Pediatric News
Updates from the Department of Pediatrics
Congratulations Fellowship
and Residency Graduates
Top row: Drs. Ackerman, Allison, Boadwine, Lehmkuhl Dalhoff and Daniels; second row: Drs. Dave, Dietl, Gillespie, Haines, Heenan; third row: Drs. Jepson, Jhamb, Marasinghe, Miri, Marlow; fourth row: Drs. Murray, Null, Reynolds, Risinger, Samdani; fifth row: Drs. Schlueter, Torbert, Wang, Warrack, West
The Pediatrics Department congratulates the recent graduates of residency and fellowship programs. The graduation ceremony was held on Friday, May 14 in the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo at the Fisherman’s Landing and via zoom for families and faculty to attend. The following are the future plans for each graduate.

Timothy Ackerman, MD, will be a medicine/pediatrics hospitalist in a location yet to be finalized.
Jenna Allison, MD, will be staying in Omaha to join the pediatric hematology/oncology group at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center.
Daniel Boadwine, MD, will be moving to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to join the Avera McGreevy Pediatric Group to practice general pediatrics. 
Megan Lehmkuhl Dalhoff, DO, will be moving to Ames, Iowa to join the McFarland Clinic to practice hospital medicine.
Lydia Daniels, MD, will be moving to Marietta, OH to join the Memorial Health Clinic to practice general pediatrics.
Amanda Dave, MD, will be staying in Omaha to join the pediatric faculty and will be one of the co-chief residents.
Emily Dietle, MD, will be staying in Omaha to begin her fellowship in transplant hepatology.
Caitlin Gillespie, DO, will be staying in the Omaha to join the Boys Town Pediatrics Pediatric Clinic to practice general pediatrics.
Shannon Haines, MD, will be staying in Omaha to begin her fellowship in neonatology at the University of Nebraska Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. 
Anne Heenan, MD, will be moving to Highlands Ranch, Colorado to join the Kaiser Permanente Group in Parker, Colorado to practice general medicine/pediatrics. 
Amanda Jepson, DO, will be moving to Des Moines, Iowa to join the Mercy One Group to practice pediatric cardiology.
Ishani Jhamb, MBBS, will be moving to San Diego, California to begin her neonatology fellowship at University of California and Rady Children’s. 
Dhilhan Marasinghe, MD, will be moving to Fargo, North Dakota to join the Essentia Health Clinic to practice general pediatrics.
Ahmad Miri, MD, will be staying in Omaha to complete two years of pediatric residency at the University of Nebraska and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. 
Rachel Marlow, MD, will be staying in Omaha and working as an ICU hospitalist at Children's Hospital & Medical Center. She plans to apply for a pediatric critical care fellowship.
Grace Murray, MD, will be staying in Omaha to begin her fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at the University of Nebraska and Children’s Hospital Medical Center.    
Elizabeth Null, MD, will be staying in Omaha to begin her fellowship in genetic medicine at the University of Nebraska and Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. 
Noah Reynolds, DO, will be moving to Waukee, Iowa to join the Unity Point Clinic to practice general pediatrics.
Julie Risinger, DO,  will be staying in Omaha to join the pediatric faculty and will be one of the co-chief residents.
Anum Samdani, MD, will be staying in Omaha join the UNMC Internal Medicine Hospitalist Group.
Rachel Schlueter, MD,  will be staying in the Omaha area to join the Children’s Physicians Village Pointe Clinic to practice general pediatrics 
Nicholas Torbert, MD, will be completing his neonatology fellowship on October 31, 2121 and is planning to move to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to join Avera McKennan Hospital to work in the NICU.
Joe Wang, DO, will be moving to San Antonio, Texas to join UT Health San Antonio as an IM hospitalist.
Simone Warrack, DO, will be moving to Green Bay, Wisconsin to join the Bellin Health Clinic to practice general pediatrics.
Eric West, DO, will be staying in the Omaha to join the Children’s Physicians Spring Valley Clinic to practice general pediatrics.
Kari Simonsen, MD, chair, UNMC Department of Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics Chair Update:
Kari Simonsen, MD, MBA
May has been another busy and productive month for the Department of Pediatrics! We celebrated the graduation of our 3rd year residents and presented teaching awards to many excellent faculty and trainees. In addition, the Child Health Research Institute hosted their 19th annual Pediatric Research Forum, where researchers presented their work and keynote speakers, Dr. Kate Heelan, and Dr. Gwenn Skar outlining their respective research programs and career journeys. The Medicinal Musings section of the forum allowed medical researches to share their recent creative projects. 

The Pediatric Department Antiracism Committee hosted their first annual Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Conference, which included expert presentations and the engagement of participants and panelists in an online format. We look forward to next steps for the Department of Pediatrics Antiracism Committee as we affirm our identity as an antiracist department and further our efforts to create inclusive communities.  

As advocates for the community, we've been actively engaged in outreach efforts and COVID-19 vaccine administration campaigns with community partners including NorthStar. We’ve also conducted parent-facing Facebook Live communications with Children's to help spread the word about the importance of vaccinating of teens.

