I want to start off this month by thanking everyone for the work you are doing for children and their families. This week I am on vacation, hiking and biking in Washington (see photo from Icicle ridge). This break has reminded me of the importance of taking time for yourself, family, and friends. |
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We just experienced the busiest year (July 2021-June 2022)in the history of UNC Children’s. We set a record in the number of deliveries, NCCC and PICU daily census, and the second most overall inpatient bed days ever. UNC Children’s had approximately 170,000 outpatient clinic visits at the medical center. We also had a dramatic expansion of our footprint incorporating the UNC Children’s Wilmington campus in partnership with Novant Health.
Many days this summer our inpatient teams begin the day with completely full beds in the PICU, NCCC and floor. For the majority of specialties, July was 20-30% busier than July of last year. This type of growth is stressful. Thank you for your hard work in caring for the patients and improving care outcomes.
Dr. Mahesh Sharma has announced that he will be leaving UNC later this year after leading the pediatric cardiac surgery program and co-directing the UNC Children’s Heart Center with Dr. Tim Hoffman. Dr. Sharma has been here four years and we have had many advances in congenital heart disease care. These advances include data transparency through the STS database, new systems of care, new providers, and many “firsts” including an ABO incompatible heart transplant and successful implantation of the Berlin Heart EXCOR pediatric ventricular assist device. Thank you Max for your years of service.
Congratulations to Peyton Thompson who recently was awarded a Doris Duke research award for her work on Hepatitis B. Congratulations to Dave Peden and the allergy team; the combined UNC-Duke Allergy/Immunology T32 was recently renewed.
At the North Carolina Pediatric Society Annual Meeting, Meg Kihlstrom, Kenya McNeil-Trice and all of the program directors in the state were awarded the Denny, Katz, Simon, Tinglestad Award for their work with residents during COVID! Dr. Kenya McNeil-Trice assumed the role of President of the North Carolina Pediatric Society. She gave a thought-provoking and important keynote address on “Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matters” and received a standing ovation. Congratulations Kenya! Congratulations to all the residents and trainees who presented at the meeting.
UNC Children’s best asset is our people, and I am deeply appreciative of all of you.
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UNC Children's Missions Update |
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Please Welcome our New Children's Providers! |
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Professor & Division Chief
Pediatric Pulmonology
On August 1, 2022, Dr. Tom Ferkol joined the department as the new Division Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology. Dr. Ferkol comes to us from Washington University in St. Louis. He earned an undergraduate degree in Biological and Psychology from Case Western Reserve University before pursuing his MD degree at Ohio State University. Subsequently, he completed his Pediatric residency and a year as Chief Resident with us at UNC Hospitals. Dr. Ferkol completed his Pediatric Pulmonology fellowship training at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Case Western Reserve University in 1992. Beginning in 2000, Dr. Ferkol joined the faculty as a tenured Associated Professor in the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonary Medicine, Washington University and as the Director of the Comprehensive Washington University Cystic Fibrosis Center.
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Assistant Professor
General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Katherine MacDonald joined the Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine as an Assistant Professor on August 1, 2022. Dr. MacDonald earned her MD from Indiana University’s School of Medicine in 2011. She completed her Pediatric Residency at the University of Utah in 2014 and served as an Adolescent Medicine Fellow at the Indiana University School of Medicine from 2016 to 2019. Dr. MacDonald earned her MPH, with a concentration in Epidemiology, from the Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University in 2019. Welcome Katherine!
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Genetic Counselor
Pediatric Genetics & Metabolism
Raphael Smith joined Genetics and Metabolism on August 1, 2022. In 2005, Mr. Smith received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the Appalachian State University. He received a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in May 2022. Welcome Raphael!
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Advanced Practice Provider
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Latonya Logan joined Pediatric Emergency Medicine on August 8, 2022. In 2018, Ms. Logan received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of South Carolina Upstate in Greenville, SC and her Master of Science in Nursing from Drexel University in Philadelphia in 2021. Welcome Latonya!
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Advanced Practice Provider
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Alexandra Whitted joined Pediatric Emergency Medicine on August 8, 2022. In 2013, Ms. Whitted received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and then her Master of Science in Nursing in 2021, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Welcome Alexandria!
