Pediatric News
Updates from the Department of Pediatrics - 2022 Vol. 6
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In This Issue
Graduates Complete Programs Education Awards Announced Chair Update
Sydnie Carraher Selected for Leadership Nebraska Class Use Your Bonus Vacation Days
Underrepresented in Medicine M4 Elective Now Available Wellbeing Resources Available to Department Members
Jackie Ostronic Named College of Medicine Employee of the Month
Division Infographics: Endocrinology and Rheumatology Five Questions: Dr. Dave Finken and Nicholas Reynolds
Celebrations Promotion and Tenure Deadlines Announced
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Residency and Fellowship Graduates Complete Programs and Announce Next Steps in Their Career Paths |
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The 2022 class of residents and fellows officially completed their programs and celebrated their graduation. The following are the plans of each 2022 graduate:
Chief Residents
Amanda Dave, MD, chief resident, will pursue a Pediatric Critical Care fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Julie Risinger, DO, chief resident, has taken a job in General Pediatrics with the Health Partners Coon Rapids group in Minneapolis, Minn.
Residents
Hanna Deutsch, DO, has taken a job in Pediatric Hospital Medicine at Community Children’s Medical Center in Missoula, Mont.
Karl Enroth, MD, will work in Hospital Medicine with Health Partners Group in Minneapolis, Minn.
Makenzie Hamilton, DO, will pursue a Pediatric Critical Care fellowship at Duke University in Durham, N.C.
Joshua Holbert, DO, will pursue a Pediatric Cardiology fellowship at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, Mo.
William Jones, MD, has taken a position in General Pediatrics at the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas in Iola, Kan.
Jennifer Legino, MD, will pursue a Neonatology fellowship at UNMC in Omaha, Neb.
Michelle Lotfi, DO, will pursue a Pediatric Gastroenterology fellowship at UNMC in Omaha, Neb.
Joseph Novotny, MD, will pursue a Pediatric Pulmonology fellowship at UNMC in Omaha, Neb.
Joseph Pachunka, MD, has taken a position in Inpatient Internal Medicine and outpatient Med/Peds at UNMC in Omaha, Neb.
Abby Riese, MD, has taken a position as a Med/Peds Hospitalist at Providence St. Vincent in Portland, Ore.
Lauren Roach, DO, will pursue a Pediatric Critical Care fellowship at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.
Travis Schreier, MD, will be the pediatrics co-chief resident for 2022-2023 at UNMC in Omaha, Neb.
Vanessa Starns, DO, has taken a position in Pediatric Hospital Medicine at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. She plans to apply for a Pediatric Gastroenterology fellowship next year.
Evan Symons, DO, will be the Internal Medicine chief resident for 2022-2023 at UNMC in Omaha, Neb.
Alamelu “Priya” Udayappan, MBBS, will be the Pediatrics co-chief resident for 2022-2023 at UNMC in Omaha, Neb.
Lauren Zent, DO, has taken a position in General Pediatrics with Essentia Health Clinic in Fargo, N.D.
Fellows
Emily Dietle, MD, Pediatric Gastroenterology & Pediatric Transplant Hepatology fellow, will join Pediatric Gastroenterology & Pediatric Transplant Hepatology at UNMC in Omaha, Neb.
Beatrice Obiageli Egboh, MD, Developmental Pediatrics fellow, has taken a position in Developmental Pediatrics at UNMC and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Neb.
Alvaro Flores Lopez, Pediatric Gastroenterology fellow, has taken a position in Pediatric Gastroenterology at UNMC and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. He will be the associate program director for the Weight & Wellness Specialty Care Program.
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Sharon Stoolman, MD, associate professor, Division of Hospital Medicine, presents the Hobart E. Wiltse, MD, PhD, Excellence In Medical Education Award to Kari A. Neemann, MD, associate professor, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases |
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Yearly Education Award Winners Announced |
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Note: an earlier version of this story had an incorrect winner of the Dr. George Miyazaki Research Award. We apologize for the error.