My thanks to all of you for your ongoing contributions to the mission of UNMC and Children's, and your commitment to our patients and the community!
 
Kari
Antiracism Committee Hosts DEI Conference
On May, 21 the UNMC Pediatrics Antiracism Committee held a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Conference. The event featured the release of the committee’s Antiracism Statement. The keynote speaker Deirdre Cooper Owens, PhD, Charles and Linda Wilson Professor in the History of Medicine and Director of the Humanities in Medicine program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, provided a history of racist practices in medicine and instances of continuing racial issues.

The final hour of the event included short presentations and a panel discussion with the aim of creating an authentic culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.
 
Click the link above to see the UNMC Pediatrics Antiracism Committee's Antiracism Statement.
Click the link above to watch the video of the UNMC Pediatrics Antiracism
Committee's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Conference.
Course Available:
Fighting Racism to Advance Child Health Equity
AVAILABLE: 04/15/2021 - 04/14/2024
Course Description: Structural racism, implicit bias, diversity, inclusion, and cultural humility are all concepts taking center stage in the medical community as we strive to end racism and improve health equity. Based on the Pediatrics for the 21st Century (Peds 21) program at the 2020 AAP National Conference, Fighting Racism to Advance Child Health Equity is a series of educational videos that explores what these concepts mean for pediatricians in our practices, institutions, and communities, and how we can advance child health equity by applying an anti-racist lens to the systems shaping health and medicine. By the end of the series, you will be ready, able, and inspired to help address the inequities that contribute to health disparities, create the conditions we know support healthier children and families, and ensure all children and adolescents have a fair chance at a healthy future. This online video series is eligible for Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part 2 credit.
Our Successes:
Department Celebrations
The Department of Pediatrics shares accomplishments, publications and appointments.
Five Questions
In this new feature, we present the same five questions to a member or members of the UNMC Pediatrics team in order to get to know the person behind the medical professional. This month we feature LaTryce Anderson, Administrative Assistant, Infectious Diseases Clinic and Hannah Sneller, MD, assistant professor, Division of Emergency Medicine.
LaTryce Anderson

What brought you to your given specialty/role?
I wanted to be apart of something that was changing the world for children in a positive and impactful way.

What’s your favorite place in the world?
I love the the dance floor, and I really enjoy driving or walking through fall foliage…anywhere. Autumn is actually my favorite season!

What are you a fan of or very interested in? 
I have a love of dance, international cuisine, and beautiful architecture and design.

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?
I love documentaries on how other parts of the world work. I don’t have a specific documentary, but I do recommend watching to see how other places cook their cuisine, what animals they have, family dynamics, or how their hospital system works. It is always eye-opening and makes the world not seem so big.

What was the most important lesson taught to you during your career training?
I learned we are always learning, growing and evolving. 😊
Hannah Sneller, MD

What brought you to your given specialty/role?
I was interested in medicine from a young age. I felt called to helping people and as my interest grew I was in pediatrics. My 6th grade career fair poster was on the specialty!
During residency I was drawn to the pace and variety of pediatric emergency medicine. I also love being able to do lots of one-on-one teaching during my shifts.
 
What’s your favorite place in the world?
Hawaii – this is our happy place. I just returned from a trip to the Big Island.
 
What are you a fan of or very interested in?
I love sports. I am considered a Jaysker – Creighton basketball and Nebraska football fan. I also love the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.
 
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?
I am an avid reader and enjoy many different genres. One of my favorite genres is historical non-fiction. I just finished The Great Influenza by John M. Barry. Not only does it delve into the Spanish flu pandemic but it also discusses the development of modern medical education in the U.S.
 
What was the most important lesson taught to you during your medical training?
Always have an open mind to learn from others; this includes nurses, respiratory therapists and other ancillary staff.
Staff Milestones:
Recent Service Anniversaries
Congratulations to those celebrating recent work anniversaries. We wish you all the best for continued success!
Years of Service:
Jennifer Strawn, RN, BSN - 41 years,
LuAnn Mill, RN, BSN - 15 years
Ashley Servais, MPH - 5 years
Russell McCulloh, MD - 3 years

Deanna Young, BMS - 2 years
Ryan Forman, MBA - 2 years
Katherine McGraw, MD - 1 year
Chittalsinh Raulji, MD - 1 year
Upcoming Events:
Science Cafe
Pediatric/Perinatal COVID Research Panel
Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD and Kari Simonsen, MD, MBA
June 15, 2021 | Facebook live stream | Event Information will be posted here

CHRI Seminar Series
Less Heat, More Light: Discovering Smarter Therapies for Pediatric Brain Tumors
Special Guest Speaker: Robert Wechsler-Reya, PhD - SBP Medical Discovery Institute
June 18, 2021 | Zoom | To receive Zoom information, please contact chri@unmc.edu.
University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
982155 Nebraska Medicine
Omaha, NE 68198-2155
402-559-6400