|
This Month In Pediatrics
May 2026
Part 1
| | |
Dr. David Lyden’s Study Shows Immune Cells Release DNA-Carrying Vesicles That Activate the Body’s Defense Systems
Dr. Lyden’s latest research reveals that activated immune cells release extracellular vesicles carrying DNA, which can enter other immune and tumor cells to help stimulate the body’s defense systems. These findings provide new insight into how the immune system communicates and coordinates its response, with potential implications for developing innovative approaches to cancer treatment and immune-based therapies. Read more here!
| |  | |
Pediatrics Team Shines at the Annual Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in Boston
Our Department of Pediatrics participated in the 9th annual Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting in Boston from April 24–27, 2026, with multiple faculty members, residents, and fellows, in attendance. The conference brought together pediatric experts from around the world and featured presentations across general pediatrics and specialty areas. Read more here!
| | | Dr. Mohamad Hamieh has been appointed Assistant Professor of Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis in the PhD Program in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis at Weill Cornell Graduate School. This appointment was made upon the recommendation of the program faculty and formal approval by the Executive Committee of the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. | |
| | |
Pediatric Fellows' Research in Progress takes place on the first Thursday of each month. Third and second-year fellows present their ongoing academic scholarship work. This month's presenters are:
Stelios Kasikis, MD
Second Year Hematology/Oncology Fellow
Topic: "Structural Variants: An Actionable Source of Neoantigens for Pediatric Cancers"
Nataliya Khimitch , MD
Second Year Gastroenterology Fellow
Topic: "Association of PPI use with micronutrient status in US Children"
| | | |
| | |
Dr. Oleh Akchurin was selected for funding in the third round of the George M. O’Brien Kidney Resource Alliance Opportunity Pool Program. This competitive award recognizes his outstanding pilot grant application, and the program looks forward to the results of his project.
| | | |
|
Advocacy Alert
Join us on Capitol Hill June 15-17 as we kick off Children's Week!
We're partnering with First Focus on Children to advocate for investing in children's health and have a terrific opportunity to collaborate with national advocacy leaders in Washington, D.C.
Whether you're a seasoned Hill veteran or showing up for the first time, we'll made this a turnkey experience by providing issue one-pagers, advocacy training and tips, and congressional meeting scheduling.
Key Advocacy Themes
- Vaccines
- Investing in pediatric research
- Youth mental health
- Pediatric workforce
- Reimagining Medicaid
Email Ilina Ewen at if you are interested in learning. Even if you can’t travel to the Hill, there will be plenty of ways to engage and make your voices heard.
| | | |
| |
Dr. Nena Osorio was recognized by the Academic Pediatric Association for her outstanding contributions as Co-Director of the Quality and Safety Improvement Scholars Program from 2022 to 2026.
| | | |
| | Drs. Anjana Jagpal and Thomas Ciecierega were recently recognized with Pediatric Patient Experience Awards. Dr. Jagpal was honored for Consult Services, and Dr. Ciecierega for Provider Communication. | | | |
| | |
Dr. Diane Lee received an external award from the HealthySteps National Office for Outcomes Research to evaluate mental health outcomes among caregivers participating in HealthySteps at HT5 Pediatrics.
| | | |
| | Dr. Ramon Gist has been accepted as a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine. His selection reflects recognition of his education, clinical experience, leadership, and scholarly contributions within the interprofessional critical care community. | | | |
| | Dr. Adin Nelson was elected Vice Chair of the APPD Research and Scholarship Learning Community at the April APPD meeting. This six-year leadership role includes two years as Vice Chair, two years as Chair, and two years as Immediate Past Chair. | | | |
| | |
Dr. Neema Passian Chami was awarded the 2026 Global Pediatric Educator Award by the Association of Pediatric Program Directors.
Dr. Chami serves as Chair of Pediatrics at Weill Bugando School of Medicine in Mwanza, Tanzania, and directs a pediatric residency program of 38 residents. She and her team also host Weill Cornell medical students and pediatric residents for global health electives at Weill Bugando Medical Center.
| | | |
| | Sam Taylor-D’Ambrosio, NP, received the NYP Pediatric Patient Experience Provider Communication Award. This award recognizes a pediatric provider who consistently demonstrates exceptional, family-centered communication that builds trust, reduces anxiety, and helps children and caregivers clearly understand the care plan. | | | | Click here to view publications by faculty members published in the last 30 days! | | |
| | Dr. Duncan Hau co-facilitated a workshop at the 2026 APPD Spring Conference in Denver titled “Brave Conversations 2.0: Practicing the Strategies and Skills Required for Difficult Conversations During Times of Sociopolitical Turmoil.” | | | |
| | Dr. Priya Katari was selected as an Outstanding Faculty member for the 2026–2027 Healthcare Leadership Fellows Program for her project, “Expanding Penicillin Allergy Evaluation in Hospitalized Patients.” | | | |
| | Dr. Megan Toal serves as a Peer Messenger for the PRIME Program (Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, and Medical Excellence), launched across Weill Cornell, Columbia, and NYP. PRIME aims to strengthen a culture of safety and is supported by senior leadership across all institutions.To date, Weill Cornell Peer Messengers have conducted more than 90 “cup-of-coffee” conversations, with positive feedback. The department thanks Dr. Toal for her service and commitment to advancing professionalism and patient safety. | | | |
| | Weill Cornell Medical College student, Eirene Fithian, along with Dr. Priya Katari and Dr. Perdita Permaul presented their poster titled, "Clinical Insights into Allergen-Specific Profiles among Patients taking Oral Immunotherapy for Food Allergy" at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting held in Boston, MA. | | | |
| | |
Dr. Allison Gorman's project has been selected for presentation at the Quality in Care Symposium on Thursday, June 11, 2026.
| | | |
| | Dr. Nicole Kucine delivered Pediatric Grand Rounds at Hasbro Children’s (Brown University Health), titled “Myeloproliferative Neoplasms in Childhood—Too Much of a Good Thing.” | | | |
| | |
Dr. Shipra Kaicker presented a poster at the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, titled “Approaches to the Diagnostic Evaluation and Management of Presumptive ITP in Infants.”
She also delivered an oral abstract titled “High Frequency of Pathogenic and Likely Pathogenic Variants in Children with Immune Cytopenias” at the same meeting.
| | | |
| | Dr. Jayasree Nair was invited to a podcast to discuss “What Do We Actually Know About Epinephrine in Neonatal Resuscitation?” She explores the limited evidence base for interventions such as chest compressions and epinephrine, the challenges of conducting randomized controlled trials in this area, and the importance of collaborative registries such as the DRIVE network in advancing neonatal resuscitation research. Listen here! | | | |
| | |
Dr. Rachel Kowalsky presented her abstract, “Tracing Racialized Narratives in Pulmonary Function Research: An Interdisciplinary Historical Review,” at the Health Humanities Consortium Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 10, 2026.
She also participated as a panelist on April 11, 2026 in “Here Our Stories Get Told: Creative Writing’s Role in Health Humanities” at the same conference.
| | | |
| | |
The Department of Pediatrics Trivia Night was a great success, with strong participation and enthusiasm from all teams. Congratulations to the Brunsons (Team 1) for taking first place!
| | | |
| | |
Congratulations to pediatric residents Drs. Calista Dominy, Margaret Magovern, Eric Takoushian, and Leizer Steppa on their poster presentations at the 11th Annual Leonard Steinfeld Research Symposium, hosted by the Pediatric Society of Greater New York. The residents presented their scholarly work and engaged with peers, fellows, and cardiologists from across the region.
| | | |
| | The Group Peer Mentoring Program (GPM) offers an opportunity for Weill Cornell faculty to develop an individually designed career plan leading to advancement and vitality. GPM consists of 4 day-long, in-person faculty development workshops at WCM. Groups of 8-12 faculty across departments will engage in a structured, career development and leadership curriculum, guided by trained facilitators. In addition, faculty will engage in peer-to-peer mentoring for 60 minutes between sessions, either virtually or in person. Researchers, medical educators, administrators, and clinicians with faculty positions (Instructors, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors) are all invited to apply. To apply for the Group Peer Mentoring Program, please complete the application below by Monday, June 1, 2026, at noon. Click here to apply! | | | |
| | |
Join the Faculty Wellness Committee!
We’re inviting faculty members to get involved with the Faculty Wellness Committee. This group plans events throughout the year that promote connection, collaboration, and fun, gathers faculty feedback and ideas, and works closely with department leadership to support wellness initiatives and opportunities.
If you’re interested in joining, they meet every other month on Thursdays at noon. Please reach out to Dr. Susan Bostwick for more information.
| | | |
| | The department offers confidential peer to peer support for pediatric faculty who are involved in a lawsuit or RCA. Modeled on the program the WCM ED uses, our department has 5 trained faculty members who are available to faculty for peer support. One of these faculty members will reach out to anyone who is involved in a lawsuit or RCA to offer short term peer support, to share resources and a trained ear to listen. In addition, any faculty who wants to reach out for peer support related to keepsafes, morbidities, QA reviews, etc, may do so by contacting Dr. Sandra Rolston. | | | |
Are you interested in sharing your expertise or telling your story? We invite you to contribute to our department blog. You can submit post ideas to Ilina Das Ewen. Whether you have an idea, bullet points, an outline, or a fully written blog post, reach out to Ilina. She can help your draft or edit a blog post. Your personal stories and insights are valuable.
Check out our latest blog, We Didn’t Sign Up for This, But Our Patients Need Us Here.
| | | | |
Key Coding & Documentation Tips for Billing for Prolonged Services
+99417: prolonged office/outpatient E/M services (15-minute increments) beyond the highest-level visit (99205/99215)
+ 99418: prolonged inpatient/observation (E/M) services (15- minute increments)beyond the highest-level visit (e.g., 99223, 99233)
- Time Thresholds:
- 99417 is used when total time exceeds 75–89 minutes for new patients (99205) or 60–74 minutes for established patients (99215).
-
99418 must be paired with the highest-level inpatient/observation E/M code, such as 99223, 99233, 99236, 99255, 99306, or 99310. Example: For 99233 (50-64 min), the first unit of +99418 can only be added once 65 minutes total is reached.
- Multiple Units: You can report multiple units of 99417/99418 for every additional 15-minute increment spent on the same day. However, the MUE (Maximum units of a service per day) is 4 units; only 4 units will be reimbursed by most payers.
-
15-Minute Rule: Each unit of 99417 and 99418 requires a full 15 minutes of additional time. Less than 15 minutes is not reportable.
- Documentation Musts: Record the total time spent and break down activities (e.g., reviewing history, counseling, or ordering tests, reviewing records, discussing care with specialists). Avoid using time ranges, as specific times are required.
- Allowed Activities: Time can include non-face-to-face work (e.g., reviewing records) in addition to face-to-face time with the patient.
- Common Pitfalls: Do not use 99417/99418 for less than 15 minutes of extra time, and do not use it if the base E/M code was selected based on Medical Decision Making (MDM) rather than time.
-
Do Not Report: Do not use 99418 on the same day as 90833, 90836, 90838, 99358, or 99359.
| |
| |
Schedule your Professional Headshot
External Affairs has established "headshot days" to fill the business need for standardized institutional headshots, particularly for clinical faculty profiles.
Employees in need of headshots may sign up for a 10-minute time slot through Microsoft Bookings (login required).
Stay tuned for upcoming headshot days here!
| | | |
| |
Professional Visibility in Academic Medicine: Why LinkedIn Matters
A brief overview of how maintaining a strong LinkedIn presence can enhance networking, collaboration, and career growth in academic medicine by increasing visibility, sharing achievements, and connecting with peers and institutions.
Date: May 11, 2026
Time: 5pm
Location: Zoom
| | | |
| |
Save the Date for the 5th Annual Pediatrics Research Day
Join us for a day filled with research presentations and scholarly exchange, showcasing cutting-edge basic, translational, and clinical projects.
Date: May 12, 2026
Time: 8am-6pm
Location: Griffis Faculty Club & Belfer Research Budiling 2nd Floor
Register Here!
| | | |
| |
Global Infectious Diseases Across a Woman's Lifespan Course
Date: May 13-15, 2026
Email wgh@med.cornell.edu for more information.
| | | |
| | |
Department of Pediatrics Fellows’ Acknowledgement & Departmental Awards Celebration
Join us for this year’s Department of Pediatrics Awards Celebration as we come together to announce and honor this year’s recipients, recognize outstanding nominees, and celebrate the achievements and dedication of our fellows and faculty.
Lunch will be served!
Date: June 9, 2026
Time: 12pm-2pm
Location: Weill Greenberg Center- 1305 York Avenue, 2nd Floor, Rooms WGC-A, B, C
RSVP Here!
| | | | |
Shout out to Drs. Kevin Ching, Brooke Spector, and MacKenzi Preston for their contributions to the Weill Cornell Transition to Residency (TTR) Boot Camp team. The program was made possible through the support of more than 100 faculty and instructors across Weill Cornell, including the outstanding expertise, energy, and dedication of faculty from the Department of Pediatrics.
Shout out to Dr. Mohamad Hamieh for his recent research and academic achievements, including strong scoring on two R21 grants in the 2nd (co-PI) and 5th (PI) percentiles, well within the NCI payline of the 7th percentile. He was also recently accepted into the IMP graduate program, with plans to welcome new students into the lab in upcoming cycles.
Shoutout to Safak Tulgar, Molly Divis, and Sarah Mac Divis for taking excellent care of a food allergy patient during an allergic reaction and going above and beyond on HT3. Thank you!
Drs. Lillian Cohen, Shipra Kaicker and Omar Abdul-Rahman were among the top pediatric physicians with stellar Google review ratings this month!
Share your appreciation for colleagues by submitting a shout-out for inclusion in the department newsletter here!
| | | | |