On May 6, as part of the Child Health Research Institute Pediatric Research Forum, the winners of the 2022 UNMC Student Teaching Awards were announced. The winners were:
Faculty Clerkship Teaching Award
Andrew Huang Pacheco, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Gastroenterology
Outstanding Senior Medical Student Mentor/Educator Award
Jeffrey Robinson, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatric Cardiology
Volunteer Faculty Teaching Award
Kristin McGregor, MD
Fellowship Teaching Award
Jordan Fritch, MD
Division Teaching Award
Pediatric Hospital Medicine
House Officer Teaching Awards
Caleb Cave, MD
Jenna Essink, MD
Elizabeth Hartley, MD
Nebraska Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Taylor Kratochvil, MD
Mark Husk Pediatric Scholar
Paul Witt
Winners of the Creighton-Nebraska Universities Pediatric Residency Program Awards were as follows:
Outstanding Academic Faculty Member Teaching Award - Melissa A. Wehrmann, MD, assistant professor, Division of Pediatric Cardiology
Deborah Munson Barger Resident Award - Makenzie Hamilton, DO
Dr. George Miyazaki Research Award - Alamelu Udayappan, MBBS
Dr. Murty Adabala Resident Award - Amissabah Kanley, MD
Vanessa Starns, DO received the honor of Creighton Medical Student Teaching Awards Outstanding Resident.
Additional winners were:
Lois J. Starr, MD, PhD, FAAP, FACMG, associate professor of Pediatrics, and
Kari A. Neemann, MD, associate professor, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases,
were recipients of the Hobart E. Wiltse, MD, PhD, Excellence in Medical Education Award.
Lastly, retiring Division of Pulmonology professor, Mark C. Wilson, MD, was the recipient of the Hobart E. Wiltse, MD, PhD, Educator Laureate Lifetime Distinguished Medical Education Award. Dr. Wilson had this to say about the honor,
“Dr. Wiltse, firmly, and fairly, critiqued my thinking and my writing while a third year medical student. I recall no other attending doing so during medical school. Personally, Dr. Wiltse influenced my decision to be become a pediatrician and to seek residency at the University of Colorado. I am humbled to be associated with Dr. Wiltse’s memory. Forty-two years later our relationship has come full-circle with this acknowledgement.”
Congratulations to each of the winners!
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Department of Pediatrics Chair Update:
Kari Simonsen, MD, MBA
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Spring has sprung! The rains are keeping it cool and helping everything get beautiful and green outside.
On the COVID-19 clinical front, climbing case rates in our communities have necessitated at return to requiring masks in all buildings at UNMC and Children’s. However, we are continuing with educational programs and meetings with posted room capacities. In addition, we look forward with great anticipation to the expected review of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for kids less than 5 years old next month. I’m so appreciative of the efforts of everyone working on the clinical trials and in the clinics and hospital as we anticipate rolling out the vaccine. It’s been a long wait for this moment, and I know there are many families waiting excitedly for the opportunity to vaccinate their little ones!
We are looking forward to the arrival of our new residents, fellows and faculty this summer. The resident orientation begins June 20, and you will begin seeing the new interns on services in July. Please give them warm welcome to UNMC and Children’s!
There are also summer research students on campus including the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) and Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSSRP) students this year. If you have a research project that would benefit from student involvement next year, please keep these programs on your radar for the next review cycle.
In case you missed it, the Pediatric Antiracism Committee held its 2nd Annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference last week. The event focused on diversity in research and provided an important forum to learn about opportunities to support diversity in research teams, research participation and research outcomes. A recording of the event will be posted on the Antiracism Committee’s page on the Department of Pediatrics website in the weeks to come.
Our work to provide care and support for patients, families and communities is so vital right now. Thank you, again, for everything you do to improve the lives of children locally and globally.
