eve Wu – Rheumatology – published Examining the role of patient-reported external factors and risk of relapse in anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic autoantibody vasculitis. Collie MM, Chen DP, Hu Y, Blazek LN, Derebail VK, Wu EY, Jain K, Orzechowski N, Poulton CJ, Henderson CD, Falk RJ, Hogan SL.Front Nephrol. 2024 Jul 2;4:1404451. doi: 10.3389/fneph.2024.1404451. eCollection 2024.PMID: 39015144.  

Dr. Wu is also the new site PI for UNC Children’s is a USIDNET Registry site. USIDNET is a research consortium established to advance scientific research in the field of primary immunodeficiencies, and the Registry is their research cornerstone.

Please join me in welcoming our newest adorable addition to the Pediatrics family! Meet Naomi Mei Allen. Born August born to Dr. Kathleen Wang, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Allergy/Immunology, in August, Kathleen and Naomi are both home and doing well!

Congratulations!

Britt Mann

Director of UNC Children’s Outreach

Nominated by: Mike Steiner, MD

Britt Mann has served UNC Children’s and the Dept of Pediatrics for over 15 years, but often is doing this from behind the scenes! She has worked in the department as a Division Administrator in ED, PICU, Cardiology, NICU and some other areas. After a short stint working in adult cardiovascular, she has come back to Pediatrics and most recently work as the Director of UNC Children’s Outreach. Under her leadership, UNC Children’s now has over 50 contracts and partnerships across the state, and we are still looking for more! She is an expert at thinking through how partnerships can be structured and also how to navigate through the UNC system to bring ideas to reality. She continues to be sought out by division administrators for other advice on how to work through things as diverse as salary source assignment, HR issues, and getting positions posted. Generally, she stays quiet in meetings and is cautious about speaking in big groups, which may limit how well people understand how important she is, making her 'Unsung', but she is definitely a 'hero' of our success! Thanks to Britt Mann.