• Kevin Dibbern, PhD, to Establish Sports Medicine Research Lab
• Letter from the Chair 
• Annual Reports Showcases Achievements and Changes in Department
• Subspecialties Fellowship Match Results Announced
• Residency Program Releases New Recruitment Video
• Scheduling Open for 2025 CHRI Seminar Series Speakers
• Five Questions: Dani Wilson-Baxter
• Celebrations Deck
• Staff Milestones
• College of Medicine Seeks Preceptors for Longitudinal Clinical Experience Program
• October House Officer of the Month

The UNMC Department of Pediatrics Sports Medicine Division and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation recently expanded with the addition of assistant professor Kevin Dibbern, PhD. Dr. Dibbern will serve as the director of sports medicine research at Children’s Nebraska where he will work in close collaboration with division chief Kody Moffatt, MD, and associate professor Natalie Ronshaugen, MD. Dr. Dibbern’s multidisciplinary lab will coordinate translational research between Pediatric Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics.

Dr. Dibbern received his PhD in biomedical engineering from the University of Iowa, working with the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. His research has spanned orthopaedic trauma, deformity and biomechanics. Most recently, he has focused on form and function interactions in the foot and ankle using quantitative imaging and motion analysis data as a post-doctoral researcher at Marquette University and Shriners Children’s, Chicago.

Dr. Dibbern’s lab will feature the first weightbearing cone beam computed tomography (WBCT) scanner capable of examining alignment of the entire lower extremity. WBCT provides 3D weightbearing images where clinicians were previously limited to 2D X-rays. Additionally, it’s low-dose 3D scans significantly reduce radiation exposure and examination time compared to standard of care imaging by eliminating the need for multiple X-rays and subsequent CTs. Dr. Dibbern has been at the forefront of WBCT research since serving as co-director of the Orthopaedic Functional Imaging Research Lab at the University of Iowa, where the prototype of this device was tested.

“I’m honored to be joining wonderful colleagues on the Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics teams to elevate the care we can provide patients through research,” Dr. Dibbern said. 

Happy Holidays! It's that very exciting time of year where we reflect on the accomplishments of 2024 and look forward with anticipation to 2025. 

In this newsletter edition, you'll find the link to the Department of Pediatrics Annual Report, which I hope you'll explore to see some of the highlights from our endeavors this past academic year. 

We also highlight a new faculty researcher, Kevin Dibbern, PhD who joined our Sports Medicine division this fall and is expanding the capacity for research in orthopaedics and sports medicine. Please take a moment to learn about his expertise and to reach out and connect with him and the sports medicine team to learn more.

The results of the fellowship match have been posted. I want to offer congratulations to all of our residents who matched into fellowships to continue their education and to our fellowship programs who have matched fellows to begin their subspecialty pediatrics training with us. Our residents and our programs both had strong results in this years subspecialty match. I am grateful for the leadership of so many of you in fostering the success of these GME programs, which are vital to our faculty pipeline and our ongoing departmental growth. In keeping with supporting our educational pipeline, the peds and med-peds residency programs are in full swing of the interview season and working to recruit the next talented group of medical students to become our pediatric residents. Thanks again to everyone who is helping to support the interview process, as well as those who are teaching students in the clinics and at the bedside in the hospital. The residency has developed an updated recruitment video that we included here, which I hope you'll watch and enjoy. Also, please consider having conversations with our students to help encourage them to continue their education in pediatrics here at UNMC.

We had many important updates and celebrations in this month's faculty meeting. Since we had a combined Nov./Dec. meeting there were quite a few updates and not quite enough time. There are some slides that I encourage you to review to make sure you didn't miss any details and so you'll be able to help celebrate with those who provided updates and accomplishments for the month!

Recogition and thanks for your continued dedication to UNMC to all of our faculty and staff who are celebrating service milestones this month. I want to particularly highlight Dr. Ann Anderson Berry who is celebrating 20 years on the faculty! Congratulations and thank you for all you do for UNMC!

Finally, I want to send each of you warm holiday greetings and wish you all a peaceful, healthy and safe holiday season.

Kari

The Department of Pediatrics is proud to announce the release of its 2023-24 annual report featuring highlights of the last academic year. "I am so excited to share this year's report with our greater UNMC and pediatrics community," said division chair, Kari Simonson, MD, MBA. "I think readers will find it provides a valuable snapshot of the impactful achievements happening across our areas of focus."

This year's report features stories focusing on five strategic areas of the department: clinical care, specialty medicine, research, education and service to the community. Featured stories are:

• Andrew Huang, MD, Brings Advanced Endoscopy to GI Division
• Russell McCulloh, MD, Ashley Deschamp, MD, Launch National Rural Obesity Study in Nebraska
• Genetics Division Thrives in Department of Pediatrics
• Community Engagement Committee Connects Faculty and Staff with Partner Organizations
• Pediatrics Global Health Education Program Provides New Experiences, Perspectives to Learners

The report also includes an infographic of department wide metrics and a list of faculty and staff reflecting the beginning of the 2023 academic year to the beginning of the 2024 academic year.