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Sydnie Carraher Selected for
Leadership Nebraska Class
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A staff member of the Department of Pediatrics, Sydnie Carraher, MSN, APRN-NP, NNP-BC, director of the Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPQIC), has been selected to participate in Leadership Nebraska Class XIV. The Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPQIC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve delivery and access to evidence-based healthcare for all Nebraska mothers and newborns. Carraher collaborates with Nebraska birthing facilities, community and state organizations, payors, legislators and national partners to develop, implement and evaluate quality improvement initiatives to improve perinatal outcomes. In addition to her role at NPQIC, she is a neonatal nurse practitioner at CHI Health St. Elizabeth in Lincoln. She has 22 years of experience caring for critically ill infants and families with diverse and complex needs.
Carraher believes the Leadership Nebraska Class will make her better in her role at the NPQIC. She says,
"A large part of my work centers on making connections and building relationships. Improving outcomes for mothers, babies and families in our state will take all of us working together.” Carraher says, “The ability to network with individuals outside of the healthcare sector and see firsthand the unique barriers and challenges Nebraska faces will provide valuable insight."
Leadership Nebraska was founded in 2006 to identify current and emerging leaders throughout the state and to enhance their leadership skills and deepen their knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing Nebraska.
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Use Your Bonus Vacation Days by June 30 |
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In December, the University of Nebraska communicated that all leave eligible employees would be receiving two additional banked holidays. In follow up communication it was advised those days would need to be used by June 30, 2022.
This is a reminder to employees to check their balances and make plans to use those days by June 30, 2022 or you will lose them.
To check balances:
Go to Firefly and click ‘Employee Self Service’ in the ‘Self Service’ section of Firefly.
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On the following screen under ESS Leave & Timesheets select ‘Leave Balances’. |
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You will see a report that includes a Banked Holiday Earned row. If your current balance in that row is above eight hours, you will need to use the amount hours above eight by June 30. On July 1, you will need your balance in the Banked Holiday Earned to be eight hours, as shown below. |
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Underrepresented in Medicine M4 Elective Now Available for Senior Medical Students
The Department of Pediatrics is excited to announce that our new Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) M4 Elective is now live and recruiting interested senior medical students!
The UNMC URiM Pediatric Elective Scholarship program is designed to provide students who are traditionally underrepresented in medicine the opportunity to partner with pediatric faculty at UNMC and experience an outstanding academic pediatric program. Successful candidates will become prospects for academic training programs for internship and residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
- Clinical Experience: The foundation of the course will be clinical experiences in traditional senior medical student Pediatrics rotations. See potential rotations listed below. Approximately 70% of students’ time will be in the traditional clinical setting.
- Mentorship: Students will engage in structured mentorship with department faculty focused on career development, identifying areas of clinical and academic interest and self-reflection. Mentorship will make up approximately 10% of the URiM rotation.
- Directed study: Students will engage with community organizations that focus on health equity and underserved populations. Work will be largely independent study and reflective writing. Directed study will compose approximately 10% of the URiM rotation.
- Traditional didactic teaching: Traditional didactic learning will make up approximately 10% of the URiM rotation.
The course will be offered monthly from August through December. Students who enroll will be matched with a faculty mentor and also have the opportunity to meet with our Pediatric Residency Program leaders.
More information about the course can be found here.
Please reach out to Nathan Gollehon, MD, associate professor, Division of Neonatology, if you are interested in serving as a faculty mentor or if you have any questions about the program.
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Wellbeing Resources Available
to Department Members
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The Department of Pediatrics wants all faculty and staff to know how valued and appreciated they are and feel supported in their work and wellbeing. We also recognize that there have been some recent events that many find difficult: a European war, an increase in COVID-19 numbers and multiple mass shootings, to name a few. In that vein, we want to ensure that you have access to the many resources available to our faculty and staff. These are on the website. Most of these are free and available to all faculty and staff.
