• Cindy Colpitts to Receive Inaugural Nebraska Chapter AAP Lifetime Service to Pediatrics Award
• Take Advantage of Volunteering Opportunities
• 2025 Flu Vaccine Guidelines
• Letter from the Chair
• Angela Delecaris, MD, and Michael Facciolo, MD, Inducted to Interprofessional Academy of Educators
• Department of Pediatrics Releases New Strategic Plan in Alignment with Children's Nebraska
• Jill Skrabel, PhD, RD, Receives APHL Award
• Register to Attend the 2025 H.E.A.R.D. Conference on Nov. 14
• Don't Forget to Register for the CHRI Scientific Conference on December 3
• Congratulations Lauren Gavia, MD: September House Officer of the Month
• Five Questions: Sarah Swenson, MD, DPhi
• Celebrations
• October General Faculty Meeting Recording
• Staff Milestones

The Nebraska Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics has chosen Cindy Colpitts, education administrator for the pediatric residency program and pediatric fellowship programs, to be the first recipient of the Lifetime Service to Pediatrics Award. The award recognizes her “tireless efforts and years of dedicated service to the training and development of future pediatricians." 

For more than 25 years, Cindy has guided hundreds of residents through the UNMC/Children's Nebraska/Creighton University joint pediatric residency program and into careers as pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. Her office door, covered in holiday cards and letters, is a testament to the appreciation and affection program graduates feel for her. Her door is always open, and she has a smile and “Hello!” for anyone and everyone who walks by. Cindy has prioritized being at UNMC in person whenever possible; her office is the heart of Pediatrics at UNMC. She is a trusted resource, confidant, cheer leader, advocate and honorary family member to many residents during one of the most challenging stages of their careers. 

Congratulations, Cindy, on this well-deserved honor! 

The Community Engagement Committee is searching for volunteers for upcoming events with our community partners: 

Wednesday, Oct. 29: NorthStar Family Night, 5 - 7 p.m. 

Sign up to help provide fun, science-based activities for NorthStar students while their parents attend an educational presentation on Digital Health and Safety. We need members of the department to staff the children's activities booths and build relationships. 

Monday, Nov. 10 & Tuesday, Nov. 11: Girls Inc. Health Sciences Career Nights 

This two-night event is designed to allow Girls Inc. students to learn about a variety of careers within science and healthcare and to receive valuable information on their own physical, mental and emotional health. We are seeking members of the department to give 30-minute presentations on their occupation, area of expertise or to provide useful content around health best practices. 

Friday, Nov. 14: Completely KIDS Career & College Fair 

Volunteers are needed to work the Department of Pediatrics booth and to discuss careers in healthcare and science with the Completely KIDS students. 

Please reach out to Amy Rezac-Elgohary if interested. 

2025 Flu Vaccine Guidelines

Please review the 2025 guidelines and opportunities for flu shots below. Dually employed and contingent workers of UNMC and Children’s Nebraska are required to report their flu vaccine status to UNMC and Children's. 

Children's Nebraska 

As flu season approaches, it’s time to take action to protect yourself, your team and the patients and families we serve. At Children’s Nebraska, we strongly encourage all team members to receive the influenza vaccine as an important step in creating a safer, healthier environment for everyone. 

What’s Changing This Year 

Beginning this year, the flu vaccine is no longer mandatory; however, it remains strongly encouraged for all team members. Team members now have the option to either receive the vaccine or complete a declination form by Nov. 30 each year. This change reflects a more flexible, people-centered approach that acknowledges the diverse needs and personal circumstances of our team. The declination form is available within the Immunization Programs Policy and must be submitted to Employee Health by the deadline. 

How to Get Vaccinated 

Children’s is committed to making flu vaccinations as accessible and convenient as possible for all team members, across all shifts: 

• Clinical team members will receive their vaccine within their departments, unless already completed during their compliance review or through other arrangements. 
• All other team members are welcome to attend any of our open Employee Health flu shot Night shift team members may receive the flu vaccine on any Med/Surg unit during their shift or may attend a flu clinic at their convenience. 
• Team members may also choose to get vaccinated through their primary care provider or at their local pharmacy. 
• Team members receiving the vaccination outside of a Children’s-provided option must submit documentation to Employee Health by either dropping it off in person or sending an email. 

As a reminder, team members must either receive the flu shot or submit a declination form by Nov. 30. If you have previously been granted a medical or religious exemption, you will still need to complete this form. For more information, refer to the Immunization Programs Policy or contact Employee Health with any questions. Your individual actions help protect our teams, our patients and the families who trust us with their care.

UNMC

Complete the Influenza Vaccination Documentation 

All UNMC students, staff and faculty are required to participate in UNMC-related monitoring of flu vaccination by confirming vaccination or declination using the electronic monitoring processes established by the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Click the link below to access the Health Tracking System. 