Dr. Kelsey Anderson

Dr. Lindsey Beard Pohren

Dr. Michael Graves

Dr. Morgan Harris

Dr. Drew Hollender

Dr. Robin Humrich

Dr. Audrey Lane 

Erin Oeltjen

Dr. Charles Oertli

Dr. Luis Rivera Martinez

Dr. Dhruv Srinivasachar

Dr. Shagun Sharma

Dr. Ashley Vanasse

Dr. Caitlyn Smith

Dr. Ashley Walters

Congratulations to the department's pediatrics residents who matched with fellowship programs and to the the departments fellowship teams that successfully matched with incoming fellows.

Incoming Fellows

Cardiology - Michael Graves, HCA Florida Palms West Hospital

Critical Care - Caitlyn Smith, Albany Medical Center

Developmental Pediatrics - Erin Oeltjen, Pediatric UNMC

Emergency Medicine - Drew Hollender, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL

Gastroenterology - Luis Rivera Martinez, University Pediatric Hospital Dr. Antonio Ortiz, Puerto Rico

Genetics - Morgan Harris, University of Iowa Pediatrics

Hematology/Oncology - Ashley Vanasse, University of Oklahoma

Hospital Medicine - Dhruv Srinivasachar, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker

Infectious Diseases - Charles Oertli, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Neonatology - Audrey Lane, Internal Medicine Pediatrics UNMC

Transplant - Shagun Sharma, SUNY Downstate University

Matched Residents

Kelsey Anderson - Nephrology, Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Lindsey Beard Pohren - Complex-Transition Medicine, Baylor University 

Robin Humrich - Neonatology, University of Oklahoma

Ashley Walter - Developmental Pediatrics, Minnesota

Congratulations to the UNMC/Children's Nebraska/Creighton Pediatric Residency Program on the release of their new recruitment video. Program leaders worked with Chuck Koster, content strategist, and an outside videographer on the replacement of the previous recruitment video made during the outbreak of COVID-19 by the UNMC videography team in 2020. The video was designed to attract potential residency program candidates and give them an understanding of the features of the program.

The new video contains onsite footage of UNMC and Children's residency and clinical spaces and interviews with current residents, Jamuna Buchanan, MD; Brenton Bussinger, MD; Lauren Gavia, MD; Erin Oeltjen, MD; Mason Rohr, DO; Farhath Sulthana, MD; Paul Witt, MD; and Nicole Wozny, MD. 

The 2025 calendar for the Child Health Research Institute’s (CHRI) Pediatric Research Seminar Series is now open and accepting speakers. CHRI members are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to share their research with our network of more than 500 child health researchers.

The series provides a supportive and collaborative platform to share your work. This is a great opportunity for post-docs and graduate students.

Presentations are scheduled for 30 minutes, including Q&A. In 2025, the series will be held monthly on the third Friday of each month and feature two projects (multiple speakers on a project are welcome).

Please respond with your interest and two or three potential dates that work for you to CHRI@unmc.edu by Dec. 20, 2024. Confirmations will be sent, including calendar holds, by Dec. 30, 2024. You can become a CHRI member by filling out this form.  

Seminar Dates:

Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 

Friday, Feb. 21, 2025

Friday, March 21, 2025

Friday, April 18, 2025

Friday, May 16, 2025

Friday, June 20, 2025

Friday, July 18, 2025

Friday, Aug.15, 2025

Friday, Sept. 19, 2025

Friday, Oct.17, 2025

Friday, Nov. 21, 2025

Friday, Dec. 19, 2025

Five Questions:

This month, we feature Dani Wilson-Baxter, GME/UME senior program coordinator.

The attached slide deck reviews the items covered in the Dec. 5 November/December Department of Pediatrics General Faculty meeting.

The UNMC College of Medicine is seeking preceptors as part of their Longitudinal Clinical Experience (LCE) program for first and second year medical students. Participation in this program helps support our ongoing efforts to encourage more exposure to pediatrics early in medical school training.

For those in general pediatrics, the experience would include up to eight half-days with a student over 1.5 years. For subspecialists this would be a one-time experience for students as part of their career exploration. 

If you are interested in the program or have any questions please reach out to Lindsey Holmes liholmes@unmc.edu at the UNMC College of Medicine.

Congratulations to Brenton Bussinger, MD: October House Officer of the Month.

“Brent is someone who shows up for nursing. It is so appreciated to have a supervising resident to take a phone call, change an order, come to bedside and have a face-to-face conversation. He is respectful to everyone involved in patient care. He is a great example for others.”

Nurse testimonial