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Associate Professor
General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Lucien Gonzalez joined the Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine as an Associate Professor on August 22, 2022. Dr. Gonzalez earned a medical degree from the University of Massachusetts in 2001. Dr. Gonzalez completed a Pediatric Residency at New York Medical Center/Westchester Medical Center in 2008 and completed an Addiction Medicine Fellowship at the University of Minnesota in 2009. Dr. Gonzalez also served for several years as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He will be opening an adolescent and young adult substance use disorder clinic. Welcome Lucien!
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If you couldn't join us for the
UNC Children's Meeting
on Thurs, August 10th,
the slides can be found here!
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Recognition of Our One Great Team
We wanted to take a quick moment to highlight, praise and call out the excellent team work that happened over the weekend to help get a pediatric critically ill patient transported to Boston Children’s for an urgent procedure that only Boston could perform. The covering case manager appropriately escalated the issue, with the help of many, we were able to get the transport approved and arranged, and she arrived safely to Boston Children’s last night. Making these types of things happen always require a coordinated effort, and I am so grateful for all of the folks who helped to make this happen, and on a weekend no less! This was truly an excellent example of One Great Team, and everyone worked hard to get this patient the life saving care that she needed.
I’m sure I am leaving some out, but wanted to call out by names the folks that worked on this coordinated effort.
Coleen Christensen – covering weekend case manager
Kevin Corbin, Marie Watras, and Carol Reitz-Barlow who worked in facilitating the transfer and approval for fixed wing, and of course her care team here, Dr. Afsaneh Pirzadeh and Kaitlyn Campbell NP who made numerous calls to help this get worked out.
We are proud to work with excellent teammates who go above and beyond to do the best for our patients.
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Sarkissian Highlighted for Roadmap Implementation
Pediatric Rheumatologist Aliese Sarkissian, MD, and colleagues, have been engaged participants in The Roadmap Project's pilot collaborative for the last year and continue to support patient emotional health with Roadmap strategies and tools today.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Park Named 1st Chief of Children's Cochlear Implant Center
Lisa Park, AuD, has been named the first division chief of the Children's Cochlear Implant Center within the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery.
Read more
news.unchealthcare.org
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Kihlstrom and McNeal-Trice - Denny, Simon, Tingelstad Award
Meg Kihltrom, MD and Kenya McNeal-Trice, MD have been awarded the Denny, Simon, Tingelstad Academic Service Award from the North Carolina Pediatric Society in recognition of their work with the Pediatric Residency Program at UNC.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Vander Schaaf - New Pediatrics Grand Rounds Coordinator |
Dr. Emily Vander Schaaf, Assistant Professor in General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, has taken on a Grand Rounds Coordinator role. Alongside Dr. Marianne Muhlebach, Dr. Vander Schaaf will help organize the Pediatric Grand Rounds Lectures presented Thursdays at 8am, in person and virtually. |
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McNeal-Trice Elected President of NC Pediatric Society
Kenya McNeal-Trice, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, has been elected President of the North Carolina Pediatric Society (NCPeds), the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Muge Calikoglu Named
Biochemistry Coil Director
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Dr. Muge Calikoglu, Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Genetics and Metabolism, has been offered the role of “Biochemistry Coil Director” for the current (2022-23) and subsequent (2023-24) academic year. The Offices of Medical Student Education (OSME) is excited to incorporate her experience and clinical background into a very relevant instruction model for MS1 and MS2 students in the Foundation Phase. |
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Pediatricians Serving in Medical Student Education Roles |
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We are so grateful to all of our faculty participating in the education of future physicians by playing key roles in with the UNC Office of Medical Student Education. The list above includes roles for the 2023 academic year.
Click on the image for a better view!
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Faculty Development Corner |
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The most current guidelines for promotion and tenure reside within a Sharepoint maintained by the UNC School of Medicine Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development office.
The Folder entitled “Dossier Preparation Resources” is particularly helpful. There are “Cheat Sheets” that summarize the requirements for promotion for the tenure track and fixed term track, examples of DEI statements, and an example of the required UNC c.v. format.”