Nebraska Medicine clinics 

No appointment needed. Just bring your badge and complete the influenza questionnaire in the Health Tracking System before arriving. 

 Instructions for accessing the Health Tracking System off-network 

Nebraska Medical Center, lower Storz Pavilion 

• Tuesday, Oct. 28, 8 a.m. to noon 
• Thursday, Oct. 30, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
• Thursday, Nov. 6, 7 to 11 a.m. 
• Tuesday, Nov. 11, 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. 
• Thursday, Nov. 13, 8 a.m. to noon 
• Monday, Nov. 24, 7:30 a.m. to noon 

Other Nebraska Medicine clinics are scheduled for: 

Bellevue Medical Center, Conference Room A, garden level 

• Wednesday, Oct. 29, 8 a.m. to noon 
• Wednesday, Nov. 19, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Village Pointe, room 10103 A&B 

• Wednesday, Nov. 12, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

ECCP, level four, room 4061 

• Friday, Nov. 7, 8 a.m. to noon 

It's been another busy month in Pediatrics, and we have lots to share and to celebrate!

Congratulations to Cindy Colpitts for receiving the Inaugural Nebraska Chapter AAP Lifetime Service to Pediatrics Award! Cindy has been the lifeblood of the pediatric residency for decades and her contributions to helping launch the successful careers of literally hundreds of pediatricians is truly unmatched. We are SO grateful for you, Cindy!

In addiiton, Dr. Jill Skrabel received the Every Day Lifesaver Award from the Association of Public Health Laboratories for her work to support the Nebraska Newborn Screening Program. Congratulations, Jill! Finally,

Drs. Angela Delacaris, and Michael Facciolo were recently inducted into the UNMC Interprofessional Academy of Educators. Congrats to you both, and thank you for your commitment to education!

There are numerous opportunities to get involved and volunteer together with other members of the Department of Pediatrics coming up. Please note the dates and sign up for events supporting our community partners, North Star, Girls Inc. and Completely KIDS this fall.

Also, there are department sponsored conferences coming soon. Notably, the HEARD committee will host a special Grand Rounds and morning conference on Nov 14 featuring Dr. Jasmine Marcelin from UNMC Internal Medicine as our Grand Rounds speaker. The Child Health Research Institute will host their Scientific Conference on Dec 3. Please register and plan to attend this fantastic event recognizing the research accomplishments of our faculty and building research networks and collaborations toward future efforts. 

As a reminder, flu and COVID vaccines are now available and receipt of these vaccinations is tracked on both UNMC and Children's campuses. Please get your vaccines updated now to protect yourself and your patients this winter and follow the instructions below to document receipt of these vaccines. Questions can be addressed to Children's employee health if you have any specific concerns.

Thank you again for all that you do to support the Department of Pediatrics at UNMC.

Kari

Congratulations to Pediatrics faculty members, Angela Delecaris, MD, associate professor, Division of Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, and Michael Facciolo, MD, assistant professor, Division of Critical Care, who were inducted to the Interprofessional Academy of Educators. Drs. Delecaris and Facciolo join a group of nearly 300 members across Nebraska committed to advancing educational excellence through exceptional health sciences teaching, mentorship and scholarship. 

The Department of Pediatrics and Children's Nebraska have released a strategic alignment plan. The plan includes five partnership goals and success metrics. Special thanks to Jackie Ostronic, operations/programs manager, and Sergio Orozco, manager, strategic planning, Children's Nebraska, for their efforts in putting together the plan.

Every year, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Newborn Screening Symposium hosts an awards ceremony to recognize individuals for their contributions to the newborn screening system. This year, Jill Skrabal, PhD, RD, assistant professor, Division of Inherited Metabolic Diseases, was nominated for, and received, the Everyday Life Saver Award. She is the first non-physician to receive this distinction. Congratulations! 

The Department of Pediatrics’ Healthcare Excellence, Accountability, Respect and Dignity (H.E.A.R.D.) Committee will host its 2025 conference on Friday, Nov. 14, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Glow auditorium on the campus of Children’s Nebraska. The event theme is, “The Role of Interpersonal Safety in Retention, Advancement, and Professional Fulfillment among Healthcare Teams.” Registration to attend is now open. 

The conference will examine how fostering interpersonal safety — defined as an environment where individuals feel empowered to be their authentic self — can positively impact retention, professional fulfillment and team performance. Through a combination of keynote presentations, panel discussions and interactive activities, attendees will gain insights and strategies to support inclusive and empowering workplace cultures. 

The conference will feature a keynote address by Jasmine Riviere Marcelin, MD, associate professor in the UNMC Division of Infectious Diseases and vice chair of belonging and community engagement in the Department of Internal Medicine. Following the keynote, Sharon Stoolman, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, will moderate a panel discussion with leaders in culture development and inclusion from UNMC and Children’s Nebraska, who will discuss how healthcare institutions and educational programs can adapt their practices to better support faculty, staff and learners. The discussion will focus on strategies to ensure all members of the healthcare community feel valued, supported and empowered to succeed. 