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Jackie Ostronic Named College of Medicine Employee of the Month |
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Project Manager for the Department of Pediatrics and the Child Health Research Institute (CHRI), Jackie Ostronic has been named the College of Medicine Employee of the Month! Jackie was nominated by Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD, CHRI Executive Director and Chief of the Division of Neonatology, who said Ostronic, "works tirelessly to ensure that our programing is top of the line, that our scientific meetings are productive and that our investigators make meaningful connections." For the Department of Pediatrics, Jackie is continually working to improve processes in our department. She could not be more deserving of this distinction. Congratulations Jackie! |
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The Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes provides high-quality, safe clinical care to the children and families of the region. This multidisciplinary division utilizes the skills of board-certified pediatric endocrinologists, advanced practice providers, certified diabetes educators (ADA certified diabetes education program), dietitians and social workers to deliver high-quality, safe care. Providers offer access to clinical care across the states of Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas and Iowa, with inpatient coverage for Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine, as well as outpatient care through telehealth and satellite clinics in Kearney and Lincoln, Neb., and Sioux City, Iowa. Division members participate in multi-disciplinary clinics, including thyroid, disorders of sexual development and cystic fibrosis. The Division of Endocrinology is actively involved in clinical trials to understand biologic drivers of type 1 diabetes in families in addition to basic science studies defining the role of beta cell death in patients with cystic fibrosis. The team is also active in educating medical students, advanced practice students, residents and fellows. |
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The Division of Pediatric Rheumatology is a newly established academic division in the Department of Pediatrics, as of April 2021. We currently have six full-time clinical staff which include: two pediatric rheumatologists, a nurse practitioner, two nurses and a medical assistant. In less than a year, we have established a clinic serving more than 100 children with pediatric rheumatologic disease in our region. As our clinic continues to grow, we are planning to recruit another pediatric rheumatologist and expand our service area by establishing outreach clinics in cities beyond our region. Our faculty hold academic appointments with the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Ioannis Kalampokis, MD, PhD, MPH, the Division Chief of Pediatric Rheumatology, is a physician-scientist who has joined the lab of Nora E Sarvetnick, PhD, the director of the Holland Regenerative Medicine Program. He is also in the process of establishing a research program that will investigate the role of diet, exercise and mental health in the treatment of children with rheumatologic diseases.
Rheumatology faculty member, Laura Pratt, MD, is interested in clinical research and education. She is also certified in musculoskeletal ultrasound (RhMSUS) by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and has integrated the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound in the care of children with arthritis in our clinic. To ensure we provide high-quality multidisciplinary care to children with pediatric rheumatologic diseases, our team collaborates with other subspecialties including, but not limited to: nephrology, gastroenterology, cardiology, chronic pain, behavioral health, OB/GYN, pulmonary, neurology, allergy/immunology, endocrinology and orthopedics. In addition to providing the highest-quality of care to our patients, we strive to be a leader in physician education. A long-term goal of our division is to establish an ACGME-accredited pediatric rheumatology fellowship program that will train the pediatric rheumatologists of the future.
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This month we feature Dave Finken, MD, assistant professor, Division of General Pediatrics Nicholas Reynolds, clinical study coordinator, Research and Database Coordinator for the Pediatric Research Office. |
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Meet Dr. Finken
What brought you to your given specialty/role?
I was always interested in science and education. My heroes growing up were my teachers, and I wanted to become a high school chemistry teacher. I also had given thought to medicine as a career but had never been exposed to anyone in the field. I majored in chemistry and secondary education, but as I went further into my education classes and experiences, I realized I did not love it as much as I had wanted. I also met a friend whose father was a family physician. He let me shadow him a few times, and it made me realize that was more in line with what I desired in a career. I was drawn to pediatrics by the nature of children and the opportunity to work with both children and their parents. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to practice in an academic setting at UNMC, which allows me to be an educator of students and residents.
What’s your favorite place in the world?
My favorite place in the world is the land and sky between Grand Island and Kearney during March where I can see thousands of sandhill cranes every spring. If you have never gone out to spend a day viewing the cranes, you are missing out on a truly spiritual experience.
What are you a fan of or very interested in?
I am interested in cooking and where food comes from. I am interested in agriculture and how food is produced in our country and learning about ways to make our land and food healthier for both us and our environment.
Is there any medicine-based book, music or TV series or movie that you admire and would recommend to others? Or anything outside of the medical world that you recommend?
One thing that I would recommend to anyone is to get a bike and ride it regularly. For me rediscovering riding a bike as an adult transported me back to the freedom and fun that I experienced as a child. It is a low impact healthy activity and anyone can do it, either solo or with friends in many different settings.
What was the most important lesson taught to you during your career training?
The most important lesson was to always listen to your patient. This seems so simple but requires one to be patient, flexible, unhurried, curious, observant and thorough to perform the best history and physical exam.
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Meet Nick Reynolds
Nick is pictured on the left with one of his best friends.
What brought you to your given specialty/role?
I chose research mostly because it gives you an ability to help a large group of people all at once. I sort of stumbled upon it in college through a volunteer opportunity at the Biomechanics Research Building at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. It allowed me to meet all sorts of people who just want to help others, which is pretty cool. I came to my current position also out of chance. I was trying to leave a job that I very much disliked, and I am glad I landed where I did.
What’s your favorite place in the world?
I just like to be anywhere outdoors. Whether it be walking around Omaha listening to music or podcasts, hiking or sitting on the patio of a coffee shop or restaurant enjoying something new. I haven’t been able to travel as much as I would like yet, so come back to me in a few years, and maybe I’ll have something cooler to say like “Ireland."
What are you a fan of or very interested in?
I’m a huge fan of music and vinyl records. I always have my headphones in or have something playing on my record player. I’m always open to recommendations, so if you have something special, feel free to reach out to me.
Is there a book, music, TV series or movie that you admire and would recommend to others?
I’ll give you some recommendations of things I have really enjoyed lately.
Book: Billy Summers by Stephen King
Movie: Everything Everywhere All at Once
TV Series: Severance
Podcast: Hollywood Handbook
What was the most important lesson taught to you during your career training?
Patience. I’m in the process of learning something right now that I have no prior knowledge of. So I have had to learn to recognize that the training will take time and trust that I have the ability to retain what I am learning.
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Staff Milestones:
Recent Service Anniversaries
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Congratulations to those celebrating recent work anniversaries. We wish you all the best for continued success! |
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Let's celebrate these pieces of good news and accomplishments regarding members of our department. |
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Promotion and Tenure Deadlines Announced |
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The Promotion and Tenure (P and T) process for 2022-2023 promotion cycle has begun. Faculty who are interested to pursue promotion this year should discuss this decision with their Division Chief, and should submit their name to Christopher Erickson, MD, professor, Division of Cardiology and copy Stephanie Montgomery, who will support this effort administratively. Faculty who are planning to go up for promotion should declare their intentions by June 24, 2022 and have all promotion materials in to Stephanie Montgomery by July 22, 2022.
If you are considering promotion for this cycle, it is recommended that you meet either with Dr. Erickson, chair of the P & T committee, or Suzanne Haney, MD, Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs.
The revised P and T guidelines from UNMC are available on the UNMC website but can also be sent upon request.
Candidates should prepare their CV and packet for review by the Department Promotion and Tenure Committee. This committee review will take place in August-September 2022, with recommendations from this committee made to Kari Simonsen, MD, MPH, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, by the end of September. She will review the recommendations of the committee and Dr. Simonsen will contact external references at that time--external references are not to be contacted directly by the candidates. Faculty members will request a letter from their division chief to accompany the packet for departmental review, and the chair will also write a letter of support for each faculty candidate that will accompany the packet for submission to the College of Medicine promotions committee.
For UNMC guidelines on the P and T process, click here. |
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University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
982155 Nebraska Medicine
Omaha, NE 68198-2155
402-955-3933
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