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Bauserman Joins 2022-23 Women ADVANCE Leadership Program
Dr. Melissa Bauserman, Associate Professor in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, has been invited to join the 2022-23 Women ADVANCE Leadership program. She will be one of a diverse and brilliant group of leaders from across the University.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Rebuli Appointed IRB Vice Chair
Dr. Meghan Rebuli, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Allergy-Immunology, has been appointed Vice Chair of UNC Chapel Hill IRB #5 - Board E (IRB # 540). IRBs are essential to the ethical conduct of human subjects research.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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A Big Impact at the Pediatric Hospital Medicine National Meeting
UNC Hospital Pediatrics had a phenomenal presence at the PHM National Meeting at the end of July. Eleven faculty attended, each with at least one workshop or platform presentation.
Special mentions:
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Eric Zwemer was part of a group to receive the PHM Educational Excellence Award (photo on the right).
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Emilee Lewis and Alex Ahearn partnered with Martha Perry and hospitalists from Cone and Connecticut for a wonderful workshop, "Eating Disorders in the Community Setting: An Opportunity not an Obstacle". In a popular hospitalist podcast (PHM from Pittsburgh: What I I learned at PHM 2022), their workshop was noted by the podcast host as the epitome of what the PHM national conference is about- collaboration, learning from each other to improve the health of children. He praised the UNC by name specifically!
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Steven Weinberg, Eric Zwemer and Jen Fuchs did an amazing workshop-- "Um Dr. Dancel, We Don’t Do That Anymore" that was standing room only and resulted in facility workers limiting entrance into the session due to the fire code.
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Gonzalo and Jessie represented UNC well at the fellowship recruitment event!
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New Awards, Achievements, Presentations & Publications |
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Pediatrics Hospitalist Team - recently had a big impact at the
Neil Alexis, PhD and David Peden, MD– Allergy/Immunology –recently published: Development of a screening protocol to identify persons who are responsive to wood smoke particle-induced airway inflammation with pilot assessment of GSTM1 genotype and asthma status as response modifiers. Alexis NE, Zhou LY, Burbank AJ, Almond M, Hernandez ML, Mills KH, Noah TL, Wells H, Zhou H, Peden DB. Inhal Toxicol. 2022 Aug 15:1-11. doi: 10.1080/08958378.2022.2110334. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35968917.
Melissa Bauserman, MD, MPH – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – recently published: Birth length is the strongest predictor of linear growth status and stunting in the first 2 years of life after a preconception maternal nutrition intervention: the children of the Women First trial. Krebs NF, Hambidge KM, Westcott JL, Garcés AL, Figueroa L, Tshefu AK, Lokangaka AL, Goudar SS, Dhaded SM, Saleem S, Ali SA, Bauserman MS, Derman RJ, Goldenberg RL, Das A, Chowdhury D; Women First Preconception Maternal Nutrition Study Group. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022 Jul 6;116(1):86-96. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac051. PMID: 35681255
Examining maternal morbidity across a spectrum of delivery locations: An analysis of the Global Network's Maternal and Neonatal Health Registry. Oberlin A, Wallace J, Moore JL, Saleem S, Lokangaka A, Tshefu A, Bauserman M, Figueroa L, Krebs NF, Esamai F, Liechty E, Bucher S, Patel AB, Hibberd PL, Chomba E, Carlo WA, Goudar S, Derman RJ, Koso-Thomas M, McClure EM, Goldenberg RL. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2022 Aug 10. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.14391. PMID: 35949060
The Global Network Socioeconomic Status Index as a predictor of stillbirths, perinatal mortality, and neonatal mortality in rural communities in low and lower middle income country sites of the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research. Patel AB, Bann CM, Kolhe CS, Lokangaka A, Tshefu A, Bauserman M, Figueroa L, Krebs NF, Esamai F, Bucher S, Saleem S, Goldenberg RL, Chomba E, Carlo WA, Goudar S, Derman RJ, Koso-Thomas M, McClure EM, Hibberd PL. PLoS One. 2022 Aug 16;17(8):e0272712. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272712. eCollection 2022. PMID: 35972913
Mike O’Shea, MD, MPH – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine – recently published: Sociodemographic Variation in Children's Health Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Bekelman TA, Knapp EA, Dong Y, Dabelea D, Bastain TM, Breton CV, Carroll KN, Camargo CA, Davis AM, Dunlop AL, Elliott AJ, Ferrara A, Fry RC, Ganiban JM, Gilbert-Diamond D, Gilliland FD, Hedderson MM, Hipwell AE, Hockett CW, Huddleston KC, Karagas MR, Kelly N, Lai JS, Lester BM, Lucchini M, Melough MM, Mihalopoulos NL, O'Shea TM, Rundle AG, Stanford JB, VanBronkhorst S, Wright RJ, Zhao Q, Sauder KA; program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO). Child Obes. 2022 Jul 19. doi: 10.1089/chi.2022.0085. PMID: 35856858
Environmental influences on child health outcomes: cohorts of individuals born very preterm. O'Shea TM, McGrath M, Aschner JL, Lester B, Santos HP Jr, Marsit C, Stroustrup A, Emmanuel C, Hudak M, McGowan E, Patel S, Fry RC; program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes. Pediatr Res. 2022 Aug 10:1-16. doi: 10.1038/s41390-022-02230-5. PMID: 35948605
Ed Pickens, MD – Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics – was included in three WRAL stories:
Joanna Smeekens, PhD – Allergy/Immunology – recently published: Peanut-Specific IgG4 and IgA in Saliva are Modulated by Peanut OIT. Smeekens JM, Baloh C, Lim N, Larson D, Qin T, Wheatley L, Kim EH, Jones SM, Burks AW, Kulis MD. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022 Aug 6:S2213-2198(22)00800-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.07.030. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35944894.
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Dr. Eve Wu - Protecting Your Immunocompromised Child
Everyone gets sick once in a while. Fortunately, our bodies have amazing immune systems to fight off bacteria and viruses that make us feel bad. But when a child's immune system is weakened because of another illness or medicines they are taking, ...
Read more
healthtalk.unchealthcare.org
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Sutton - Successes in Improving Patient Transfer Process
Ashely Sutton, MD, with a team of from across the UNC Children’s Hospital recently published a paper sharing efforts to improve operational efficiency of communicating with outside physicians or APPs who need to transfer patients to UNC Children’s.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Fuchs and Hoekstra Awarded DEI Mini Grant
Jennifer Fuchs, Assistant Professor in the Division of Hospital Pediatrics and Nadia Hoekstra, MD, Pediatric Pulmonology Fellow are awarded DEI Mini Grant. The award will support monthly longitudinal DEI curriculum for pediatric fellows.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Thompson - Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award
Peyton Thompson, MD, MSCR, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases, is the recipient of a 2022 Early-Career Physician Scientists Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Read more
www.med.unc.edu
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Novant and UNC Increase Access to Pediatric Specialty Care
Novant & UNC Health have added new physicians in a commitments to increase access to pediatric specialty care in the region. Initial phase of growth includes adding services so families can seek care locally & expanding services to shorten waits.
Read more
www.wwaytv3.com
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North Roxboro Elementary School Outreach |
To Emily Vander Schaaf, Sherri Woody, Jennifer Jones, Catherine Bernstein, and Jennifer McBride:
Thank you all so much for coming out to North Roxboro Elementary yesterday, Tuesday, August 30, for the "UNC Children's Primary Care at CP2 goes mobile" event!
Sherri, you and Jennifer have unbelievable skills in setting up a mobile clinic. Your organization, setup, level of detail, and dedication were all truly impressive. We really appreciate you working through all of the vaccine issues and finding solutions to transport and store vaccines and enable those to be given on site.
Thanks to Drs. Vander Schaaf and Bernstein for being flexible and moving their practices there for the day, and to Jenni for handling multiple things including entertaining kids! A few photos are attached.
Thank you all so much!
Kori Flower
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Mallory Lexa - CN4
UNC Children's Allergy and Immunology at Raleigh
Nominated by Edwin Kim, MD, MS
Mallory Lexa is a CN4 at the UNC Children's Allergy and Immunology - Raleigh clinic. Over the past year, Mallory has navigated 2 RN departures, a CST departure, and a change in PSM for the clinic all while trying to implement my new vision for the clinic.
She has done the clinical work, the administrative work, the complicated financial work, and simply anything that has needed to be done. Because of her leadership, the clinic did not miss a beat and now with a full staff, the clinic is well positioned to grow. We are absolutely blessed to have her.
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