The conference will also include a guided activity designed to help participants explore the alignment between their personal values and those of their institutions. Additionally, a professional fulfillment writing exercise will provide an opportunity for attendees to reflect on their career aspirations and identify pathways to greater fulfillment. 

A brunch for registered attendees will be served from 11 to 11:30 a.m., offering time for informal networking and discussion among participants. Registration is not required to attend, and anyone is welcome to attend any or all components of the event. 

The Department of Pediatric’s H.E.A.R.D. Committee is dedicated to elevating the diverse voices of the healthcare workforce and advancing excellence in patient care, teaching, service and scholarship. This conference reflects the committee’s ongoing commitment to fostering inclusive environments that promote professional growth and collaboration. 

CHRI members, pediatric researchers, stakeholders in children's health,

Registration is open for the CHRI Scientific Conference on December 3 at the Scott Conference Center on the campus of UNO.  

The keynote speaker will be Marius George Linguraru, DPhil, MA, MSc, the Connor Family Professor and Endowed Chair in Research and Innovation at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. He will present on the subject, "Ethical AI for Children's Health and Rare Diseases." 

Dr. Linguraru loves to work with multidisciplinary teams of clinicians, scientists and engineers to advance global health and improve the lives of vulnerable children and patients with rare diseases through AI-driven solutions. A distinguished leader in AI research, he also holds faculty appointments as Professor of Radiology and Pediatrics at The George Washington University. He co-founded PediaMetrix Inc., a company focused on improving pediatric health through AI. He joined Children’s National from the National Institutes of Health, earned his doctorate from the University of Oxford, and completed fellowships at the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology (INRIA) and Harvard University. 

Research Submission

Outstanding scientific work will be recognized via opportunities to present during the CHRI Scientific conference. Abstract submission will be open until October 30, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CST. Investigators who submit must be registered or register for the conference by the registration deadline (November 25). 

Lauren Gavia, MD, pediatric resident, has been named the September House Officer of the Month.

“Lauren G, G is for GOAT. Lauren was such an incredible supervisor. She went above and beyond for her interns and checked in regularly to see if there was anything she could do on top of everything else she had already helped us with. So appreciated.”

“Lauren is so kind and positive. Always there to help and always so supportive. Could not think of a better supervising resident.”

What brought you to your given specialty/role? 

I started volunteering at my local hospital as a high school student. I did not have any interest in medicine at the time but hoped to find meaning as I recovered after a car accident. I was drawn to the pediatrics unit and kept adding more and more volunteer hours to my schedule. One of my roles was to provide sibling care for infants in the NICU so their parents could be at bedside. One day, no siblings were present, and I was asked to rock an older infant whose family faced barriers to being at bedside. I was awestruck by the NICU environment and inspired. Although I maintained that I was keeping an open mind about specialties through training, none of my family or friends was surprised that I ended up in neonatology.  

What’s your favorite place in the world?

I had the opportunity to study history before I started medical school. The old libraries in Oxford have a special place in my heart. It was amazing to feel a part of a long history of humans trying to learn and grow and discover. I also had the opportunity to be in many scientists' archives, and I loved the opportunity to try to see the world through their eyes.  

What are you a fan of or very interested in?

I'm very interested in family-centered care and how we can improve support for families during hospitalization to optimize neurodevelopmental outcomes. I've also always been interested in names, naming practices and traditions. I often ask families how they chose their child's name! 



Is there any book, music or TV series or movie that you admire and would recommend to others, particularly if it relates to the medical world?

I haven't revisited it in a long time, but Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl was the book that led to my volunteering in the hospital and ultimately my career in neonatology, so it is one of the most impactful books I have read.  

What was the most important lesson taught to you during your career training? 

The most important lesson I have learned is that feedback is essential to improvement. My undergraduate degree was in the sciences, so when I enrolled in graduate school in the humanities, I didn't have the writing experience that my colleagues had. I was grateful that my advisor gave me feedback after I submitted my first essay. He met with me regularly to give feedback on my writing and build my skills over the following year. 

Ultimately, I went on to complete my doctorate. My dissertation was noted to be among the best the committee had reviewed in history of science, and I won the British Society for the History of Science Singer Prize for one of my articles. I would have never been able to accomplish that without my advisor's mentorship. As a result, I seek feedback wherever I can.  

Members of the department and the Child Health Research Institute enjoyed free coffee and breakfast at Children's Nebraska, Indian Hills West, on the morning of Oct. 22. It was great opportunity to talk with peers, enjoy Starbucks coffee and take a quiz about the TV show "Friends." The department schedules employee appreciation events twice a year at Children's or UNMC locations. Thank you Analisa Peyton, Jackie Ostronic and Precious Kayode for putting together such an enjoyable event.

Celebrations: